Developed by:  Debbie Humphreys
Revised: Spring 2002

Level:  3-5

Job Fair

Standards
 
 


Learning 
Expectations

 This activity will help students acquire competencies which relate to the following standards:

4.  Career Awareness and Employment Readiness Skills
5.  Career Information and Career Goals

The student will:

4.1 describe personal abilities, work habits, interests and skills, and relate
      them to individual career interests.
4.2 identity a variety of career options in the community
5.2 explore career clusters
5.4 recognize that careers require a variety of skills, education and
      interests

General Approach
The general approach is that students will learn about different types of jobs, practice oral presentation skills, and learn to use a checklist as a tool for staying organized in the midst of a project.

Activity Steps
  • Ask the class to name as many jobs as they can.
  • List the jobs on the board or chart paper.
  • Tell students you'll be having a discussion about some unusual jobs.
  • Distribute the Job Descriptions handout and discuss.
  • Tell the students they will explore careers over the internet.  They will go the the site "What do they do?" or "Community Club" and explore the careers.
  • Distribute the My Job worksheet.  Have the students decide on an interesting career and complete the sheet.  Distribute the Job Fair Checklist to keep them organized.
  • Encourage students to practice acting out their jobs.  Try using these suggestions to give them an idea of what you expect:  a bank teller would sit behind a counter, interact with customers, and organize money in a drawer; a construction worker might drive a back hoe.  (To act this out, a student could sit in a chair and pantomime the motions of driving the machine.); a teacher might stand in front of the board and direct a class discussion.
  • Each student should write a paragraph about their chosen job, select a costume and wear it, practice reading the paragraph aloud, and rehearse acting out their jobs.
  • Take pictures of this activity and display on a bulletin board.

Time Required
This activity will require at least three 25-30 minute sessions.  The first session would consist of brainstorming jobs and discussing the Job Description worksheet. The next session would consist of examining jobs online and completing the other two worksheets.  The last session would be wearing a costume and acting out jobs.

Resources Needed

Performance
Indicators
The counselor will observe students as they brainstorm careers to display on the board.  The Job Descriptions worksheet will give students the opportunity to display life experience.  The Job Fair Day with costumes and descriptions can be scored using a rubric from not participating to elaborate details.  The students will complete the worksheets in class.  The students will surf the web for career ideas and print these ideas.
Unusual Job Descriptions

Name ____________________________________

Match the job description with the name of the job.

____ a hotel employee who escorts guests to their rooms,                                 a.  gaffer
     carries their luggage, and familiarizes them with their surroundings
_____ an assistant to a gaffer in TV and movie productions                                 b.  page

_____ a boy who acts as a servant on a ship, especially to the captain                  c.  extra

_____ a golf course worker who carries clubs and assists golfers                         d.  pirate

_____ a ranch worker who tends cattle and horses                                                e.  bellhop

_____ the principal female singer in an opera                                                         f.  spy

_____ a person who uses the principles of math and science to plan                     g.  valet
           structures such as bridges, engines, roads, and canals
_____ a person with a non speaking part in a movie                                                h.  hermit

_____ an electrician in charge of lighting on a movie or TV set                             i.  guru

_____ a Japanese woman who plays classical Japanese music and                         j.  best boy
           performs dances at private parties in Japan
_____ a hindu religious teacher and spiritual guide                                      k.intelligence agent

_____ a person who retires from society and lives alone, often for                        l. cabin boy
           religious reasons
_____ someone who studies and thinks about ideas                                              m. diva

_____ also called a spy                                                                                             n.  geisha

_____ the person who shows diners to their tables and supervises                       o.  stockbroker
           the waiters in a restaurant
_____ a healer or sorcerer in a Native American tribe                                           p. caddie

_____ one who delivers messages and serves as a guide                               q.undercover agent

_____ a person who uses wealth and influence to help a person or a cause          r. spectator

_____ a person who robs ships on the high seas (outside territorial waters)        s. engineer
           uses speedboats and carry guns in modern times
_____ one who collects and analyzes secret information about armies         t. stand-up comedian
            and battle plans
_____ one who tries to discover spies, also called a counterintelligence          u. medicine man
            agent
_____ a person who tells jokes alone on a stage, usually in a nightclub                v. maitre d'

_____ a person who acts for others in buying and selling stocks or                      w. patron
           shares in a business
_____ someone, usually a law enforcement agent, who pretends to be                x. intellectual
           someone else in order to gain information
_____ a personal servant who takes care of one's clothes, or a hotel                   y. cowpuncher
           employee who cares for clothes and does other personal services
My Job

My name is:

I want to be a:
 
 

I want to have this job because . . .
 
 

I need to wear:
 
 

I need these special clothes because . . .
 
 

This is what I will do all day, when I have this job:
 
 

This job is important because: 
 
 

This is what I will do then I present in front of the class: 
 
 
 
 

This is what I will say when I present in front of the class.

 
Job Fair Checklist

Name _____________________________________________

  • Prepare:  Fill out the "My Job" sheet.
  • Write:     Create a one paragraph description of your job.
  • Collect:   Collect clothes for your costume.
  • Select:     Select props that go with your job.
  • Practice:  Practice reading your paragraph aloud slowly and clearly.
  • Plan:       Decide how to act out your job.
  • Practice:  Rehearse acting out your job.