Years 7 and 8 lesson plans

Years 7 and 8 Careers Programme and Resource Materials

Introduction

Welcome to this section of the Cnxnotts Website. We now feel that we are in a position to make some of these activities/resources available to you! This has been a major project which we are very glad to now be able to share with you. We hope that you will find the materials and suggestions useful. In due course we will be developing the opportunity to receive your feedback!

This programme has been developed to enable schools to meet their statutory requirements from September 2004 in providing a Careers Education and Guidance Programme (CEG) for students in Years 7 and 8.

This Programme includes some newly developed materials - Careers Workshop Toolbox, which has been designed to introduce students to a range of personal qualities and core skills, with which they can identify in their own self-assessment and development. Please note that for some of the activities they are only suggestions, and therefore not comprehensive lesson plans, for example 'Designing a T-Shirt'. We have included such activities, recognising that many deliverers amend resources to suit their institution / cohort. The materials are not 'differentiated' but can be amended to suit the needs of your students.

This material has been built into a programme alongside some existing careers materials to form the framework for a Model of Delivery. This Programme has taken the 'Learning Outcomes' from the 'CEG National Framework'. They reflect the 'sequential' way you might want to deliver a programme, rather than following the numerical order.

The programme can be used as it stands to develop a scheme for Years 7 and 8. Should you be delivering aspects of this programme, please mix and match to suit your needs.

The programme can be delivered through weekly timetabled lessons, or through a suspended / collapsed timetable, or by a combination. The Careers Workshop activities for example lend themselves to being delivered via 'cross curricular' lessons, for example 'Designing a Birthday Card/T-Shirt' could be delivered via an art lesson. See below, 'Time within existing Curriculum'.

Time within the existing Curriculum

It's worth considering the following:

• re-organising modules or programmes across Key Stage 3 so that elements now needing to be taught in year 7 will be removed from a subsequent year, freeing up time later in the Key Stage.
• using some lessons from other curriculum areas, giving then more of a careers focus e.g. use of Internet in IT / Kangaroo 3x to investigate job areas: practical skills from the Careers Workshop; or Wiring a Plug as part of technology.
• as part of suspended / collapsed timetable activities.

Consultation and planning - Summer term

Whichever model is used to deliver careers in your school, consultation with those involved is more likely to ensure its success.

Begin the consultation / planning process as soon as possible in order to keep those concerned fully informed and involved. These may include senior / middle management, pastoral heads, tutors, curriculum managers, Key Stage managers, subject teachers, PSHE team, ROA / Progress File Co-ordinator and Personal Adviser.

Training - prior to delivery of new material

The introduction of careers to years 7 and 8 will involve organising training for staff who:

• have not delivered careers in the past e.g tutors / additional specialist teachers.
• deliver careers and may need updating e.g Specialist teams / tutors.
• do not directly deliver the careers programme but who would benefit from an overview of the current position.

The timing and nature of any training will depend on the model of delivery, when it will be delivered and by whom. Training of tutors/specialist teachers may be combined with the planning process.

Resources

The materials and activities in this framework will continue to be developed and trialled and then added to the framework.

• The resources required for some of the Careers Workshop Toolbox (for example those identifying creative and practical skills) can work out expensive when delivered to large numbers of students and it may be necessary to 'mix and match' some of the activities or seek sponsors from industry.
• It may be necessary to extend printed materials and software in your professional resources.
• For further information on resources contact: Connexions Nottinghamshire Information Services on 0115 983 8955. A small collection of resources is available for loan.

Catalogue of Resources used in Model of Delivery

• Step Up - Connexions
• Gender Stereotyping Material - Connexions
• Me, You and Them - CRAC
• Heading Out - Trotman
• Career Tracks Special years 7-11 and beyond
• Real Game Series
• Careers Workshop Toolbox

We have used examples from Valley School's CEG Programme on this website, courtesy of Mick Ledger. Many thanks!

Careers Workshop Toolbox

The following PDF files require the free Adobe Reader. To install the software go the www.adobe.com website.

Each PDF contains the lesson plan, followed by resources for the activity, including answer sheets.

Model of Delivery

Year 7 and 8 Careers Workshop Toolbox
Introduces the toolbox and summarises workshop activities and learning outcomes which are provided below:

• Starter Activities
• Springwalk Journal
• A Family Holiday on a budget
• Ned's Piccies
• Design a card
• Wiring a 3-pin plug
• Constructing a Paper Aeroplane
• Building a Tower
• Matchstick Block
• Tray Game
• Stepping Stones
• Chocolate Quiz
• Who dunnit?
• Drawing a diagram
• Gone Fishing
• Hangman
• Desert Survival
• Who Am I?
• Obadiah's Cards

If you have a fast internet connection, you may prefer to download a PDF which combines all the above lesson plans and materials (except for the Model of Delivery. Click here (1.5 MB).

Valley School Example Lesson Plans and Resources 

Please note that the following materials have been supplied courtesy of Mick Ledger, Careers Co-ordinator at Valley School. Mick has worked collaboratively with Connexions Nottinghamshire on this project, in his capacity as ‘Advanced Skills Teacher’ for ‘CEG’. Mick is available 1 day a week in this capacity, to offer support to colleagues who want to develop their ‘CEG Programmes’ further. Mick can be contacted at the following:
Email: email2mick@yahoo.co.uk
Phone: 01909 475121

• Year 7 lessons
• Year 8 lessons
• Memory skills/Newspaper activities