College and Career Awareness

Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) . ○​ Last : Enter an internship , apprenticeship , or postsecondary program in computer science, software development, or IT.

● Provide a vocabulary word bank. ●​ Provide relevant vocabulary word banks for:

○​ Career clusters (e.g., Computer Science or Web Development) ○​ Skills (e.g., collaborate, analyze, design)

●​ Sentence starters for opinion writing or speaking: ○​ “I believe ___ because ___.” ○​ “One skill needed for this career is ___.” ● Provide an annotated model. ●​ Share a sample student response with highlighted elements: ○​ Topic sentence ○​ Supporting details

○​ CTE vocabulary- Computer Science and Digital Technology terms ○​ Transition words

● Provide sentence frames and discussion practice opportunities. ●​ Model using sentence frames in a Think-Pair-Share format: ○​ “A career in ___ interests me because ___.” ○​ “This pathway requires skills in ____, such as ___.” ● Provide visual vocabulary cards. ●​ Visual cards that include an image, definition, and the career cluster it relates to. ○​ Example: An image of a laptop or code window for “Software Development” → Computer Science and IT cluster. ○​ Students research a Utah CTE career cluster (e.g., Digital Technology) and create a trifold display , digital presentation , or video outlining: ■​ Careers in the cluster ■​ Required academic skills and certifications ■​ Education and training pathways ■​ Salary and job outlook ■​ Personal interest connection ●​ Career Pathway Project Fair

Extension

●​ CTE Career Interviews

○​ Have students interview a professional in a CTE-related career (in person, Zoom, or via email). ○​ Prepare interview questions using sentence frames. ○​ Reflect on new insights gained about the pathway ○​ Students create a customized career roadmap showing: ■​ Interest inventory results ■​ Chosen career cluster/pathway ■​ CTE courses in middle and high school

●​ Design your own Pathway Map

■​ Postsecondary options (technical school, certifications, degrees) ■​ Skills to build in academics (e.g., algebra, writing, public