Free Career Counseling Guidance Lesson Plan for School Counselors (3rd to 12th Grade)

School Counselor Career Guidance Lesson

Careers around the World

Lesson Plan 1

Grade: 3 - 12

Topic: The Alps From Above Video Series

Slopes and Valleys @ Hulu.com

Careers Explored:

Salt Miner

Fashion Designer

Violin Maker

Toboggan Maker

Time: 45 Minutes

American School Counselor Standards for Career Counseling Guidance Lessons: 

A: Students will acquire the skills to investigate the world

of work in relation to knowledge of self and to make informed career decisions.

C:A1 Develop Career Awareness

C:A1.1 Develop skills to locate, evaluate and interpret career

information

C:A1.2 Learn about the variety of traditional and nontraditional

occupations

C:A1.3. Develop an awareness of personal abilities, skills, interests and

motivations

C:A1.4 Learn how to interact and work cooperatively in teams

C:A1.5 Learn to make decisions

C:A1.6 Learn how to set goals

C:A1.7 Understand the importance of planning

C:A1.8 Pursue and develop competency in areas of interest

 Standard B: Students will employ strategies to achieve future career goals with success and satisfaction.

C:B1 Acquire Career Information;

C:B1.1 Apply decision-making skills to career planning, course selection

and career transition

C:B1.2 Identify personal skills, interests and abilities and relate them

to current career choice

C:B1.3 Demonstrate knowledge of the career-planning process

C:B1.4 Know the various ways in which occupations can be classified

C:B2 Identify Career Goals

C:B2.1 Demonstrate awareness of the education and training needed

to achieve career goals

C:B2.2 Assess and modify their educational plan to support career

C:B2.3 Use employability and job readiness skills in internship,

mentoring, shadowing and/or other work experience

C:B2.4 Select course work that is related to career interests

C:B2.5 Maintain a career-planning portfolio

Standard C: Students will understand the relationship between personal

qualities, education, training and the world of work.

C:C1 Acquire Knowledge to Achieve Career Goals

C:C1.1 Understand the relationship between educational achievement

and career success

C:C1.2 Explain how work can help to achieve personal success and

satisfaction

C:C1.3 Identify personal preferences and interests influencing career

choice and success

C:C1.4 Understand that the changing workplace requires lifelong

learning and acquiring new skills

C:C1.5 Describe the effect of work on lifestyle

C:C1.6 Understand the importance of equity and access in career

choice

C:C1.7 Understand that work is an important and satisfying means of

personal expression

C:C2 Apply Skills to Achieve Career Goals

C:C2.1 Demonstrate how interests, abilities and achievement relate to

achieving personal, social, educational and career goals 

Material Needed: 

Career Explore Worksheet

Video on Career: The Alps from Above Video on Hulu T.V.: Slopes and Valleys

Directions: 

1. Show the video from the "Alps from Above" found on Hulu T.V.com. The segment you want is called “Slopes and Valleys”. You will first see a woman who is a rock / ice climber in Bavaria.

She talks about how women can do anything that men can do and opens up the show. The second part is on a salt miner in the salt mines of Bavaria.

The man speaks in German and there is a translator. Beautiful scenes of Germany and a very vivid job description as you go into the mine.

One of the things I adore about this series is that the people who are interviewed absolutely love their job and it shows, even in translation. This man is obsessed with being a miner and his father and grandfather were miners as well.

Compare and contrast the three careers shown on the videos. Discuss how the other two careers (violin maker and toboggan maker, started as a hobby).

Disclaimer: There are some commercials and it is hard to fast forward (The place often gets lost). I would suggest you preview this before showing it to students. After the salt mine part of the video they show people swimming in a salt pool. There is a couple who are kissing. I also do not show the “Church Restorer” as she goes into her religious beliefs. Just a heads up that I usually stop the video at this point and fast forward it! Always preview a video before showing it to students to protect yourself as a school counselor!

2, After you show the video, talk to the students about the career. I always talk about careers where you get dirty. This is defiantly a career where you get dirty. We talk about what the miner wears for work and protection. It is also a dangerous job. We compare and contrast our mountain mine in the U.S. (We have a mine close by that mines marble) to this German Salt Mine.

 3. Once you have had the discussion ask the students to list three important facts they learned about the profession. See the worksheet below. I then ask the students if they would like to consider having this career. They can circle a yes, or a no at the bottom of the worksheet. 

4. To end the lesson I ask the students to imagine they are in this career (even if they do not want this career) and draw a picture of them actually working in this career on the back of the worksheet.

*Note: My students are begging me for more of these videos! I usually only show one a month. However, they get so excited and love learning about new places and cultures! You get a huge bang for your buck as you are teaching geography, culture, language, careers, social studies, etc.

 See Worksheet Below: 

My Career Explore

By:________________

The Career I Explored Today Was:

 _____________________

Here are three interesting facts about this career:

1.

2.

3.

I think I would like this career?

____ Yes   _____ No

Just for Fun: Draw a picture of you working in this career on the back of this paper, even if you chose “no”.

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