Project: Fall 2011 The Opportunities Are Enormous!

Step Description Expected Student Results
1 Broad Current Event Question
(Exploration of Interest Area)

Mentor Task: The mentor will reply by asking questions about these interests and offering his/her own insight. Through the questioning, the mentor will try to help the student come up with a broad career-area question to investigate which is occurring in the area of interest of the student. The mentor typically plays the role of facilitator rather than topic guru.

Student Task: The student will select an area of primary career interest by researching a broad career-area question that is happening in his/her area of interest. 		THE FIRST PORTFOLIO ENTRY will include:

* Topic of interest
* Career area question (What is something that is impacting the community, state, or nation in that career area?)
* Questions or challenges faced by professionals and/or community surrounding this event or interest
* Include what the student learned from the mentor
2 Information Seeking Strategies on Professionals Involved in Current Event area

Mentor Task: The mentor will e-mail the student suggested keywords to find information on the selected current event. Through communication with the mentee, the mentor will share the importance of learning who is a leader in this student's current event choice. For example, if the interest is wind energy, the mentor would suggest the keywords for student to use in his/her search. The mentor should ask the student a few questions related to the search, have the students perform the search and ask the student to report his/her findings. The mentor will discuss with the student how to recognize reliable sites on the WWW.

Student Task: The student will research the current event using suggested keywords, questions, and websites from the mentor and the leaders of these projects. 		THE SECOND PORTFOLIO ENTRY will be a typed page that contains the following:
* The student will explain who one of the top leaders is for the current event.
• The student will detail the impact of this current event in the local area.
• The student will add any additional information found in his/her search that was interesting about the chosen event.
• Student will upload this page for the mentor to review.
• All messages between student and mentor in this step should be included with the entry.
3 Information Seeking Strategies on Current Event

Mentor Task: The mentor will help the student create a contact with a professional involved in the current event. The mentor will facilitate the connection between the current event, professional, and career area needed for the current event.

Student Task: The student will identify and research the current event. Students will analyze information and form an opinion about what career area would be needed to be an active participant in this current event.		 THE THIRD PORTFOLIO ENTRY will be a brochure.

* The brochure will include details about the current event. Images of the current event. Basic academic information needed to be an active participant in the current event.

* The brochure needs to include the cited sources for images, photos, and logos.

* The student will include e-mail for these professionals.

• Student will upload this page in the project file for mentor to review.

• All correspondence between student and mentor in this step should be included with the entry.
4 Pathway Through High School

Mentor Task: The mentor will help the student prepare an education plan of action by using the DCHS High School Course catalog. The mentor will help the student create a visual plan for courses (keeping career area of interest in mind) at each grade level to prepare him/her to enter a post secondary school. (The handbook is online @ www.usd443.org)

Student Task: The student will communicate with the mentor as he/she researches the course opportunities to be taken at DCHS. The student will discuss the math, science, and CTE courses that would be beneficial to prepare the student for participating in the area of interest (current event). Through this sequencing, the student should get a visual of what needs to happen in high school to prepare them for the course work at a post secondary institution.		 THE FOURTH PORTFOLIO will be an Excel spreadsheet showing the courses and grade level each course should be taken while at DCHS.

5 Information Seeking Strategies – Exploring Universities/Colleges that Specialize in Career Interest

Mentor Task: The mentor will suggest that the student use the search engines on the WWW using the keywords to locate information on universities and colleges. For example, "meteorology" and "college". The mentor will help the student with terminology from the website. For example: Admissions, Undergraduate degree, Graduate degree

Student Task: The student will follow the initial instructions from the mentor on using search engines in order to find three colleges that are highly respected in the area of interest and have good programs of study in the student's area of interest. At least one university must be in Kansas.
 THE FIFTH PORTFOLIO ENTRY will be a (1) spreadsheet of three colleges/universities. Included information for the spreadsheet:
• The tools that were used to find the colleges, the college / university names, the location of the colleges / universities, the distance in miles from the student's high school, and reasons why these colleges were chosen.
• The student will include information about the colleges: -------------------------

• Student will upload this page for the mentor to review.
• All messages between student and mentor in this step should be included with the entry.
6 Creating a Plan of Action

From all the information that has been gathered, the student will compile the portfolio and work on a plan to follow.

Student Task: The student will create a plan of action. The student should include the following:

• Primary field being examined
• Primary issues affecting the field
• Primary curriculum areas that impact the field
* High school education plan of action
• Colleges/universities which the student would like to attend


The student will complete several open-ended statements. These will vary depending on the area of interest. Below are suggested examples.

My career goal is _______. I plan on meeting that goal by attending _______ university/college and majoring in _____. I plan on meeting that goal by working at _____ in the area of _)____. To meet my goal, I need to _____ in the next three months. ___________in the next six months. ___________in the next year. I plan on reading _______ to continue learning as much about my interest as possible. I plan on volunteering at ________ to learn more about my area of interest.
 The SIXTH PORTFOLIO ENTRY will consist of three pieces.
• (1) The student will print the career and education report which will include professional contacts, analysis of current problem that is impacting the field, and a DCHS educational plan with post secondary options to achieve his/her career goal.
• (2) Second, the student will upload the career and education report to the mentor for approval.
(3) Third, the student will prepare a presentation to present to their classmates.

• All messages between student and mentor in this step should be included with the entry.
7 Sharing the Plan

Student Task: The student will present the action plan to Mrs. Head and a panel of community members.

 The SEVENTH PORTFOLIO ENTRY will be a typed career/education plan developed by the student and the help of the mentor.
• The plan will outline in detail the steps that are needed for the student to be successful in his/her area of interest beginning at the 9th grade. It will include courses to take, community service ideas, contacts to make and any other information that the mentor and student decide is important for the particular area of interest.
• All messages between student and mentor in this step should be included with the entry