5th Grade Career Portfolios
GLMA Summer Institute 2017
Empowering Excellence Through Collaboration
Do you need collaboration ideas? In this session you will hear how an elementary school librarian led a collaborative effort with 1 ½ school counselors and two 5th grade teachers to create a series of standards-based learning experiences to complete the 5th grade Career Portfolios.
Session Outline
1. Brief review of AASL Standards for 21st Century Learner
2. Background information about 5th Grade Career Portfolio (5thCP)
3. Opportunity for school librarian to be an instructional partner
4. Opportunity for school librarian to be an information specialist
5. Present 5thCP requirements with alignment to 5th grade academic (GSE & GPS), AASL and ISTE standards and student learning experience:
- Explore Careers
- Choose a career interest and research it using print and digital resources (Student Career Research Toolbox - https://www.smore.com/ana3b)
- Write an essay (examples and pictures)
- Make a presentation (examples and pictures)
6. Reiterate why 5thCP is a good opportunity for the school librarian to collaborate with teachers and counselors
7. Share references and links to learn more about Career Portfolios and standards
8. Field questions and comments from the session attendees
"If teacher-librarians are able to help the students think, to understand how to evaluate, synthesize, and create information, the students will be learners for their entire lives."
(Howard, 2010, p 93)
Why 5th Grade Career Portfolios?
AASL Standards for 21st Century Learner
1. Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge.
We do not teach in isolation, instead we weave and incorporate into collaboratively planned lessons and units. 5th grade Career Portfolio is a perfect opportunity
"School librarians collaborate with others to provide instruction, learning strategies, and practice in using the essential learning skills needed in the 21st century"
(AASL, 2007, p. 3)
What is the 5th Grade Career Portfolio?
- In Georgia, HB 713 “mandates a minimum course of study in career education in grades K-12.” (Georgia Department of Education, 2012, p. 3)
- “The 5th grade Career Portfolio provides students the opportunity to conduct research to present information about a career that interests them or a career about which they want to know more.” (Georgia Department of Education, 2012, p. 3)
- “As a result of their research, students will learn the requirements necessary to pursue a career in a chosen field” (Georgia Department of Education, 2012, p. 3)
- CCRPI Indicator #9 and element of Post Elementary School Awareness
"At the school level, the teacher-librarian must be an information specialist and instructional partner" (AASL 2009). Teacher-librarians are curriculum consultants, curriculum supporters, curriculum aligners, and curriculum developers"
(Howard, 2010, p. 87)
Be an Instructional Partner for 5th Career Portfolios
- Counselors need our help because the portfolios are a part of required career counseling
- Teachers are very busy and cannot always see the way research, writing and projects can fit into their schedules
- Students will benefit from the experience of researching a career and then showing their work in essays and presentations that incorporate content standards, AASL standards & ISTE standards
- Prime opportunity to show your principal how you are a team player and can collaborate with the counselor and teachers when they need support.
Be an Information Specialist for 5th Career Portfolios
- Counselors and teachers do not have the knowledge that we do of selecting print and digital resources for research or Web 2.0 tools for a presentation
- Students will benefit from the experience of using print and digital resources to research a career and a career portfolio that incorporates content standards, AASL standards & ISTE standards
- Prime opportunity for you to show your principal why you might need more funds to purchase resources to support such an important project that involves all 5th graders and is a component of CCRPI
5th Grade Career Portfolio Requirements, Standards Alignment and Lessons
"One of the most enduring impacts a school librarian can have on a classroom teacher occurs during collaborations, in which the librarian models good instructional design, effective teaching strategies, classroom management, and meaningful assessments."
(Achterman, 2010, p. 78)
Explore & Learn More
Career Portfolios
- Support CCRPI Elementary Indicator #9 – “Percent of students in grades 1-5 completing the identified number of grade specific career awareness lessons aligned to Georgia’s 17 Career Clusters” (https://www.georgiastandards.org/CCRPI/Pages/Effective-Practices-for-CCRPI-Elementary-School-Indicator-9.aspx)
- List of Georgia’s 17 Career Clusters - https://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/CTAE/Pages/CTAE-Georgia-Career-Clusters.aspx
- 5th Grade Career Portfolio Guidance, Georgia Department of Education, https://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/CTAE/Documents/Elementary-Career-Portfolio.pdf
Standards
- AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner - http://www.ala.org/aasl/standards/learning
- 2016 ISTE Standards for Students - https://www.iste.org/standards/standards/for-students-2016
- Georgia Frameworks - https://www.georgiastandards.org/Frameworks/Pages/BrowseFrameworks/Frameworks.aspx
- School Librarian Effectiveness Instrument (SLEI) - http://slmadvocacy.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/8/8/11880771/slei.pdf
- Future Ready Librarians - http://futureready.org/about-the-effort/librarians/
References
- Achterman, D. (2010). Literacy leadership and the school library. In S. Coatney (Ed.), The many faces of school library leadership (pp. 67-84). Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.
- American Association of School Librarians. (2007). Standards for the 21st-Century Learner. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/aasl/standards/learning
- Georgia Department of Education. (2012, December). Fifth Grade Career Portfolio Guidance. Retrieved from https://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/CTAE/Documents/Elementary-Career-Portfolio.pdf
- Georgia Department of Education. (2015, April 15). 5th Grade Language Arts Georgia Standards of Excellence (ELAGSE). Retrieved from https://www.georgiastandards.org/Georgia-Standards/Frameworks/ELA-Grade-5-Standards.pdf
- Georgia Department of Education. (2016, June 9). 5th Grade Social Studies Georgia Standards of Excellence. Retrieved from https://www.georgiastandards.org/Georgia-Standards/Documents/Social-Studies-5th-Grade-Georgia-Standards.pdf
- Georgia Department of Education. (2016, July). 2017 CCRPI Indicators: The 2016-2017 School Year. Retrieved from http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Accountability/Documents/Indicators%20and%20Targets/2017%20CCRPI%20Indicators.pdf
- Howard, J. K. (2010). The teacher-librarian as a curriculum leader. In S. Coatney (Ed.), The many faces of school library leadership (pp. 85-100). Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.
- International Society for Technology in Education. (2016). 2016 Standards for Students. Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/standards/standards/for-students-2016
Eden Clark
DeKalb County School District
Email: edenclark@gmail.com