Introduction to Work and Why People Work

NH Curriculum Standards for Career Development- Career Learning

Curriculum Standard: Students will acquire the knowledge, attitudes, and skills to make a successful transition from school to the world of work and adult life.

CD - 3.6.4.4 - Demonstrate an understanding of how work is important to all people.

Why People Work- ( pdf file) - using Mayer Johnson Boardmaker Picture/Symbols, illustrates the basics of:

• FOOD
• CLOTHING
• HOME
• THINGS WE WANT
• TO BE WITH OTHERS

Basic concept is people need jobs to earn money to buy the basics in life first ( food, clothing, shelter) and then they can use their money to buy things they want. To be with others moves into the social reasons people work. Introduction level activities could include.

• making a page for each category by cutting pictures out of magazines ( save in vocational notebooks)
• make a group poster on each area: food, clothing, homes, things we want and to be with others.
• Teacher- make up index cards with pictures from the categories and have students sort them by group.
• cut out pictures of various types of housing and have students identify them ( vocabulary). ex. condo, split level home, apartment, duplex, mansion, log cabin, mobile home, ranch style home,

  Rewards from Work- This is a list of 20 rewards from work, some are monetary, some social and some personal satisfactions. The student can identify rewards that are meaningful to them.

Info Pages on :

• Why People Work
• Work, Job, Career
• Parts of Your Lifestyle
• Your Work Affects Your Lifestyle
• Plan Your Work to Fit Your Lifestyle

1. Read Why People Work, discuss
2. Read Work, Job, and Career
3. Follow up quiz on Why People Work
4. Follow up with worksheet- Why Work Anyway?
5. Read Parts Of Your Lifestyle
6. Your Lifestyle Questions- take each of the 6 lifestyle categories and describe what level of importance it is to the individual.
   • Ex. Family , what things (activities, etc) do you like to do with your family?
   • Friends, the same
   • Leisure, list leisure activities, sports, vacation wishes etc. an list
   • Religion, - name if relevant, amount of time, activities
   • Personal choices- answer the personal choices questions asked, add to
   • Work- part time, full time, where, what, hours…
7. Do the Occupational choices activity
8. Read Your Work Affects Your Lifestyle- discuss and answer questions from the text
9. Read Plan Your Work to Fit Your Lifestyle
10. Wrap Up activity: Make a poster using an opened file folder and cut and past pictures from magazines ( or elsewhere) that Illustrate Parts of Your lifestyle.
11. Other activity- have students estimate what percentage of there time they would like to spend on each of the 6 categories of Lifestyle ( to add up to 100)