Career Guidance Washington Lessons

Contact Information

Graduation & Pathway Preparation

Maria Muto

Secondary School Counseling Program Supervisor
564-999-3916

Career Guidance Washington is a guidance and life-planning curriculum for students in Grades 6-12. It is designed to help students achieve their post-high school dreams. Career guidance activities have been designed to help students:

  • Develop clear plans for what they would like to do with their lives after high school
  • Learn what they need to accomplish today-while they are still in school-to reach those dreams

Frequently Asked Questions

Career guidance operates on the premise that every student deserves help and attention, not just those who are high risk or high achieving. Review the Career Guidance Washington FAQs for more information.

Lessons by Grade

# Lesson Theme
1 What is Career Guidance Washington?
  • Introduce themselves to members of a small group.
  • Outline the role of their Career Guidance Washington Advisor.
  • Outline the key products of the 6th grade portfolio.
  • Commit to ‘take charge of your future’ in personal plan and portfolio development.
  • Commit to being ‘high school ready’ by the end of 8th grade.
 Career and College Development
2 Welcome to Middle School
  • List key differences between elementary school and middle school.
  • Create at least three academic and two activity goals for 6th grade.
 Ownership of Learning
3 Succeeding in Middle School
  • Define the three keys to academic success: attendance, performance, and assistance.
  • Define the elements of their ideal home-based study environment.
  • Compare personal methods for time/event management to those of others.
 Ownership of Learning
4 Sharpening My Skills
  • Create a comprehensive list of things people can do.
  • Create a list of skills students possess and a list of skills they can acquire.
  • Identify skills required to be successful in various types of work and/or life activities.
 Ownership of Learning
5 Time Management
  • Assess what occupies time.
  • Determine time efficiencies.
  • Use a time management tool.
  • Analyze their personal use of time.
  • Create a simple plan to improve time management.
 Learning Techniques
6 Note-Taking from Assigned Reading
  • Demonstrate effective note-taking techniques from reading assignments.
  • Identify personal note-taking strengths and weaknesses by comparing notes with other people.
 Learning Techniques
7 Effective Test Preparation
  • Identify the various types of questions on a unit test or final exam.
  • Identify effective and ineffective test preparation techniques.
  • Demonstrate an awareness of effective test attack skills.
 Learning Techniques
8 My Bucket List of Careers
  • Create a comprehensive list of things people like to do.
  • Sort interests into groups with something in common.
  • Create a list of activities that they find interesting.
 Career and College Development
9 The Wide World of Careers
  • Define paid activities as a “job” or “career.”.
  • List more than 40 different careers..
  • Sort careers into logical career fields.
 Career and College Development
10 Academic Progress Review
  • Identify factors contributing to mid-year academic achievement.
  • Analyze mid-year academic progress and develop improvement goals.
  • Write a mid-year report on personal academic and activity goals.
 Career and College Development
11 Who Will I Be in the Future?
  • Identify at least five former dreams for their future.
  • Identify key influences on future dreams.
  • Define a ‘perfect life’ 20 years in the future for work, education, recreation, leisure, volunteer and family.
 Career and College Development
12 Career Interest Survey
  • Students will describe their career interests and goals.
  • Students will research and describe one potential career area.
 Academic Eligibility
13 Six Steps to Success
  • Students will identify careers based on the tasks performed by people in those careers.
  • Students will describe how their interests relate to careers.
 Career and College Development
14 Learning About High School
  • List 20 different high school courses.
  • List key differences between middle school and high school.
  • Define the attributes of an 8th grade student ready to enter high school.
 Middle School and Beyond Plan
15 Income, Savings and Spending
  • Identify multiple sources of money.
  • Rate different uses of money as ‘need to have’ or ‘want to have’.
  • Outline several benefits of saving money.
  • Identify and examine several influences on how money is spent.
 Transition Skills
16 Jobs, Occupations and Careers
  • Definition of the terms “job”, “occupation”, and “career”
  • Examples that illustrate the terms “job”, “occupation”, and “career”
  • Understanding of why it is important to know the difference between the terms.
  • Explain the differences between jobs, occupations, and careers.
 Career and College Development
17 Reasons for College
  • Students will describe their goals for life after high school.
  • Students will accurately list basic facts about postsecondary. education and describe several reasons why postsecondary education is needed to achieve their goals.
 Transition Skills
18 Student-Lead Conference Prep I
  • Understand the student-led conference structure.
  • Schedule conference and invite parents/significant adult to conference.
  • Organize Middle School and Beyond Plan and portfolio. materials to use as artifacts in the conference.
 Ownership of Learning
19 Student-Lead Conference Prep II
  • Review the student-led conference structure.
  • Finalize outline and organization of Middle School and Beyond. Plan and portfolio materials to use as artifacts in the conference.
  • Finalize invitation of parents/significant adult to conference.
  • Conduct a practice student-led conference.
 Ownership of Learning
20 Student-Led Conferences – How Did I Do?
  • Identify the strengths and challenges of their student-led conference.
  • List five ways to improve their student-led conference next year in 7th grade.
  • Define five benefits to student-led conferences.
 Ownership of Learning
21 Explore Apprenticeship
  • Students will describe the attributes of an apprenticeship.
  • Students will identify reasons to consider an apprenticeship program after high school.
22 Career Pathways
  • Introduce the concept of a career path
  • Explore how personal decisions impact a life-long career path
  • List key decision points (criteria) that impact a satisfying, rewarding career path
23 Exploring Subject Area Course Options
  • Understand the concept of subject areas and different disciplines.
  • Research and share information regarding different content disciplines.
24 Creating a Safe Space for Learning
  • Comprehend the concept of creating a safe space in the classroom/community.
  • Possess a stronger sense of the importance of self-advocacy.
  • Initiate a safe space for themselves and others as a classroom community.
25 Voices of Doubt
  • Increase the strategies students have to deal with the voices of doubt in their family, peer group and community.
  • Apply personal action strategies to situations where others voice doubts about going on to higher education after high school.
26 Summer Goals
  • Project the amount of time required for summer month activities, using work, education, recreation, leisure, contribution, and family as categories.
