... introducing the possibilities to elementary students

CIS’ career awareness curriculum kit is designed to teach children in elementary grades about the world of work. Career Trek broadens your students’ career awareness. You can integrate Career Trek units into your existing curriculum or use the learning activities to extend students’ career-related learning.

Career Trek includes an illustrated deck of 190 occupation cards, a CD with sixty learning activities, and the Career Trek Dictionary of Occupations.

The card deck provides information about occupations that helps students link academic content to their future options. Learning activities foster skills such as self-awareness, responsibility, critical thinking, and working with others. As students use Career Trek, they will broaden their career awareness, learn about many new career possibilities, discover connections between school and work, and fortify their understanding of why school is important.

Career Trek's goals are based on the National Career Development Guidelines (NCDG) for developing career awareness in the elementary grades. Career Trek prepares students for effective participation in their middle and high school career development activities. It helps teach the importance of personal responsibility and good work habits, the development of skills to interact with others, an understanding of how to make decisions, and the development of skills to comprehend and use career information.

Career Trek Components

Occupation Card Deck	The deck includes 190 playing cards that employ descriptions, symbols, and unbiased illustrations to present occupational information. The cards can be used for classroom and small-group activities. They include consistent information about several important characteristics of the occupations -- cluster or occupational group, required level of math (use of numbers), required level of communication (use of words), education level, and earnings (money).
Teacher's Guide on CD	The Career Trek Teacher’s Guide explains Career Trek concepts and materials and how to use them. Sixty learning activities are provided, targeting fourth through sixth grade students. Overheads and worksheet masters can be copied as needed. The lessons focus on basic competencies for career development, such as interacting, learning and work, and life roles.  The kit includes "Connecting Career Trek to Oregon Standards,” a cross-reference between Career Trek activities and Oregon's Academic Content Standards and Career and Life Roles Common Curriculum Goals.
Dictionary of Occupations	A kit also contains a book of occupation descriptions for the 190 Career Trek occupations, in alphabetic order.   Each description includes a picture of someone in the occupation.  The dictionary is a handy classroom reference.