Pathways to College: Lessons Plans, K-12 A condition of participating in the Pathways to College Day is providing your students with an opportunity to learn about college inside and outside of the classroom. This not only adds value to in-classroom experiences, but it enriches participation and enthusiasm at Pathways to College Day. Students are able to make greater connections with the idea of higher education as well as: Career exploration and job-related skills Debunking myths about college Dreams and aspirations about higher education Goal setting and making choices Financial aid Types of postsecondary education Accessibility The following quick and easy lesson plans are based on the Awareness to Preparedness Model and will help you cover these ideas and more. Although each lesson plan corresponds to grouped grade levels, please feel free to utilize certain lesson plans based on the awareness of your students as well as grade-level or age. K-2nd Awareness: 1. Teacher, where did YOU go to college? (Version 1.0) 2. Virtual College Tour 3-5th Awareness: 1. Teacher, where did YOU go to college? (Version 2.0) 2. Dream College 3. College on the Map 6-7th Awareness: 1. Colleges in Florida 2. Types of Colleges 8-10th Awareness/Preparedness: 1. Financial Aid 2. The College Experience 11-12th Awareness/Preparedness: 1. Scholarship Search 2. College to Career 1
K-2nd Teacher, where did YOU go to college? (Version 1.0) 30-40 minutes 1. Explore the concept of college 2. Express creatively what college looks like to them 3. Consider the importance of college 1. White Paper 2. Crayons/markers 3. Two ears for listening 1. Ask students to listen carefully as you explain your college experience. 2. During your story, ask the students to draw out what they think they hear, so be as descriptive as possible. (Was your college in the city or in the country? Were your classes really big or small? Did you read a lot? Were your books really big?). 3. Ask students to share what they have drawn, acknowledging creativity but correcting mistakes they made in the details. 4. Reiterate the importance of college, letting the students know, you couldn t teach them if you hadn t gone to college. Vocabulary words: college, major, graduation, professor, degree Virtual College Tour 30-40 minutes 1. Explore the concept of college. 2. Virtually explore different college campuses. 3. Prepare for an on-campus experience. 1. LCD projector/internet connection 2. Compare and Contrast sheet 3. Two ears for listening 4. Gold star stickers 5. Pencil 1. Pick two colleges in Florida (a large state university and a smaller private college). 2. Prepare a sheet of paper with the name of the elementary school, big university, and a small college). 3. Use the LCD to do a virtual tour of all three campuses. While doing the virtual tour compare and contrast the campuses with yes and no questions as well as size comparisons. For example: Is there a playground on the college campus? Also use size comparisons, by placing a sticker in the column with the largest (blank). For example: Which school has the smallest classrooms? What school has the brightest color? What school has the best mascot? 4. Reiterate the importance of college, letting the students know, you couldn t teach them if you hadn t gone to college. 2
1. Would your students like to know more about college? What did they like about the bigger school? What did they like about the smaller school? 3rd-5th Teacher, where did YOU go to college? (Version 2.0) 40-45 minutes 1. Explore the concept of college. 2. Create paragraphs/express creatively what college looks like to them. 3. Consider the importance of college. 1. Lined Paper 2. Pencil 3. Construction Paper 4. Colored Markers 1. Ask students to listen carefully as you explain your college experience. 2. During your story, ask the students to draw out what they think they hear, so be as descriptive as possible. (Was your college in the city or in the country? Were your classes really big or small? Did you read a lot? Were your books really big?). Make sure to acknowledge the path to college (middle school high school college). 3. Ask students to share what they have drawn, acknowledging creativity but correcting mistakes they made in the details. 4. Reiterate the importance of college, letting the students know, you couldn t teach them if you hadn t gone to college. 1. Ask your students to write 5 sentences about their college and career dreams. Invite students to share with the class. Dream College 40-45 minutes 1. Start thinking about what the ideal college is for them and what subjects they enjoy. 2. Express creatively what college looks like. 3. Consider the importance of college. 1. Pencil 2. Construction Paper 3. Colored Markers 4. Glue 5. Scissors 6. Other crafting supplies 7. Magazines 1. Ask students to listen carefully as you explain the importance of a college education. Also, how colleges come in different shapes and sizes and can be focused on different things like, acting, music, or technology. 2. Ask student to write three sentences about what they enjoy in school what their favorite subjects are. 3
