🗓️ Before Class: Teacher Prep
- Gather/set out: Notebook for drafting, Common interview question list (teacher-provided).
- Pull up today's slide deck (see 🖥️ Slide Deck below) so it's ready to project.
🧑🏫 Substitute Teacher Guide
A scripted, step-by-step runsheet for today's class -- hand this to anyone covering the room who doesn't know the daily routine.
- Day 1: 📋 Open Substitute Guide
- Day 2: 📋 Open Substitute Guide
🎯 Essential Question
- How do we confidently present ourselves and our design skills to a potential employer?
📈 Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson (2 Days), students will be able to:
- Write a 30-second elevator pitch about their design skills and portfolio.
- Participate in a mock interview, responding to common interview questions.
- Give and receive feedback on presence and clarity.
📐 Standards Alignment
CDOS (Career Development & Occupational Studies)
- CDOS 1 — Career Development -- students will be able to explain the range of career choices, and identify personal interests, skills, and aptitudes that relate to those choices.
- CDOS 2 — Integrated Learning -- students will demonstrate how academic knowledge and skills are applied in the workplace and other settings.
- CDOS 3a — Universal Foundation Skills -- basic literacy, communication, and problem-solving skills required for a career.
ACP (Adobe Certified Professional) Photoshop Exam Objectives
- ACP 1.2 — Communicate with colleagues and clients about design plans.
🎓 Study this for the ACP exam: Domain 1: Working in the Design Industry
📚 Key Vocabulary
- Elevator Pitch
- A brief (30-60 second) summary of who you are and what you offer, used to introduce yourself professionally.
- Presence
- A presenter's confidence, eye contact, and clarity while speaking to an audience.
🧰 Materials & Tools
- Notebook for drafting
- Common interview question list (teacher-provided)
🧠 Do Now (Warm-Up)
If a stranger asked you 'so what do you do?' at a career fair, what would you say in one sentence?
📋 Main Workshop / Lesson Sequence
This lesson spans 2 Days. Suggested pacing:
| Day | Focus | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Writing Your Pitch | Do Now (5 min, above). Mini-lesson (10 min): the elements of a strong elevator pitch. Independent writing (20 min): draft your own elevator pitch. Practice with a partner (10 min). |
| Day 2 | Mock Interviews | Do Now (5 min). Mini-lesson (5 min): common interview questions for a design role. Mock interviews (30 min): pairs take turns mock-interviewing each other. Feedback (5 min). |
✅ Assessment & Exit Ticket
Elevator pitch + mock interview reviewed for clarity, confidence, and specific (not generic) content.
Exit Ticket: What is one thing you'll do differently next time you introduce yourself professionally?
📊 Pull up the anonymous Class Check-In for students to fill out before they go.
🧩 Differentiation & Accommodations
English Language Learners: model every step live, then check in one-on-one; provide translated materials and vocabulary support as needed. Students with IEPs: apply the accommodations and modifications listed in each student's plan (examples include extended time, graphic organizers, speech-to-text tools, chunked instructions, and visual schedules). Students with attention-related needs: break tasks into short, checklist-driven steps and provide brief movement or focus breaks. Students ready for a challenge: take on a leadership role critiquing peers' work, extend the project with a second iteration, or research how today's skill is used professionally in the field.