  • Create three ‘possible summer projects’ that would be examples of “taking charge of their future.”
  • Summarize the top five achievements of 6th grade.
27 Earning a Living
  • Define the various ways people get paid for work, including salary, overtime, commission, bonus pay, and profit sharing.
  • Define common deductions from a paycheck, including federal tax, state tax, Medicare, social security, and retirement considerations.
  • Identify common expenses that support the cost of living independently.
28 Target Skills
  • Identify top five target skills.
  • Compare target skills with those of other students.
  • Identify ten different work, education, recreation, leisure, and/or volunteer activities where the target skills can be developed.
29 My Voice
  • Be able to define what “voice” means.
  • Understand why having a strong voice matters, especially in relation to going to college.
  • Assess the qualities of their personal voice.
# Lesson Theme
1 Where Am I Going in 7th Grade?
  • Review the key elements of the Career Guidance Washington portfolio.
  • Analyze prior year goal achievements to determine new skills and challenges.
  • Create at least five academic and/or activity goals for the 7th grade.
 Ownership of Learning
2 Personal Interests
  • Identify ten different personal interests.
  • Compare personal interests to those of other students.
  • Analyze and explain the reasons for common and uncommon interests.
 Personal Interests
3 Personal Skills
  • Identify ten different personal skills.
  • Explain why ‘skills’ are defined as ‘things you can do’ rather than ‘things you are good at’.
  • Use written descriptions of famous people to determine their skills sets.
  • Provide examples of personal skills being used successfully.
 Ownership of Learning
4 Knowing Yourself: What Are Your Strengths and Interests?
  • Students will identify their strengths and interests.
  • Students will describe the connection between their interests and possible careers.
 Career and College Development
5 Time Management
  • Evaluate present-day weekly time use
  • Create an organized To-Do list for a week of courses, homework, events and activities
 Learning Techniques
6 Managing Multiple Choice Questions
  • Outline effective techniques for answering multiple choice test questions.
  • Write a multiple choice question for an imaginary high school readiness test.
 Learning Techniques
7 Asking for Help
  • Explore reasons why people (students) need to be willing to ask for help.
  • Determine truth from myths in regard to asking for help.
 Learning Techniques
8 High School Courses
  • Sort the courses available at a high school into logical educational fields.
  • Identify ten different high school courses that relate to personal interests and/or skills.
 High School and Beyond Plan
9 My Story
  • Identify significant events, challenges, and accomplishments from the past, present and future.
  • Project future successes by reflecting on what has made them special in the past and in the present so that they can project their future.
 Middle School and Beyond Plan
9B High School and Beyond Plan | Rewritable Digital HSBP
  • Students will develop a High School & Beyond Plan each year.
  • Students will complete a career interest inventory.
  • Students will review their high school course plan.
  • Students will work on their postsecondary plans.
  • Students will write a resume or activity log.
 High School and Beyond Plan
10 After-Graduation Path
  • Describe the value of work, education, recreation, leisure, and volunteer career/life activities.
  • Define preferred time percentage allocations to the five types of career/life activities.
  • Identify the five most common post-high school paths.
  • Select the post-high school path they presently intend to pursue after graduation from high school.
 Career and College Development
11 Academic Progress Review
  • Identify factors contributing to mid-year academic achievement.
  • Analyze mid-year academic progress and develop improvement goals.
  • Write a mid-year report on personal academic and activity progress.
 Academic Eligibility
12 College Bound Scholarship | Presentation
  • Students will describe the College Bound Scholarship’s purpose.
  • Students will determine whether they are eligible to apply for a College Bound Scholarship.
 Transition Skills
13 Keeping Your Options Open
  • Students will define a family wage job.
  • Students will describe the postsecondary requirements for different family wage jobs.
  • Students will list the work they are doing in school to prepare for postsecondary.
 Career and College Development
14 Preparing for High School | Presentation
  • Students will identify their interests and academic plans and create a Middle School Plan.
  • Students will describe High School & Beyond Plan. requirements and complete an early draft.
 Middle School and Beyond Plan
15 Future Possibilities
  • Analyze the ‘fit’ of sample student interests and skills with their chosen future careers.
  • Analyze the ‘fit’ of personal interests with sample careers.
 Career and College Development
16 “You Don’t Say” Career Game
  • Students will describe how their interests relate to careers.
  • Students will identify careers based on the tasks performed by people in those careers.
 Career and College Development
17 Occupations Scavenger Hunt
  • Students will identify the educational requirements and outlook for different careers.
  • Students will identify the connection between educational preparation and wages.
 Career and College Development
18 Student-Led Conference Prep I
  • Understand the student-led conference structure.
  • Schedule conference and invite parents/significant adult to conference.
  • Organize Middle School and Beyond Plan and portfolio materials to use as artifacts in the conference.
 Ownership of Learning
19 Student-Led Conference Prep II
  • Review the student-led conference structure.
  • Finalize outline and organization of Middle School and Beyond Plan and portfolio materials to use as artifacts in the conference.
  • Finalize invitation of parents/significant adult to conference
  • Conduct a practice student-led conference.
 Ownership of Learning
20 Student-Led Conferences – How Did I Do?
  • Identify the strengths and challenges of their student-led conference.
  • List five ways to improve their student-led conference in 8th grade.
  • Define five benefits to student-led conferences.
 Ownership of Learning
21 Banking and Personal Credit
  • Differentiate between ATM, debit card, checking account, savings account, money market account, and certificate of deposit.
  • Define the risk and reward of using a credit card or loan to purchase items.
22 GET College Savings
  • Describe the benefits of saving money for a later purchase.
  • Describe the GET (Guaranteed Education Tuition) Program and identify how they could participate.
23 Note-taking Skills for Lecture
  • Define pre-class preparation techniques that support effective note-taking.
  • Demonstrate effective note-taking techniques from listening to a presentation or lecture.
  • Improve personal note-taking skills by comparing notes with other students.
24 Conflict
  • Understand and be able to define conflict.
  • Identify the reasons conflict arises.
  • Understand the importance of effective communication.
  • Learn strategies to more effectively communicate a message.
