Careers in science
In this lesson for grade seven, students will sort careers into three groups -- mechanical physics, health sciences, and weather. Students will match careers with their descriptions.
A lesson plan for grade 7 Science
Learning outcomes
Students will gain an understanding of how the 7th-grade science curriculum is relevant to possible future careers.
Teacher preparation
Time required for lesson
One class period (45-55 minutes)
Materials needed
- Student handouts:
- Student interest survey — one copy for each student
- Science career sort — one copy for each group
- Career description match — one copy for each group
- Science career sort teacher key
- Occupational Outlook Handbook published by the U.S. Department of Labor (Note: If the Occupational Outlook Handbook is not available at your school media center or guidance office, please refer to the electronic version on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website. This website is also a great tool for readers who would struggle with a handbook of this size.)
- Computers with internet connections, if students will be accessing the electronic version of the Occupational Outlook Handbook — one computer for each group
- Optional homework assignment: Career interview worksheet — one copy for each student
Activities
- Write the general topics covered by the 7th-grade science curriculum on the board. Ask the students to brainstorm what they will learn about under each topic. (This step may be done as a pre-activity the day before the lesson.)
- Ask students to complete the student interest surveys. Instruct students to put a yes beside activities they would like to do and a no beside the activities they would not like to do. (Section 1 represents an interest in mechanical physics. Section 2 represents an interest in health sciences. Section 3 represents an interest in weather.)
- Ask students to count how many checks they have in each section. Divide the students into groups. (Depending on how you choose to complete step five, you can decide if the students should be divided into common interest groups or grouped with students who have different interests.)
- Have students complete the career sort.
- After the students have completed the career sort, you may proceed in one of two ways, depending on time limitations:
- Have the students write a description of each career in their interest groups. Check the students’ descriptions with the descriptions in the Occupational Outlook Handbook. For your reference, descriptions of the jobs used in this lesson are here:
- Woodworkers
- Drafters (CADD operators)
- Engineers
- Avionics mechanics
- Mathematicians
- Cardiovascular technologists
- Counselors
- Radiologists
- Clinical laboratory technologists
- Geropsychologists — sub-category of psychologists
- Meteorologists (Atmospheric Scientists)
- Physicists and Astronomers
- Environmental Scientists and Hydrologists
- Geoscientists
- Climatologists — sub-category of Atmospheric Scientists
- Have students use the career match worksheet to pair the descriptions of the career with the career it is describing. You may choose to allow students to consult the Occupational Outlook Handbook to help them match the careers.
- Have the students write a description of each career in their interest groups. Check the students’ descriptions with the descriptions in the Occupational Outlook Handbook. For your reference, descriptions of the jobs used in this lesson are here:
- Close the lesson by discussing the careers that are associated with each topic of 7th-grade science. Ask students to brainstorm other relevant careers that are not listed in this activity.
- The career interview worksheet may be assigned as homework.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
Science (2005)
Grade 7
- Goal 1: The learner will design and conduct investigations to demonstrate an understanding of scientific inquiry.
- Objective 1.09: Use technologies and information systems to:
- Research.
- Gather and analyze data.
- Visualize data.
- Disseminate findings to others.
- Objective 1.09: Use technologies and information systems to:
