Introduction

Do you like to travel? I hope so, because you are going to find some "wheels" to take you on an exciting journey to help you find a job that fits you.

Once you find the "wheels of your choice" then you will be ready to go on an exciting trip to discover a job that relates to the "wheels" you have chosen and that you think might be a good fit for you, your interests, and your abilities.
 
 

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• students will identify through investigation of internet sites, learning center materials, and community and business resources, a job they believe would fit their interests and abilities and is related to the "wheels" they chose from "Careers on Wheels"
• students will produce an authentic resume using a resume template found on internet sites or from formats discovered from looking at actual resumes, that will reflect their current interests, abilities, skills, volunteer and job experience.
• students will generate a brainstormed list of an appropriate number of jobs (determined by teacher) related to the vehicle chosen by the student.
• students will create an outline, including information they found, about the job they chose and summit it on a class internet job site with downloaded pictures, photographs, etc.
• students will work as a team, each selecting a different vehicle for different avenues of career exploration.
• students will articulate personal insights revealed to them while  discovering their perfect job fit in a 1 - 2 minute speech to be given to the whole class at the conclusion of the unit.  This speech will briefly describe the job, responsibilities, and education required. Students will show a tool needed for their job and dress as they would for the job from the suitcase they packed (see below).
• students will write a persuasive paper according to their grade level ISAT guidelines, defending why they do or why they don't feel their job choice is a good fit for their interests and abilities.
• students will create their own personal digital portfolio using the above task products, where they can continue to build and update as they get older and begin looking for their first "real" job.
• students will pack a suitcase with clothes and tools representing the job they selected.
• (Optional geography task) students will use an internet mapping site or city/state maps to produce routes that their "wheels" will travel from their home to office to work site.
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The disk icon indicates a step that needs to be saved in your digital portfolio for your teacher toevaluate later. The items indicated below by the disk icon is the minimum.  You may also add worksheets, photos, and other articles found and used from the internet to your digital portfolio.
 