25 Summer Plans and Projects
  • Project time use for their summer activities, using work, education, recreation, leisure, volunteer, and family as categories.
  • Create three ‘possible summer projects’ that would be examples of them ‘taking charge of their future.’
  • Summarize their top ten achievements of 7th grade.
26 Green jobs
  • Explore employment fields, especially those that are green technologies and/or growing.
  • List personal fields of interest where jobs and careers are growing in the future.
  • Describe what makes a job “green.”
  • Create a potential green job or new occupation for the future.
27 School Connections to Works and Career
  • Understand the connection between high school CTE courses, college study, and careers.
  • Develop a simple plan describing a potential career/technical education pathway.
28 Doors to College
  • Understand the CTE options at the college level.
  • Know the immediate and long-term steps to access CTE opportunities.
  • Compare and contrast career and technical options and campuses.
29 Career and Technical Options
  • Explore the diversity and scope of Career/Technical educational options in high school.
  • Explore the diversity and scope of Career/Technical educational options beyond high school.
  • Understand key career and technical education terms/vocabulary.
  • List/discuss multiple CTE options available at their school and/or regional center.
  • Learn about CTE course equivalencies. (New starting in 2016)
# Lesson Theme
1 Where Did I Come From and Where Will I Go?
  • Review the key products of the 8th grade portfolio.
  • Analyze prior year goal achievements to determine new skills and challenges to focus on.
  • Create at least five academic and/or activity goals for the 8th grade.
 Ownership of Learning
2 Building Personal Interests
  • Sort personal interests into active interests and inactive interests.
  • Identify work, education, and/or other life activities that relate to personal interests.
  • Identify ways to prevent disengagement from activities they enjoy.
 Career and College Development
3 My High School Plan
  • Students will align goals, interests, activities with a preferred pathway of courses.
 Transition Skills
4 Where Does Time Go?
  • Evaluate personal weekly time allocations to education, recreation, leisure, volunteer, job, and personal maintenance.
  • Design a time use plan to improve academic achievement.
  • Use a calendar book to track assignments, test dates, and activity participation.
 Learning Techniques
5 Introduction to STEM | Presentation
  • Students will define STEM.
  • Students will identify reasons to consider STEM opportunities during middle and high school.
 Career and College Development
6 My High School Plan
  • Outline local high school graduation course requirements.
  • Sort local high school courses and activities into logical areas of interest.
  • Create a high school plan.
 Transition Skills
7 Test Management
  • Outline effective techniques for writing short-answer and essay test questions.
  • Evaluate a test to establish time requirements and order of response.
  • Create a one-page summary of test-taking advice for another person.
 Learning Techniques
8 High School and Beyond Planning
  • Students will develop a High School & Beyond Plan each year.
  • Students will complete a career interest inventory.
  • Students will review their high school course plan.
  • Students will work on their postsecondary plans.
  • Students will write a resume or activity log.
 High School and Beyond
9 High School Course Requirements | Presentation | Rewritable Digital HSBP
  • Students will develop a plan for their own courses for next year.
 Transition Skills
10 Academic Progress Review
  • Identify factors contributing to mid-year academic achievement.
  • Analyze mid-year academic progress and develop improvement goals.
  • Write a mid-year report on personal academic and activity progress.
 Academic Eligibility
11 Why I Want to Go to College
  • Introduce students to the concept that other first generation. students want to and are going to college.
  • Identify the reasons other first generation students want to go to college.
  • Articulate some of the reasons they want to go to college.
 Career and College Development
12 Role Models
  • Definition of a role model.
  • Identifying positive role models.
  • Articulate the importance of role models, especially those that exemplify positive characteristics.
 Transition Skills
13 Cost of College | Presentation
  • Understand the difference between direct and indirect costs of college.
  • Realize the need for students to become comparison shoppers.
  • Develop a budget for the first year in college.
  • Explain why a college budget is important.
 Transition Skills
14 Postsecondary Admission | Presentation
  • Students will describe the College Admission Distribution Requirements for admission to a Washington State four-year college or university.
  • Students will identify a Washington State four-year college to research.
 Career and College Development
15 Off-Track
  • Identify factors that cause students to lose credit causing them to be off-track for high school graduation.
  • Apply information on off-track factors to an analysis of sample student transcripts.
  • Relate the off-track factors to themselves and their high school transition.
 Transition Skills
16 Identifying Leadership Traits
  • Define the term “leadership”.
  • Identify leadership qualities in themselves (to use in school and community development).
  • Define leadership in their own words.
  • Describe personal leadership skills.
 Transition Skills
17 Transitioning to High School
  • Summarize their top ten achievements in middle school.
  • Identify the three most important ‘things to work on’ to be successful in high school.
  • Students celebrate successes and challenges from the past year.
 Transition Skills
18 Student-Led Conference Prep I
  • Understand the student-led conference structure.
  • Schedule conference and invite parents/significant adult to conference.
  • Organize High School and Beyond Plan and portfolio materials to use as artifacts in the conference.
 Ownership of Learning
19 Student-Led Conference Prep II
  • Review the student-led conference structure.
  • Finalize outline and organization of High School and Beyond Plan and portfolio materials to use as artifacts in the conference.
  • Finalize invitation of parents/significant adult to conference.
  • Conduct a practice student-led conference.
 Ownership of Learning
20 Student-Led Conference Review
  • Identify the strengths and weaknesses of their student-led portfolio presentation.
  • List five best ways to make their presentation better in 9th grade.
  • Define at least five benefits to student-led conferences.
 Ownership of Learning
21 Fulfilling Requirements in 8th Grade
  • Students will describe the minimum course requirements to graduate from high school.
  • Students will describe how course requirements can differ between graduation, college entrance, and selective college entrance.
  • Students will identify their progress toward meeting high school graduation requirements.
 Academic Eligibility
22 Building a Strong Transcript in 8th Grade
  • Definition of dual credit.
  • Options for dual credit equivalency.
  • Identify or list opportunities for dual credit equivalency within their own school system.
 Academic Eligibility
23 Starting the College Search in 8th Grade
  • Define “college” and identify the impact on the family when someone goes to college.
