Resume Remix Challenge: Customize Your Career Path

9th Grade

Lesson
90 minutes

Resume Remix Challenge: Customize Your Career Path

Lana T

Purpose

The purpose of this lesson is to equip students with the skills to effectively tailor their resumes and cover letters for specific apprenticeship opportunities, enhancing their career readiness. By reviewing past challenges and feedback, students will refine their professional documents, ensuring they align with desired career paths. The lesson emphasizes the importance of personalized application materials and the value of constructive feedback from peers, fostering a deeper understanding of how to present oneself professionally. Through reflective exercises, students will consolidate their learning and gain confidence in their ability to pursue future career opportunities.

Learning goals

In this lesson, students will focus on career readiness skills by refining their professional resumes and crafting cover letters tailored to specific apprenticeship opportunities. They will learn strategies to align their application materials with the requirements and expectations of potential employers. Through reviewing feedback on Writable and engaging with their Dream Teams, students will enhance their ability to present themselves effectively in professional contexts. Additionally, they will develop reflective skills by articulating the strategies they used and the insights gained from the feedback process, preparing them for future career opportunities.

Standards

Common Core - CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Common Core - CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.5: Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
Common Core - CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

Week 1	Day 1
Activities	Begin the lesson by explaining the importance of tailoring resumes and cover letters for specific apprenticeship opportunities. Highlight the impact that well-crafted application materials can have on career readiness and future job prospects. Set the stage for the activities by outlining the lesson goals and expectations. (10 minutes) Students will pair up with their Dream Teams and exchange their current resumes. Each student will review their partner's resume, providing constructive feedback on alignment with job requirements and overall presentation. Encourage students to focus on clarity, coherence, and relevance to the specific apprenticeship opportunity. (20 minutes) Guide students through the process of drafting a cover letter tailored to a specific apprenticeship. Provide a template or outline that emphasizes the key elements of a strong cover letter, such as a personalized introduction, relevant experiences, and a compelling closing statement. Students will write their draft, applying feedback received on their resumes. (20 minutes) Students will share their drafted cover letters with their peers for additional feedback. Encourage them to focus on clarity, style, and alignment with the job description. After the peer review, students will reflect on the feedback received and identify strategies for further improvements in their application materials. (15 minutes) Have students complete a reflective exercise where they document the strategies they used to tailor their resumes and cover letters. Ask them to articulate the insights gained from the feedback process and how they plan to apply these insights in future job applications. This reflection will consolidate their learning and build confidence in their ability to present themselves professionally. (15 minutes) Conclude the lesson by summarizing the key takeaways and emphasizing the importance of personalized application materials. Discuss next steps for further refinement and encourage students to continue seeking feedback. Provide resources or contacts for additional support as they pursue apprenticeship opportunities. (10 minutes)
Deliverables
Preparation