Sequence | Background | Objectives | Materials | Activity | Evaluations

TOPIC-TITLE Careers Lessons 6 - A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words AUTHOR STARBORD GRADE SUITABILITY High School SCOPE Appropriate for all science classes and especially for an integrated curriculum

Sequence This is the sixth in a series of six lessons on careers in the field of oceanography. The lessons would not necessarily have to be done as part of a unit of study on oceanography, marine science, marine biology, etc., but they would certainly be more meaningful to the students if they were integrated into the teaching of the academic content material. < < go top

Background Summary The COAST Careers module contains videotaped interviews with actual practitioners in several fields related to oceanography. These interviews are intended to put a face with a name as well as a career in order to let the students see "real" people involved in these careers. In using the interviews in a classroom, teachers can point out the diverse nature of the careers related to oceanography as well as the diverse nature of the demographic information related to the practitioners themselves. These men and women come from different backgrounds, are different ages, and have different career interests, yet they all have found a place of work within the broad field of oceanography. < < go top Objectives At the end of this series of lessons, students will be able to: Identify the differences between a job and a career Identify career areas within the broad field of oceanography Explain the commonalties and differences between the various careers in the field of oceanography Demonstrate a knowledge of how these various careers relate to each other Locate information on the World Wide Web related to a specific career field Recognize the necessary educational foundation needed for a specific career field Compare and contrast the requirements needed to become a practitioner of various oceanographic career fields Determine the high school course selections that would be most beneficial for someone planning a career in oceanography Create as part of a group a computer-based project relating to an oceanographic career < < go top Materials Access to computers and the Internet QuickTime plug-in for viewing the COAST Web site Dictionaries Spreadsheet software Presentation software (e.g., PowerPoint, HyperStudio) < < go top Activity Divide the class into groups and allow each group to choose one of the following suggested projects, or to create one of their own choosing, that will allow them to utilize the knowledge they have gained about careers in oceanography. A. Select suitable careers and create resumes for each member of the group that would qualify them for those careers. The group should create a presentation that includes each group member's resume, including pictures and/or video clips that will help sell themselves to prospective employers. B. As a group form a hypothetical company dealing with some phase of oceanography. Name the company appropriately and create 3-5 professional positions that would be available in that company. Create advertisements for those positions that would entice someone who is qualified to want to work for this company. Describe the work that each person would be called upon to do. Create a company logo and slogan and use them in a letterhead that the group designs. C. As a group, create a brochure or web page advertising an oceanographic research group, commercial company, or university course. Include as many details as the group believes are necessary for the reader to have a complete understanding of what this group does. Use the digital camera, scanner, draw/paint computer software, and/or images off the web to create the brochure. Be certain that the students use all images in an ethical manner and give credit where credit is due. D. A coastal community recently voted against allowing a large commercial chain of stores to build on beachfront property. The interests of real-estate developers and environmentalists quite often are in conflict. Take the position of one group or the other in a campaign to build a new 15-story hotel in a community that has always prided itself on its small-town image. Create a presentation of some type that reinforces one side of the argument, pro or con. The presentation should be appropriate for showing at a town meeting at which citizens will decide whether to allow the hotel to be built or not. Things to include would be environmental impact statements, cost analyses, economic impact figures, etc. Keep in mind all of the different groups affected by such a project and deliver the information from the point of view of an expert in the field. E. A university professor desires to start a new research project related to oceanography. Create an ad campaign that would convince the Board of Trustees for Institutions of Higher Learning to fund this project. The "sales pitch" should include all of the reasons why the research effort should be supported. Who will benefit? What will happen if the work is not funded? Use presentation software as the medium for displaying the project. F. Using presentation software, a paint program, or a publishing software package, create a picture book about one or more of the oceanography careers that would tell elementary school children what people in those careers do at work. G. Find people in the local area who have oceanography careers and videotape your own set of interviews. Create a videotaped program that links the interviews together with commentary, or use clips in a presentation that discusses the information learned about the people and their careers. H. Many of the people in the COAST career interviews were influenced by teachers during their elementary and secondary school days. Write an article about a teacher who has influenced you in a positive way. Use a word processor or presentation software to create your document. Include pictures of the teacher and yourself. < < go top Teacher Evaluation Use a rubric to assess each student's ability to work collaboratively. For an example collaboration rubric, visit the EdWeb Web site: http://edweb.sdsu.edu/triton/tidepoolunit/Rubrics/collrubric.html . Many of the activities for these career lessons can best be evaluated through the use of rubrics. The major group projects should contain evidence that the students have incorporated information learned through the class discussion about oceanography careers. All presentations should be original, accurate, creative, thoughtful, and well-designed. < < go top