  • Identify the challenges a student faces when they are the first in their family to go to college.
  • Describe what it will mean to their family if they are the first generation to go to college.
24 Learning to Use Money in 8th Grade: Managing Money
  • Calculate the impact of compound interest on borrowed and saved money.
  • Create a simple budget for use of an imagined 8th grade income.
  • Relate money management to the achievement of future career plans.
 Financial Literacy
25 Different Ways to Pay for College
  • Explore different kinds of financial aid.
  • Understand the basic financial aid process.
  • Identify the implications of the different kinds of financial aid.
 Financial Literacy
26 Note-taking: Paraphrasing
  • Demonstrate paraphrasing skills while taking notes from a reading or presentation.
  • Demonstrate effective note editing skills after a reading or presentation.
  • Identify personal strengths and weaknesses in note-taking skills.
 Learning Techniques
27 High School & Effective Listening
  • Improve communication skills to have more effective dialogue with family, peers and their community.
  • Apply effective listening skills.
 Transition Skills
28 Identifying Issues, Emotions and Interests in Relationship
  • Identify and understand the root causes of positive and negative conflicts.
  • Use/learn strategies to more effectively communicate their message/s.
 Metacognitive Skills
29 YOU are the Employer!
  • Introduce the qualities, skills, and behaviors employees are expected to demonstrate in the workplace.
  • Apply key concepts on employee qualities, skills and behaviors to work situations appropriate for their age level.
 Career and College Development
# Lesson Theme
1 Where Am I Going in 9th Grade?
  • Define the components of college and career readiness.
  • Identify high school goals for each aspect of college and career readiness.
  • Set academic and activity goals for 9th grade.
 Ownership of Learning
2 Study Like Your Hair’s on Fire
  • Identify important study skills that transfer from high school to college
  • Describe ways to improve their present study skills so they are ready for college
 Learning Techniques
3 Becoming Work Ready
  • Definition of “work ready”
  • Basic understanding of Washington state’s Learning Standards.
  • Connection between the Learning Standards, becoming work ready and apprenticeships, internships, certification programs, military programs, and college admittance programs.
 Career and College Development
4 School and Community Activities
  • Relate recreation, leisure, and volunteerism to the achievement of post-secondary goals
  • Identify three different recreation or leisure activities in the school or local community that relate to personal interests, target skills, and/or postsecondary goals.
  • Identify an interesting new local recreation, leisure or volunteer activity.
 Transition Skills
5 Developing a Growth Mindset
  • Learn and understand the characteristics of a “growth mindset.”
  • Recognize how to develop and nurture your own “growth mindset”
 Metacognitive Skills
6 Map Your Future
  • Understanding of steps to completing personal goals
  • Ability to identify ways to monitor progress on educational (college) goals
 Career and College Development
7 Test Attack Skills
  • Demonstrate how to evaluate a test in order to discern time requirements and order of response.
  • Outline how to use classroom notes to prepare for a test.
  • Outline how to use textbooks and assigned reading to prepare for a test.
 Learning Techniques
8 Voices of Doubt
  • Increase the strategies students have to deal with the voices of doubt in their family, peer group and community.
  • Apply personal action strategies to situations where others voice doubts about going on to higher education after high school.
 Metacognitive Skills
9 High School & Beyond Plan | Rewritable Digital HSBP
  • Students will develop a High School & Beyond Plan each year.
  • Students will complete a career interest inventory.
  • Students will review their high school course plan.
  • Students will work on their postsecondary plans.
  • Students will write a resume or activity log.
 High School and Beyond Plan
10 Course Registration I: Credit Check
  • Review academic progress toward graduation and post-secondary admission.
  • Plan for coursework and activities for next year.
  • Register for next year’s courses.
 Academic Eligibility
11 Course Registration II: Finalizing Next Year
  • Reflect upon learning experiences.
  • Self-evaluate core academic progress to date.
  • Select work samples to be used in student-led conferences.
 Ownership of Learning
12 Academic Progress Review
  • Compare personal academic and activity progress to defined 9th grade goals
  • Identify tactics for improving performance in 9th grade
  • Update 9th grade academic and activity goals to reflect progress
  • Write a one-page summary of mid-year progress towards defined 9th grade goals
 Ownership of Learning
13 Role Models from My Culture
  • Understand what makes a person a role model.
  • Understand how can students become role models.
  • Identify people who are role models from their culture.
 Metacognitive Skills
14 Career Clusters
  • Identify the 16 career clusters.
  • Match career titles to the appropriate career cluster.
  • Rank the 16 clusters in order of personal preference.
  • Outline a structure for researching a career interest from their top ranked cluster.
 Career and College Development
15 Stick With It
  • Increase understanding of goal setting.
  • Differentiate between long- and short-term goals.
  • Define perseverance.
  • Develop action plans to achieve goals.
  • Recognize perseverance in peers.
 Ownership of Learning
16 Career Focus
  • Complete the career interest inventory.
  • Introduce multiple online career exploration tools.
  • Summarize their own career interest inventory.
  • Relate the career interest summary to career and technical pathways.
 Career and College Development
17 Hear Us Out
  • Identify motivators for high school students wanting to go to college.
  • Identify what “weighs students down” (barriers).
  • Identify what would help.
  • List specific programs that might provide support.
  • List the advice these high school students have for other students.
  • Assess the motivators and barriers that often exist for first generation college-going high school students.
  • Self-assess the questions they have about their own motivators and barriers.
 Metacognitive Skills
18 Analyzing Earning Power
  • Conduct a cost benefit comparison of education versus earning power.
  • Be able to explain the cost benefits of going beyond high school to achieve a certificate, diploma, or degree.
 Transition Skills
19 Preparing for Student-Led Conferences I
  • Understand the student-led conference structure.
  • Schedule conference and invite parents/significant adult to conference.
  • Organize High School and Beyond Plan and portfolio materials to use as artifacts in the conference.
 Ownership of Learning
20 Preparing for Student-Led Conferences II
  • Review the student-led conference structure.
  • Finalize outline and organization of High School and Beyond Plan and portfolio materials to use as artifacts in the conference.