1.  First, you will go to the school's "Careers on Wheels" or "Touch a Truck" program.  Go outside, explore all the vehicles out there, ask questions, and have fun! If you are not able to go to one of these programs, click here to view some great photos of a variety of vehicles: Vehicle photos.
2. Next, you will be put in a team of 4 to 6 students.
3. You will then discuss, review the vehicles you saw, and brainstorm with your team the many jobs related to the various vehicles.
4. You and your team members will each agree upon and identify a different vehicle, each with a different job focus, that each member of your team will investigate. It's not too early to consider individual interests and abilities when choosing a vehicle for each person on the team. Click here to look at a worksheet that may get you thinking:  Targetting a job.
5. Once you and your team have decided on your "wheels" you are ready to travel on your own!
6. With every trip you  take, you must pack some necessary items. Think about experiences you had and want to have, identify your strengths and weaknesses, review your interests. Click here to view two worksheets that will help you explore your interests:  Exploring Your Interests andThe Pleasure Detector. 
7. Get a disk from your teacher.  This will become your own personal digital career portfolio.  Label the disk and keep it in the computer while you are working. Make sure you save all tasks you do on this trip to this disk.  You will be able to add and perfect this portfolio for many years to come.  It will be a scrapbook of the many journeys and side trips you will take to finding the job that fits. Please remember to save when you see the lock icon:
8. The first thing you must prepare is your own personal resume using internet site templates or actual resume formats. To see see samples of resumes click here:  Samples of Resumes and more resume samples.  Your resume will be your "ticket" to the job of your dreams if you remember to think of all of your interests and abilities. Click here to see a site with a resume template you can use:  Writing the successful resume. Click here to see a Resume Tutor.
9. Now take a good look at the vehicle you are using.  What job would it carry you to?  Who depends on your vehicle for the job they do. Your vehicle may be an ambulance. You might think of an ambulance driver or emergency medical technician as jobs, but doctors and nurses rely on the ambulance too.  So do many others with medical professions.  Brainstorm as many jobs related to the vehicle you have chosen.  Use a variety of resources and create a list of the number your teacher feels is appropriate. You may use webbing, flow charts, mapping, or graphic organizers provided by your teacher. click here to see some of today's exciting careers. Click here to see a well organized job list: Career options.  
10. By now you  have a lot of ideas of jobs you think might be right for you.  Identify the job that you think fits you! Click here and ask this question, "Where can I find out about a job of a(an)____________?"Click here to find a site that may help you find a job related to the school subjects you enjoy most:Jobs for kids who like.... Use other resources if necessary to identify a job that, for now, you feel would be a good fit for you, such as this site:  Career Click.
11. You're almost ready to hit the road!  You've identified your destination:  the job that fits!  On road trips, you need to ask questions:    What are your limits?  How far can you travel? Are there vacancies?  Do you have what it takes to get there? In other words, it's time to find to find out more about that perfect job:  what skills and education is required for the job?  Are there many jobs that need to be filled?   Where are those jobs?  What are the hours each day I will spend on the job?  What is the work environment like?  How much money will I make? How will I need to dress?  What tools will my job need? Click here to find a job outline template that you can keep notes on:Job Description Template.  Click here for another easier job template to use.  Highlight the areas your teacher will require and complete using a variety of resources, such as this site(scroll down to Career Planner):  Career Planner
12. Click here to go to Resources to continue your journey to the job that fits. Complete your job outline and save it to your class's job file. 
13. You may think that we forgot to pack our suitcase, or maybe some of you packed only what you might wear to school or to hang out with friends.  By now you have traveled far on your trip and know better what you need on your job. Pull over to the nearest mall and do some shopping.  Find a suitcase and pack it with real clothes and tools you may need. Don't hesitate to ask clothing advisors for help (mom, brother,friends etc.).
14. By now, you will  know whether the job is a good fit for you or not.  Write a persuasive paper on the word processor  to defend why you do or why you don't feel the job is a good fit. Use the graphic organizers and criteria you have studied in class.
15. You're almost at the end of your journey.   Unpack that suitcase and dress up in the clothes you will wear to work.  Bring a few tools of your job with you and meet your classmates at the nearest rest stop.  Share and summarize with them for a few minutes what you learned about your job, if you thought it was a perfect fit for you, and what you discovered about yourself along the way. Use all of your products you created on your journey that you have store on your digital portfolio.
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Resources
Careers:  Piecing Together Your Future, "How it all Fits Together,"  a Newspapers In Education  Supplement from The Journal-Standard Newspaper. Teacher can post this poster sized item for class use.

Salary Wizard swz.salary.com/layoutscripts/swzl_newsearch.asp

www.valees.org for a wealth of career education links.

Mapping Your Future www.mapping-your-future.org

Career and Vocational Guidance Information for K-12.

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Individual evaluation by teacher except for the team averages assigned to individuals as stated below (first row).

Look for Illinois Standards in each evaluation description below.

