Multidimensional Unit Plan

Sara Archibald

Theme: Professions

Language level: Intermediate to advanced

Grade level: 7-9

Topics:

Types of careers,

personal interests,

personality/aptitude factors

Experiential goal: to create a scrap book of professions that they are interested in, be knowledgeable of at least three career options, and present one job to the class.

Steps to follow:

1. What I want to be when I grow up. Have students discuss the kinds of jobs they wanted when they were younger as well as the careers they are thinking about now. Go over any vocabulary and/or general knowledge to make sure all students understand the theme as well as all the professions being discussed. Have students put their ideas in their scrap book. Can be a journal entry, a list, a reflection etc.

2. Discuss the experiential goal and steps with the students.

3. Have students look at their strengths/weaknesses, discern where their interests lie. Look at personality tests, like Myers-Briggs, to assist in this process as well as aptitude tests. Make sure students understand that these tests are tools to help understand ourselves and careers that may interest us, they do not say if you are personality A then X must be your career choice. Have students add results to scrap book as well as some sort of reflection or self-analysis.

4. Discuss traditional gender stereotypes in professions and how or if they still exist today. For example, women have been steered into humanities and men sciences etc.

5. Organize a career fair bringing in professions in which the students have indicated interest. Ask professional participants to present their career and what they do in that profession. Before bringing in the presenters have the class come up with possible questions. Have students add questions to their scrap book as well as what they learned, and the careers that were of particular interest to them.

6. Students will choose three professions that they want to know more about or are interested in and interview someone in that position. As a class talk about the kinds of questions to ask, the interrogative form, and any other language skills they need to do this task including role playing or interview assimilations. Have students add interviews to their scrap book and further reflection.

7. Research requirements for these careers, for example, what education is needed etc. and add this information to scrap books.

8. Have students shadow the profession they wish to present to the class, for an insider’s view of what that particular job demands. Have students document their experiences in their scrap books.

9. After each step students have been adding what they learned to their scrap book now they should be ready to present the profession about which they are the most knowledgeable to the rest of the class.

10. Reflect on the unit. Self evaluation, do they still want to be what they thought they wanted to be in the beginning?

Objectives

Communicative/Experiential objectives:

1. Students will be able to ask questions of a professional.

2. Students will be able to express themselves through various manners, eg. Oral, written etc.

3. Students will be able to conduct research on internet etc. to locate information on requirements for professions.

Cultural objectives:

1. Students will be aware of possible cultural bias in the professional world.

Language objectives:

1. Students will be able to use interrogative language.

2. Students will generate and understand vocabulary terms dealing with professions

General Language objectives:

1. Students will be able to communicate meaningfully in interview situations.

2. Students will be able to convey their points in a coherent fashion in presentation form.

3. Students will be able to self-evaluate and reflect.

Lesson Plan #1

Grade level: 7-9

Theme: Professions

Topic: Types of careers

Target Language: English

Length of Class: 30 minutes


Anticipatory Set:

• Have discussion statement on the board before students enter the class. "When I grow up I want to be...."

Objectives:

• Students will generate vocabulary dealing with professions

• Students will determine starting base (prior knowledge)

Introduction: (3 minutes)

• Read the discussion statement

• Make sure everyone understand

Procedure: (20 minutes)

• Break students up into small group, no more than six members in a group

• Have group members assign jobs, eg. Taskmaster

• Instruct students to pay attention for new vocabulary words or professions, at least three

• Have group discuss the statement

• Observe and informally assess for vocabulary generation and understanding

• Bring groups back into larger one and have them share any vocabulary words

• Add the key terms you observed to the list.

• Go over list of terms, make sure all students understand.

• Have some students share their responses and make a chart of all the occupations mentioned.

Closure: (7 minutes)

• Have students document in their scrap books the careers that they shared with the group, what they know about that profession, and why they wanted to do that job.

• Have students write in their scrap book and new terms/vocabulary they learned that day.

• If they do not have enough time in class to finish this they can finish it at home.

Lesson Plan #3

Grade level: 7-9

Theme: Professions

Topic: Personal strengths, weaknesses, and interests.

Target Language: English

Length of Class: 30 minutes


Anticipatory Set:

• Have an example of a collage at the front of the class that depicts your interests, strengths and weaknesses.

Objectives:

• Students will be able to express what is important to them orally and visually.

• Students will be able to self-evaluate.

Introduction: (5 minutes)

Introduce the days topic by sharing collage.

• Explain how work is more enjoyable when it is something we are interested in. Give an example and ask the class to come up with one.

• Explain that this activity it to get students thinking about what they enjoy where their interests lie and why.

Procedure: (20 minutes)

• With the materials you have provided, have students make a collage that depicts their interests etc.

Closure: (5 minutes)

• In pairs have students share what some of their collage represents and why.

Lesson Plan #5

Grade level: 7-9

Theme: Professions

Topic: Types of profession

Target Language: English

Length of class: 2 30-minute classes


Anticipatory Set:

• Have classroom set up for the career fair, with booths and decorations

Objectives:

• Students will be able to ask appropriate questions of professionals.

• Students will be able to use interrogative language.

Introduction: (5 minutes)

• Explain how the fair is going to work. That the students are to go to the professions that they are most interested in. They must visit at least 6 booths and ask at least three questions at each booth.

• Explain that you will come up with some questions together.

Procedure Part A: (15 minutes)

• In small groups of no more than six have students come up with some questions.

• In the larger group generate a list of questions that students could use. Leave the list on the board for students to refer to later.

• Have students practice asking these questions in a role play situation. Can be done in the large group, but may be more effective (more people talking etc.) in smaller groups. Take turns being the professional and the questioner.

Procedure Part B: (30 minutes)

• Have students participate in the career fair

Assessment and Evaluation

Throughout the entire unit informal assessment should be taking place. Checking for understanding, asking questions to get at what students know, and observing are ways to assess informally. The key is to know what you are looking for and that is to see if the students are meeting the objectives. This kind of assessment is beneficial in that it is less time consuming and it is unassuming. There is not the stress that comes with formal testing methods and it also allows for further individual instruction and quick feedback.

Example:

Below is an example of an assessment grid for lesson #5

Name of Student

Are they using interrogative language?

Are they using interrogative language effectively?

Does the professional understand what the student is asking?


This is an example of some questions that can be asked. The idea is to keep focussed on the objectives.

Peer evaluations are another way of assessment that can be done at the end of the unit of the experiential goal. After the presentation peers can answers questions such as follows:

• What did you learn from the presentation?

• What did you like about the presentation?

• What would you have done differently?

This can be in written form and anonymous with the teacher collecting the peer evaluations, the results, and sharing them with the student presenter.


Self evaluations can be done as well. This kind of assessment is shared between the individual student presenter and the teacher dealing with the experiential goal and the steps leading up to it. In written form students can answer the following:

• What did you learn from this experience?

• Would you have done anything differently? If so, what and how.

• Which activity best suited the way you learn?

• Do you still want to enter the same profession as you did in the beginning?

References

Richard-Amato, P.A. (1996). Making it Happen. (2nd ed.). White Plains: Addison-Wesley.

National Core French Study Summary Report

Sample Nutrition unit from class