60 min lesson
3 Activities
Grade 9-12
Low threshold, high ceiling
Common Core Standards
Lesson approved by India Miles
You'll need
5-7 min
When students enter the classroom or sign into class online, project the slide that has this scenario. You can also use a collaborative tool like Padlet and post the question there.
Imagine that you are going to an interview. The hiring manager says, “Tell me about yourself.” How do you answer? Take five minutes to write down what you would say.
5 min
1. Invite students to share out. If you use Padlet, give students the opportunity to read each other’s responses before they share. If you’re teaching in person, you can cold call or ask for volunteers. Online, you can ask students to type in the chat box. As students are sharing, note patterns that come up in their responses.
2. Once several students share, ask the class if this question was hard to answer? Why or why not? Ask them if they felt prepared to answer it. Show students this video to dig deeper into the debrief if you find it useful and have time.
5 min
It’s likely that many students will find this hard or feel put on the spot. It’s not always easy to talk about ourselves. Where do we begin? What’s important to share? How do we describe ourselves without sounding arrogant ? Taking the time to sit down, think, and prepare a thoughtful response to questions like, “why are you a good fit for this job?” and “where do you see yourself in five years?” helps us become more self-aware.
Share with students that they’ll soon have the opportunity to interview for jobs and/or schools. Share that you want to teach them how to prepare and give them the chance to practice in class, so they feel ready and confident when the time comes.