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Exemplary 4	Score
Team member participation:  team score average for each individual member 4.A.2a,b,c 5.A.2a	No leadership qualities present and showed contributed only slightly to the group	Showed little leadership qualities and sometimes contributed positively to the group	Showed some leadership qualities and usually contributed positively to the group	Showed good leadership qualities and consistently contributed positively to the group
Personal Digital Career Portfolio 3.C.2b 5.A.3b	Is missing any of the required items in the portfolio	----------------	Has all of the required items in the portfolio	Has more item(s) than required in the portfolio
Resume 3.C.2b 5.C.2a	Two or three parts of resume missing and/or quality significantly low	One part of resume missing and/or below average quality throughout	All parts of resume present and adequate quality throughout	All parts of resume present and strong quality throughout
List of related jobs 3.B.2a 5.A.2a	65 % of total jobs teacher requests	75% of total jobs teacher requests	87% of total jobs teacher requests	93% of total jobs teacher requests
Job Outline 1.C.2e,f 3.B.2a 5.A.2a	Job outline has more than one part missing and/or quality significantly low	Job outline has one part missing and/or below average quality throughout	All parts of job outline present and adequate quality throughout	All parts of job outline present and strong quality throughout
Suitcase 5.A.2a 5.B.2a 5.C.2a,b	Suitcase and only one tool and item of clothing appropriate to job	Suitcase contains one clothing item, one accessory item, and one tool appropriate to job	Suitcase contains complete work outfit, one accessory item and atleast 2 tools appropriate to job	Suitcase contains a complete work outfit, shoes, hat, other accessories, and  2 or more tools appropriate to job
Persuasive Paper 3.A.2 3.B.2a,b,c,d 3.C.2a 15.A.2b 15.A.1b	Paper has 3 or fewer paragraphs, one reason with moderate support, many mechanical errors.	Paper has 3 - 4 paragraphs, instead of 5, atleast two reasons with moderate support. Many mechanical errors.	Focus, concluding and three reason paragraphs.  Moderately strong support. Some mechanical error.	Focus, concluding and three reason paragraphs. Few mechanical errors. Strong support throughout.
Summary Speech15.A.1b	Paper has 3 or fewer paragraphs, one reason with moderate support, many mechanical errors.	Paper has 3 - 4 paragraphs, instead of 5, atleast two reasons with moderate support. Many mechanical errors.	Focus, concluding and three reason paragraphs.  Moderately strong support. Some mechanical error.	Focus, concluding and three reason paragraphs. Few mechanical errors. Strong support throughout.
Summary Speech 4.A.2a,b,c 5.C.2b	Speech was less than or over 1-2 min., poor eye contact, was missing one of the following: job fit, job description, personal observation	Speech was less than or over 1-2 min. limit, some eye contact, discussed job fit, job description, and personal observation, but with little detail	1-2 min., good eye contact, discussed job fit and job description with some detail, and atleast one personal observation	1-2 min., good eye contact, discussed job fit in detail, job description in detail, and more than one personal observation

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You have completed your road trip! Did you discover a job that is a good fit for you? Your journey was successful whether you found a good fit or not. 

Think about all you discovered and produced on this trip.  You have started your own personal  digital career portfolio. This portfolio can be considered just the beginning of a scrapbook record of this journey and many more to come. 

You have your first resume that will constantly be changing as you grow and take many side trips.  You have a list of jobs related to your interests you may later want to explore.You have the job outline you have created and you may want to add job outlines that classmates have created that interest you. You have your persuasive report where you have examined whether the job was a good fit or not.

You also have your suitcase filled with the professional clothes and tools of your trade.  If this journey did not help you find the job with the perfect fit, then unpack that suitcase and prepare to take another road trip. 

Hopefully, you have gotten to know yourself and the jobs you may want a little better.  The next trip down Career Lane will be easier to plan and follow.  And some day you will take a break from all that traveling, because you will have found the job that fits!

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A special thank you for the materials, sites, inservices offers through the Illinois Education To Careers program at www.isbe.state.il.us/etc/

Also, thanks to the VALEES (Valley Education for Employment System) staff for all their support and valuable information at www.valees.org

Thanks to www.patsgraphics.com for many of the graphics used on this Webquest.
Mr. Potato Head is a registered trademark of Hasbro Toys, Pawtucket, RI.

These items are particulary good for parents, they were particulary helpful in the creation of this Webquest.:

The Future is Yours:  Illinois Job Outlook in Brief 2001
Guide to Career Choices
Obtain copies for either: www.wiu.edu/users/micpc/indes/html  Click on Materials, then CPC Materials, then Workplace Skills and Career Development (at left).  Under Basics in Workforce Preparation, see Guides to Career Choices.
1-800-322-3905

Getting Started:  Talking with Your Child About Career Choices (Kosin)  Obtain copies:  1-800-469-TEST or www.ballfoundation.org