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| Overview |
 What if one of the characters in the book you've been reading was looking for a job? What is the character qualified to do? What skills and experience could the character bring to a company?—all these questions are classroom discussion starters in this lesson plan which bridges technical writing and literary analysis.
In this activity, students become characters in a novel or short story they have read and find a job for those characters. In the process, students read fictional works, use Internet resources, read and interpret classified ads, and write application letters and resumes.
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| From Theory to Practice |
In this lesson, students read fictional works, use Internet resources, read and interpret classified ads, and write original resumes for a character they are exploring. Students rely on analytical skills to find material in their books that will support the job choice for their character. Teachers not only test student knowledge of plot and character descriptions but also have students learn the important skill of resume preparation and polishing, which will benefit them in their job or college application process.
This lesson was adapted from Shelley Mattson Gahn's teaching idea "Careers for Characters" in NCTE's Standards Consensus Series book, Teaching Literature in Middle School: Fiction (1996), pp. 20-22.
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| Student Objectives |
Students will
- apply direct and indirect information about a character, noting the context of the reference and the reliability of the speaker.
- shape information about the chosen character into a coherent format (the resume).
- explore appropriate resume and job application techniques.
- (optional) examine the way that word choice affects meaning by focusing on using strong, active verbs to describe the character's experience.
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| Instructional Plan |
Resources
Preparation
Instruction and Activities
Session One
- Go over the components of a resume using the Online Workshop: Resume, from Purdue OWL and a letter of application using the Online Workshop: Cover Letter, from Purdue OWL.
Invite students to explore the sites further on their own. The resources include sample resumes.
- Lead a class brainstorming session for details to include in a resume,
based on a character in a work they have read, for example Lillian Wright
from Asimov's "Rain, Rain, Go Away."
- Using the brainstormed ideas, lead a class discussion where you construct
a sample resume. Distribute copies of the Sample Character Resume to the
class, and explain the assignment.
Session Two
- Use the Writing Resumes for Fictional Characters Student Interactive to highlight the requirements of character resumes assignment.
- Students choose a character from a self-selected novel or short story
and list the character's talents, interests, and possible hobbies.
- They identify
possible career choices for their characters by consulting such resources
as the Purdue
OWL Job Skills Checklist, O*Net
Online, and the Indiana
Career and Postsecondary Advancement Center Career Profiles Index. You
may also use such library resources as the Worker Trait Group Guide, Chronicle
Guidance Occupational Library,
Career Discovery Encyclopedia, OCCU-FACTS, and so forth. Career exploration
can continue as homework if desired.
By the beginning of the next session, students should have identified the careers
for their characters.
Session Three
- Students investigate the
classified sections of local newspapers in order to select possible job
prospects for
their characters. Alternately, students can search online job listings
such as U.S. Government
Job Announcements, Purdue
Job Search on the Web Classifieds Index, or Monster.com. You
can also collect online listings for local employers.
- The students cut out or print out the ad they've chosen for their characters, in order to turn the ads in with their resumes.
- Each student writes a letter of application, following business letter format, from the
character to the company offering the job. If desired, students can use the Letter Generator Student Interactive to format and print their letters.
- Finally, the student completes a resume for the character. Any names,
dates, or places must be connected to the plot or the setting of the
literary
piece.
- Type final versions of the two documents using a word processor. Alternately, you have studednts continue work on their drafts for homework, asking them to submit their work at the beginning of the next session.
Extension
Based on student need and experience, you might
add a mini-lesson that will help students strengthen their
word choice. The Purdue OWL resource Some
Action Words to Describe Skills in Resumes provides a great list of strong,
action verbs that are appropriate for resumes and job application correspondence. Demonstrate the process of revising for stronger word choice, using the list and modeling how to use the dictionary and thesaurus as necessary. Ideally, students should have dictionaries and thesauruses on hand as well. Divide students into small groups, and challenge them to add at least three action words to each person's resume. Students can revise and submit their documents at the end of class or the beginning of the next session.
Web Resources
- Professional
Writing Handouts and Resources, from Purdue OWL
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/pw/index.html
- The Purdue Online Writing Lab's Web site for professional writing includes
a variety of resources on writing resumes, including specific types of resumes
and
the
individual
sections comprising a resume, writing cover letters, and writing other business
correspondence.
- Occupational Outlook Handbook
http://stats.bls.gov/oco/home.htm
- This U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics guide includes information for 100s of different jobs, including training and education requirements, working conditions, earning information, job search tips, and more.
- Job Star: Job Search Guide
http://jobstar.org/index.cfm
- Sponsored by the Wall Street Journal, this site includes a variety
of job search resources include sample resumes and cover letters, career guides,
salary information, and information on so-called hidden jobs. The site does
include an advertisement for the Wall Street Journal's CareerJournal.com at
the top of each page.
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| Student Assessment/Reflections |
Informal feedback from students who respond to the resumes and job application letters and then search out the related book is excellent feedback for students. You might make arrangements with your school library to display copies of the documents in a notebook. Students looking for something to read can then browse through the notebook for suggestions.
For more formal assessment, use the Careers for Characters Rubric. |
4 - Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
5 - Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
11 - Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.
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