  • Finalize invitation of parents/significant adult to conference.
  • Conduct a practice student-led conference.
 Ownership of Learning
21 Fulfilling Requirements in 9th Grade: High School Graduation Requirements
  • Students will describe the minimum course requirements to graduate from high school.
  • Students will describe how course requirements can differ between graduation, college entrance, and selective college entrance.
  • Students will identify their progress toward meeting high school graduation requirements.
 Academic Eligibility
22 Building a Strong Transcript in 9th Grade
  • Definition of dual credit.
  • Options for dual credit equivalency.
  • Identify or list opportunities for dual credit equivalency within their own school system.
 Academic Eligibility
23 Conducting the College Search in 9th Grade: Benefits to Family
  • Identify the impact on the family when someone goes to college.
  • Identify the challenges a student faces when they are the first in their family to go to college.
  • Describe what it will mean to their family if they are the first generation to go to college.
 Transition Skills
24 Learning to Use Money in 9th Grade: Money Management
  • Relate deferred gratification to effective money management.
  • Explain how goals can be achieved through the management of money.
  • Differentiate between personal needs and personal wants.
  • Identify family, social, and media influences on personal needs and wants.
 Financial Literacy
25 Budgeting
  • Identify various sources of income.
  • Identify common types of expenses.
  • Create a hypothetical one-year budget to manage personal income and expenses.
 Financial Literacy
26 Creating a Safe Space
  • Introduce the concept of creating a safe space in the classroom/community.
  • Strengthen the concept of self-advocacy.
  • Initiate a safe space for themselves and others as a classroom community.
 Metacognitive Skills
27 School Involvement
  • Understand the extracurricular activities that are available at high school.
  • Identify how a student can get involved.
  • Describe how being involved in school activities will help them now and looking towards college.
  • List skills that define student leadership.
 Ownership of Learning
28 Entry Exams
  • Outline state-specific testing requirements for each grade in high school.
  • Outline the testing requirements for the four-year college, two-year college, CTE, and military paths.
  • List common obstacles to test-taking success.
 Transition Skills
29 My Target Skills
  • Compare skills for success in high school to personal present-day skills.
  • Identify five personal “target skills” for development in 9th grade.
  • List courses, types of support, activities, and part-time work that would develop a defined target skill.
  • List reasons why people should develop personal skills.
 Ownership of Learning
30 Summertime: An Opportunity
  • Define potential summer activities as work, education, recreation, leisure, volunteerism, or family activities.
  • Identify 10 different potential summer activities for themselves.
  • Expand awareness of summer options by interacting with other people.
  • Write a set of summer goals that support personal interests, target skills, and/or post-secondary/career goals.
  • Summarize their top ten achievements of 9th grade.
 Ownership of Learning
# Lesson Theme
1 Where Am I Going in 10th Grade
  • Identify the key readiness milestones of 10th grade.
  • Analyze their 9th grade portfolio and recommend improvements.
  • Create at least five academic and/or activity goals for 10th grade.
 Ownership of Learning
2 Defining “College and Career Prep”
  • Increased knowledge of academic entry requirements for higher education options.
  • Personal skills and knowledge needed to be successful in higher education and careers.
  • Ability to define the concept of college preparation in terms of the academic and personal knowledge and skills needed to be successful in multiple postsecondary options.
 Career and College Development
3 After Graduation Planning
  • Describe their desired life 20 years into the future.
  • Associate personal values with different careers.
  • Rank careers according to alignment with personal values.
  • Relate the five paths to career options.
 College and Career Development
4 Defining Me: Leadership
  • Strengthen the perception students’ have of themselves as leaders.
  • Define traditional and non-traditional types of leadership.
  • Apply non-traditional leadership characteristics to an activities list/resume.
 Metacognitive Skills
5 Studying as a Team Sport
  • Students will describe the purpose and benefits of a work or study team.
  • Students will develop a plan to create a study team for school.
 Learning Techniques
6 Test Preparation
  • Identify 10th grade tests required by the state.
  • Use effective note-taking techniques to gather key information from a lecture or assigned reading.
  • Identify points from class notes or assigned reading that are likely to be covered on a test.
 Learning Techniques
7 Introduction to Program of Study
  • Students will describe possible careers within a Career Cluster of interest.
  • Students will create a draft Program of Study.
 College and Career Development
8 Mapping College and Career Requirements
  • Students make the connection between high school credits, graduation requirements and entry requirements for postsecondary.
  • Students will identify the minimum course requirements for high school graduation.
  • Students will identify the minimum course requirements for college admission.
  • Students will explore career pathways and required course of study.
  • Students will complete a high school credit check.
 Academic Eligibility
9 High School & Beyond Plan | Rewritable Digital HSBP
  • Students will develop a High School & Beyond Plan each year.
  • Students will complete a career interest inventory.
  • Students will review their high school course plan.
  • Students will work on their postsecondary plans.
  • Students will write a resume or activity log.
 High School and Beyond Plan
10 Course Registration
  • Review academic progress toward graduation and post-secondary admission.
  • Plan for coursework and activities for next year.
  • Register for next year’s courses.
 Academic Eligibility
11 Work Sample Selection and Reflection
  • Reflect upon learning experiences.
  • Self-evaluate core academic progress to date.
  • Select work samples to be used in student-led conferences.
 Ownership of Learning
12 Academic Progress Review
  • Compare personal academic and activity progress to defined 10th grade goals.
  • Identify tactics for improving performance in 10th grade.
  • Update 10th grade academic and activity goals to reflect progress.
  • Write a one-page summary of mid-year progress towards defined 10th grade goals.
 Ownership of Learning
13 Understanding Self Doubt
  • Create an understanding of doubt and how it impacts the decision to prepare for higher education.
  • Define doubt.
  • Identify the causes of self-doubt.
 Ownership of Learning
14 Planning for Summer
  • Identify activities from last summer that contributed to their post-secondary/career goals.
  • List sources of information about summer opportunities for youth.
  • Identify ten possible summer activities.
  • Write a set of summer goals that support personal interests, target skills, and/or post-secondary/career goals.
  • Summarize their top ten achievements of 10th grade.