3. Using those sentences, and the crafting materials provided to them, let the students create their ideal college. Will it be big or small? Will it have lots sports teams? Will it be in the city? 1. Have students share what they have created. College on the Map! 30-35 minutes 1. See how important and encompassing higher education is. 2. Consider the importance of college. 1. Map or Globe 2. Pencil 3. Lined Paper 4. College Dictionary or Internet Access 1. Give pairs of students an outline map of the United States and a college dictionary or internet access. 2. Tell students to use the college dictionary or use a computer to find a college or university in each state. 3. Ask the students to find the school colors and mascot. 4. For advanced students, have search the college website to find the coolest major. 1. Have students share what state they would most like to live in and attend college 4
6th-7th State Universities in Florida: Challenge! Day One: 45-50 minutes, Day Two: 30 minutes 1. Learn about the different state universities in Florida. 2. Work and dialogue as a team. 3. Consider the importance of college 1. Computer and Internet Access 2. Pencil 3. Lined Paper 1. Divide the classroom into two groups. 2. Ask the groups to research: the location of the schools, mascots, average class size, fun fact, school size, scholarship opportunities, what is a residence hall, how much does it cost to attend the school, etc 3. Allow the students to write down any questions they may have. 4. The next day: create a game show like atmosphere challenging the two groups to share what they know. 5. Each group will start off with 10,000 dollars' worth of scholarship money. Each time an answer is answered correctly, the group keeps the money. If the response is incorrect, a portion of the money is given to the opposing team. 1. What schools seemed like a good fit for them? 2. What were they surprised about? Types of Colleges: In-class presentations 5 minutes per presentation 1. Learn about the different types of colleges in Florida. 2. Work creatively on an individual basis. 3. Consider the importance of college. 1. Computer and Internet Access 2. Poster Board 3. Markers 1. Explain to the class that not all colleges are the same (Some are 2-year, some are 4-year, some have 50,000 students, and others have 2,000..etc) 2. Assign each student a different college or university in the state of Florida. 3. Tell them they are responsible for creating a presentation on that college-with the desired information. 5
1. What schools seemed like a good fit for them? 2. What were they surprised about? 8th-10th Financial Aid where does the money come from? 90 minutes 1. Learn the basic components of FAFSA & how to apply. 2. Direct links to selected local colleges. 1. Access to an Internet Resource Lab. 2. FAFSA applications (if available). 3. Review the financial aid linked web sites from Career PREP. 4. Students can log on to OPS A+ Career PREP. http://careerprep.ops.org/index.html Click on Education After High School http://careerprep.ops.org/edafterhs.html And then click on Financial Aid & Scholarships - http://careerprep.ops.org/financialaid.html 1. Divide the classroom into two groups. 2. Ask the groups to research: the location of the schools, mascots, average class size, fun fact, school size, scholarship opportunities, what is a residence hall, how much does it cost to attend the school, etc 3. Allow the students to write down any questions they may have. 4. The next day: create a game show like atmosphere challenging the two groups to share what they know. 5. Each group will start off with 10,000 dollars' worth of scholarship money. Each time an answer is answered correctly, the group keeps the money. If the response is incorrect, a portion of the money is given to the opposing team. 1. Begin the discussion about financial aid by explaining the differences among the various type of financial aid available. (loans, grants, scholarships, college work study) Students should know the differences as they begin the financial aid application process. The following may serve as a resource: http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/publications/student_guide/2005-2006/english/types.htm 2. Financial Aid Planning Calendar: This links with the College Board planning calendar for all financial aid. http://www.collegeboard.com/student/pay/scholarships-and-aid/23642.html A review of this site will give students a good overview of the whole financial aid process. 