 Learning Techniques
15 Defining Credentials
  • Identify the types of credentials associated with the different post-secondary paths.
  • Identify occupations associated with different post-secondary credentials.
  • Select one career possibility and identify the needed post-secondary path and credentials
 Career and College Development
16 Why Go to College
  • Students will list reasons postsecondary education would benefit them.
  • Students will identify a potential college major to prepare for a career of interest.
 Career and College Development
17 Leveraging Strengths
  • Identify common barriers for first generation students.
  • Analyze personal barriers as a first generation student.
  • Brainstorm strategies for removing barriers based on personal strengths.
  • Examine what stands between them and going beyond a high school education.
  • Identify how they will overcome barriers with leveraging their personal strengths.
 Leadership of Learning
18 Paying for College: TheWashBoard.org
  • Students will describe the purpose of TheWashBoard.org.
  • Students will use TheWashBoard.org to identify at least one potential scholarship match.
 Transitional Skills
19 Preparing for Student-Led Conferences I
  • Understand the student-led conference structure.
  • Schedule conference and invite parents/significant adult to conference.
  • Organize High School and Beyond Plan and portfolio materials to use as artifacts in the conference.
 Ownership of Learning
20 Preparing for Student-Led Conferences II
  • Review the student-led conference structure.
  • Finalize outline and organization of High School and Beyond Plan and portfolio materials to use as artifacts in the conference.
  • Finalize invitation of parents/significant adult to conference.
  • Conduct a practice student-led conference.
 Ownership of Learning
21 Fulfilling Requirements in 10th Grade
  • Students will describe the minimum course requirements to graduate from high school.
  • Students will describe how course requirements can differ between graduation, college entrance, and selective college entrance.
  • Students will identify their progress toward meeting high school graduation requirements.
 Academic Eligibility
22 Building a Strong Transcript in 10th Grade
  • Definition of dual credit.
  • Options for dual credit equivalency.
  • Identify or list opportunities for dual credit equivalency within their own school system.
 Academic Eligibility
23 Conducting the College Search in 10th Grade
  • Student will identify the major college entrance exams.
  • Students will register at the College Board web site and research one college.
 Transition Skills
24 Learning to Use Money in 10th Grade
  • Learn about the cost of living, with particular emphasis on payroll deductions, living expenses, and the unique budget items for a first-year college student.
  • Explain factors that affect the difference between total salary and take-home pay.
  • Understand their total cost of living, including those expenses paid by family members.
  • Create a budget for a first-year college student.
 Financial Literacy
25 Purchasing
  • Learn about researching, financing, purchasing, and insuring a major purchase.
  • Use consumer reports and reviews to assist in product purchasing.
  • Investigate the financial options available for purchasing a major item.
  • Ask effective questions to determine how or if to insure a new purchase.
 Financial Literacy
26 Savings and Banking
  • Learn about the importance of saving money and review the basics of banking.
  • Define the concept of “paying yourself first.”
  • Calculate the value of compound interest over defined periods of time.
  • Outline the process of establishing a bank account.
  • Identify various methods of accessing cash, including withdrawals, debit cards, and an ATM.
 Financial Literacy
27 Dropping Out or Staying In
  • Learn the definition of delayed gratification.
  • Understand the money needed for life-style choices.
  • Understand how dropping out of high school or not taking the appropriate courses will impact their ability to access career interests and their life-long earning/buying power.
 Transition Skills
28 Recreation, Leisure and Volunteerism
  • Identify activities in light of values and postsecondary and career goals.
  • Identify local recreation, leisure and/or volunteer opportunities.
  • Assess activity involvement as it supports their postsecondary/career goals.
  • Assess activity involvement in relation to personal values.
 Ownership of Learning
29 My Story
  • Identify significant events, challenges and accomplishments from the past, present and future.
  • Project future successes by reflecting on what has made them special in the past and in the present so that they can project their future.
 Metacognitive Skills
30 Lessons on Leadership from a Dancing Guy
  • Strengthen the perception students’ have of themselves as leaders.
  • Identify their own leadership qualities.
  • Describe strategies for becoming a leader.
 Metacognitive Skills
# Lesson Theme
1 Where am I going in the 11th Grade
  • Identify the key readiness milestones of 11th grade.
  • Analyze their 10th grade portfolio/plan achievements and challenges.
  • Create at least five academic and/or activity goals for 11th grade.
 Ownership of Learning
2 Study Like Your Hair's On Fire
  • Students will describe their career interests and goals.
  • Students will plan and (potentially) conduct a career information interview.
 Learning Techniques
3 Junior-Senior Calendar
  • Students will identify the time-sensitive tasks they must complete for college applications.
  • Students will describe their progress toward graduation and postsecondary.
 Transition Skills
4 Personal Character Traits
  • Identify their ten top character traits.
  • Identify the character traits of a person they admire.
  • Define how personal character traits relate to achievement of their post-secondary goal.
 Metacognitive Skills
5 Balanced Career / Life Planning
  • Evaluate a career for its capacity to satisfy personal motivations and utilize personal assets.
  • Identify recreation, leisure, and volunteerism activities that fill in the gaps for key motivations and assets not satisfied by the identified career.
  • Create a balanced career/life plan that satisfies key personal motivations and skills.
 Career and College Development
6 College Searches
  • How to organize an online search for college information.
  • Questions to ask yourself about the search.
  • Critical information to find.
  • Identify information for a college they are interested in attending.
 Career and College Development
7 SAT and ACT Strategies
  • Outline effective methods for SAT and ACT test-taking.
  • Access practice questions for each section of the SAT and ACT tests.
  • Work with other students to practice SAT or ACT test taking.
 Learning Techniques
8 Postsecondary Admission Requirements/Credit Check
  • Students will describe the admission requirements for admission to a Washington State public or other four-year college or university.
  • Students will summarize their progress toward meeting postsecondary admission requirements.
  • Students will complete a high school graduation requirements credit check.
 Academic Eligibility
9 High School and Beyond Plan | Rewritable Digital HSBP
  • Students will develop a High School & Beyond Plan each year.
  • Students will complete a career interest inventory.
  • Students will review their high school course plan.
  • Students will work on their postsecondary plans.
  • Students will write a resume or activity log.
 High School and Beyond Plan
10 Course Registration
  • Review academic progress toward graduation and post-secondary admission.
  • Plan for coursework and activities for next year.
  • Register for next year’s courses.
 Academic Eligibility
11 Work Sample Selection and Reflection
  • Reflect upon learning experiences.
  • Self-evaluate core academic progress to date.
  • Select work samples to be used in student-led conferences.
 Ownership of Learning
12 Academic Progress Review
  • Compare personal academic and activity progress to defined 11th grade goals.
  • Identify tactics for improving performance in 11th grade.
  • Update 11th grade academic and activity goals to reflect progress.
  • Write a one-page summary of mid-year progress towards defined 11th grade goals.
 Ownership of Learning
13 College Inquiries
  • Students will identify at least two colleges that interest them.
  • Students will request information from each of these colleges.
 Career and College Development
14 More Career Options Than You Can Imagine (Career Bridge)
  • Students will identify a potential career of interest.
  • Students will identify and research at least one postsecondary program that could prepare them for a career of interest.
 Career and College Development
15 Postsecondary Application
  • Students will locate the application form for a postsecondary program of choice.
  • Students will log on and begin work on an application (or practice on a sample paper application.
 Transition Skills
16 Preparing For The College Application Essay
  • List the attributes of an effective college application essay.
  • Evaluate college application essay examples for strengths and weaknesses.
  • Create an outline for their college application essay.
 Academic Eligibility
17 Financial Aid Fundamentals
  • Students will define and describe financial aid terms and procedures.
  • Students will identify resources to secure scholarships.
 Transition Skills
18 An Investment in the Future
  • Students will describe the benefits of a postsecondary education for their career goals.
  • Students will define key college admission terms.
 Transition Skills
19 Preparing For Student-Led Conferences I
  • Understand the student-led conference structure.
  • Schedule conference and invite parents/significant adult to conference.
  • Organize High School and Beyond Plan and portfolio materials to use as artifacts in the conference.
 Ownership of Learning
20 Preparing For Student-Led Conferences II
  • Review the student-led conference structure.
  • Finalize outline and organization of High School and Beyond Plan and portfolio materials to use as artifacts in the conference.
  • Finalize invitation of parents/significant adult to conference.
  • Conduct a practice student-led conference.
 Ownership of Learning
21 Fulfilling Requirements in 11th Grade
  • Students will describe the minimum course requirements to graduate from high school.
  • Students will describe how course requirements can differ between graduation, college entrance and selective college entrance.
  • Students will identify their progress toward meeting high school graduation requirements.
 Academic Eligibility
22 Building a Strong Transcript in 11th Grade
  • Definition of dual credit.
  • Options for dual credit equivalency.
  • Identify or list opportunities for dual credit equivalency within their own school system.
 Academic Eligibility
23 Conducting the College Search in 11th Grade
  • Student will identify the major college entrance exams.
  • Students will register at the College Board web site and research one college
 Transition Skills
24 Learning to Use Money in 11th Grade
  • Identify how careful spending and saving can lead to success.
  • Describe the value of high demand assets in the definition of earning potential.
  • Analyze personal spending habits to identify cost efficiencies for self and/or family members.
  • Develop a personal earning/spending plan for the summer.
 Financial Literacy
25 Purchasing with Credit
  • Learn about using credit and establish credit rules for self.
  • Identify a variety of sources of credit.
  • Explain the costs and benefits of various types of credit.
  • Differentiate between good debt and bad debt.
  • Explain how a credit card is used to make purchases.
  • Explain how credit card debt is repaid.
 Financial Literacy
26 Investment
  • Learn the difference between saving and investing, compare risks and returns, and learn the basics of investing.
  • Differentiate between saving and investing.
  • Compare risks and returns for saving and investments.
  • Describe how to buy and/or sell investments.
 Financial Literacy
27 The Labor Market
  • Learn about the influence of supply and demand on job availability.
  • Describe the influence of supply and demand on job availability and wage.
  • Identify present-day high demand jobs in the workplace.
  • Analyze the effect of job availability on present-day postsecondary/career plans.
 Financial Literacy
28 The FAFSA Process: Actions and Timing
  • Explain what the FAFSA does and its importance in helping students pay for higher education.
  • Describe the steps in the FAFSA completion process through the acceptance of an award letter.
 Financial Literacy
29 Dealing with Conflict
  • Define and understand conflict.
  • Identify reasons conflicts arise.
  • Introduce the benefits of conflict.
  • Use/learn strategies to more effectively communicate their message/s.
 Metacognitive Skills
30 Talking with Your Family About College
  • Identify what to say to your family about going to college.
  • Conduct a “mock” conversation with a family member about going to college.
 Metacognitive Skills
# Lesson Theme
1 Where Am I Going in 12th Grade?
  • Identify the key readiness milestones of 12th grade.
  • Analyze their 11th grade portfolio achievements and challenges.
  • Create at least five academic and/or activity goals for 12th grade.
 Ownership of Learning
2 What Does It Take?
  • Identify key strategies that students need to have in order to make it to college.
  • Self-assess strategies they are already using to get them to college.
  • Self-assess strategies they will add.
 Career and College Development
3 Stress, Drama and Your Senior Year
  • Causes of stress in navigating the college search/application process.
  • Strategies for dealing with stress in the college search/application process.
  • Personalize a plan to reduce the stress of researching and applying to college.
 Metacognitive Skills
4 FAFSA Process – It’s Not Just the Application
  • Knowledge of the FAFSA process and timeline.
  • Awareness of the materials needed to complete a FAFSA.
  • Familiarity with the FAFSA website.
  • Obtain an FSA ID.
 Financial Literacy
5 College and Career Readiness
  • Explain the value of a diverse collection of assets in a professional portfolio.
  • Identify their top ten educational achievements of 9th – 12th grade.
  • Predict their top ten educational and/or career accomplishments that they will achieve in the next ten years.
  • Predict the top five motivations they will explore over the next ten years.
  • Explain the value of taking charge of your own future.