3. Have students access The Student Guide on the Federal Government site. http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/publications/student_guide/2005-2006/english/index.htm Students will find this site a primary resource for applying for financial & FAFSA. Allow time for students to review this site. 4. Apply on Line Access http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ to apply directly on line. This will link directly to the on line application process. Students will need to involve parents /guardians to complete this online feature. 5. Local College & Financial Aid Career PREP features access to the on-line financial aid link with six local colleges. Students may learn about financial aid opportunities at their favorite college. Note: each college has its own scholarship application procedures. The local site may be a good resource for that information. Financial Aid Work Sheet: 1. Name the four types of financial you may seek to help finance college costs. a. b. c. d. 6
2. Give an example of how a student might use a college work study to off-set the costs of education. 3. Briefly describe how students (& parents) apply for financial aid on line. 4. Discuss a least three keys points you need to consider when requesting a letter of recommendation from a teacher, counselor, coach, youth minister, or principal, etc. The College Experience: Interviewing a college student/graduate 30 minutes 1. Learn how the curricular and co-curricular combine to create the college experience. 2. Build a connection with a college graduate or student. 3. Students will summarize what they ve learned about an interview subject and a college. 4. Get excited about higher education. 5. Students will prepare for and conduct an interview. 1. Interview a College Alumnus/Alumna 2. Pen or Pencil 3. Access to someone they know who completed or is completing college 1. Have students identify a college student or graduate to interview 2. Set up interview (30 minutes) 3. Present information in class 1. Did you learn a lot from your interview? If so, what? 2. What are some things you wished you would have asked the person you interviewed? 3. Did talking with the college grad or student make you realize something about what you want out of college? Sample Interview Questions 1. How did you decide to attend your college/university? 2. Were/are you a part of any clubs or organizations? 3. How did you balance academics and clubs or organizations? 4. What was/is your major? 5. Did you travel abroad? If so, where? 6. What sports are popular at your school? 7. What is your mascot? 8. What is one of your favorite college memories? 9. Did you receive any scholarships or financial aid? How did you apply? 10. What advice would you give me? 7
11th-12th The Scholarship Search/Apply 115 minutes 1. Learn how the different ways to search for scholarships and opportunities. 2. Understand that there are multiple ways and opportunities to finance a college education. 3. Get them excited about college. 1. Computer with Internet Access 1. Express to your students that a scholarship can be given for merit, special talents, socioeconomic level...etc. 2. Assign your students theses qualifications and challenge them to find a scholarship to match. 3. Ask students to share their findings with the class. 4. For day 2, ask the student to draft an application for the scholarship they think they are perfect for. Examples of scholarship qualifications: Women interested in science Left handed students Women of color interested in engineering Male Soccer players Students interested in Performance Theater Students with above a 3.5 GPA Students of Pacific Islander Heritage Students that have overcome a mental or physical disability First in your family to attend college Students attending a private liberal arts school in Florida Future Filmmakers Scholarship search engines: www.fastweb.com www.finaid.org/scholarships www.scholarships.com 1. What did you learn? 2. What interesting scholarship did you find? 3. What was easy about completing the application? 4. What was difficult? College to Career what does it take? 45 minutes 1. Learn what it takes to achieve different professions. 2. Make realistic decisions about a possible career path. 8
3. Work effectively in pairs. 4. Get excited about the possibility of college. 1. Computer with Internet Access 2. Pen or Pencil 3. Craft Materials 1. Pair students off in class 2. Have them discuss different career aspirations/dreams they have. 3. Invite a few students to share what they aspire to be in the future 4. Ask the students to choose one career and ask the student to chart the career timeline from high school graduation to finding a job. Make sure to include things like, internships, work experience, volunteer opportunities. 5. Let the students know they can be creative as possible. For Example: Family Law Attorney Graduate from HS Attend a 4-year college get accepted and attend law school (3 years) Get a certificate in family law pass the bar Obtain a job as family law attorney 1. Was this exercise helpful? 2. What did you learn from activity? 3. Did this change your mind about a career path? 9