 Career and College Development
6 Completing a College Application
  • Students will describe the key components of a college application.
  • Students will complete a sample paper application form as practice.
 Transition Skills
7 Preparing to Complete a FAFSA
  • Knowledge of the materials needed to complete the FAFSA.
  • Strong understanding of how to complete the FAFSA.
 Financial Literacy
8 Postsecondary Admission Requirements/Credit Check
  • Students will describe the admission requirements for admission to a Washington State public or other four-year college or university.
  • Students will summarize their progress toward meeting postsecondary admission requirements.
  • Students will complete a high school graduation requirements credit check.
 Academic Eligibility
9 High School & Beyond Plan | Rewritable Digital HSBP
  • Students will develop a High School & Beyond Plan each year.
  • Students will complete a career interest inventory.
  • Students will review their high school course plan.
  • Students will work on their postsecondary plans.
  • Students will write a resume or activity log.
 High School and Beyond Plan
10 Admissions Essay
  • Students will describe the key components of a successful admissions essay.
  • Students will write a sample admissions essay for a college of choice.
 Transition Skills
11 Seeking Out Role Models and Mentors
  • Understanding what makes a person a role model.
  • Understanding how can students become role models.
  • Take action to meet with people of similar backgrounds and discover their postsecondary journey.
 Ownership of Learning
12 Academic Progress Review
  • Compare personal academic and activity progress to defined 12th grade goals.
  • Identify tactics for improving performance in 12th grade.
  • Update 12th grade academic and activity goals to reflect progress.
  • Write a one-page summary of mid-year progress towards defined 12th grade goals.
 Ownership of Learning
13 Exploring High Growth Occupation
  • Students will identify high growth occupations in Washington State.
  • Students will research a selected high growth occupation.
 Career and College Development
14 Professional Interviews
  • Update their personal resume for an imaginary or real job interview.
  • Outline the basic stages of a typical job interview.
  • Write questions for your interviewer that demonstrate an understanding of the business.
  • Provide post-interview feedback for another person following a mock job interview.
  • Use feedback to improve personal job interview skills.
 Career and College Development
15 Variable Futures
  • Create three balanced career/life plans for three different career goals.
  • Prioritize three possible career futures in order of preference.
  • Identify key contributors to the achievement of their top balanced career/life plan.
  • Predict obstacles that may emerge to prevent achievement of their top balanced career/life plan.
 Career and College Development
16 Career Bridge
  • Students will identify a potential career of interest.
  • Students will identify and research at least one postsecondary program that could prepare them for a career of interest.
 Career and College Development
17 Accepting a Financial Aid Package
  • Components of a financial aid package.
  • Student choices and responsibilities in regards to a financial aid package.
  • Apply the basic constructs of a financial aid package to their own college situation.
 Financial Literacy
18 Personal Networking
  • Explain why a person’s network is often regarded as their most valuable professional asset.
  • Identify future circumstances where personal networks may help in the achievement of goals.
  • List the advantages of maintaining a record of personal contacts.
  • List the types of information stored in a typical contact sheet.
  • Begin to develop a personal contact list.
 Transition Skills
19 Preparing For Student-Led Conferences I
  • Understand the student-led conference structure.
  • Schedule conference and invite parents/significant adult to conference.
  • Organize High School and Beyond Plan and portfolio materials to use as artifacts in the conference.
 Ownership of Learning
20 Preparing For Student-Led Conferences II
  • Review the student-led conference structure.
  • Finalize outline and organization of High School and Beyond Plan and portfolio materials to use as artifacts in the conference.
  • Finalize invitation of parents/significant adult to conference.
  • Conduct a practice student-led conference.
 Ownership of Learning
21 Fulfilling Requirements in 12th Grade
  • Students will describe the minimum course requirements to graduate from high school.
  • Students will describe how course requirements can differ between graduation, college entrance and selective college entrance.
  • Students will identify their progress toward meeting high school graduation requirements.
 Academic Eligibility
22 Building a Strong Transcript in 12th Grade
  • Definition of dual credit.
  • Options for dual credit equivalency.
  • Identify or list opportunities for dual credit equivalency within their own school system.
 Academic Eligibility
23 Conducting the College Search in 12th Grade
  • How to organize an online search for college information.
  • Questions to ask yourself about the search.
  • Critical information to find.
  • Identify information for a college they are interested in attending.
 Career and College Development
24 Learning to Use Money in 12th Grade
  • Learn about personal debt and credit ratings.
  • Explain personal credit rating and how it is determined.
  • Manage access to personal financial information.
  • Outline the process of making a credit application.
  • Calculate the real cost of a product purchased on credit and paid back over time.
 Financial Literacy
25 Investment and Insurance
  • Outline the value of an investment/saving portfolio.
  • Explain the purpose and value of insurance: health, auto, life, disability, property and liability.
  • Explain how insurance companies determine insurance rates.
  • Summarize basic consumer protection laws.
 Financial Literacy
26 How to Get Fired
  • Extend student information regarding the qualities, skills, and behaviors employees are expected to demonstrate in the workplace.
  • Identify and discuss the behaviors that cause someone to be fired.
 Career and College Development
27 Refining Your Career Focus
  • Review of early high school Career Interest Inventory.
  • Expand the online career exploration tools students have experienced.
  • Relate the summary of the Career Interest Inventory to career and technical pathways.
  • Connect Career Focus with Personalized Pathway.
 Career and College Development
28 Research Employment Outlooks
  • Understand the steps to use in assessing an employment outlook.
  • Understand the tools for learning more about the employment outlook and labor statistics.
  • Describe their personal career choices based on current employment and labor statistics.
 Career and College Development
29 Moving On: Reflecting the Transition to College
  • Increase awareness of transitional challenges from high school to college.
  • Describe college resources for transitional and academic success.
  • Identify student/family communication opportunities.
  • Analyze academic, social, and co-curricular differences between high school and college
 Transition Skills
30 Personal Motivations, Assets and Character Traits
  • Update their list of top motivations, assets, and character traits.
  • Analyze and explain changes in motivations and assets over time.
  • Relate motivations, assets and character traits to their postsecondary plans.
 Transition Skills