Middle to High School Age
Career Exploration Web Search Engines
National Bureau of Labor Statistics
This resource offers a vast website of economic and job information –
it also has a career exploration tool just for kids.
http://www.bls.gov/k12/index.htm
U.S. Departments of Labor and Education– Career Voyages
This shared website called provides many career exploration tools.
http://www.careervoyages.gov
Try My Tools….
The national Associated Building Contractors
hosts this website with career information for middle and high school aged
students.
http://www.trytools.org
Career Clusters Search Engine and the Sidewalk Economist
The Washington State Department of Employment Security
offers a search engine based on the sixteen Career Clusters, showing local data,
skill sets, and more.
http://www.workforceexplorer.com/cgi/dataanalysis/?PAGEID=94&SUBID=153
BuildingYourCareer.com
The Pierce County Construction Partnership has a terrific search engine of local jobs,
apprenticeships and training opportunities.
http://www.buildingyourcareer.com?Wc26c2b2946fal.htm
Get Smart! Kids
The Associated General Contractors of Washington Education Foundation has terrific
search engines specifically for kids, parents and teachers.
http://www.agcwa.com/public/education/k12.asp
Cool Websites and Ideas for Individual or Class Projects
Building for a Lifetime
KIRO Television (Channel 7) has launched a website and commercial campaign for
construction careers with several Washington State partners.
http://www.kirotv.com/sponsors/11250917/detail.html
Beyond Blueprints: A Kids Education Center for Careers in
Design and Construction
This link from houseplansandmore.com
offers resources to teach kids about careers in design and construction,
and the important people involved in creating all the structures that
amaze you.
Beyond Blueprints
Top 10 Construction Projects of the 20th Century
The Associated General Contractors’ national website offers resources for teachers
and activities for students, including history information on large-scale
projects that profoundly impacted global development.
http://www.constructmyfuture.com/Students/CoolStuff/index.asp
Go Green
The Seattle-based Homewaters Project offers a range of cool programs for teachers,
including Neighborhood Green Mapping, which is a great tool to learn about the
sustainable features and problems in your city or neighborhood.
http://www.homewatersproject.org/
Chain Reaction
Arizona State University’s
website provides a range of lessons and activities that make critical links
between urban planning, sustainability and pollution reduction in construction.
http://chainreaction.asu.edu/ecology/tools/
Homework Ideas
Picture Gallery --
Gather current pictures of constructions workers on the job, or put together a
historical gallery showcasing local or even national construction growth. Add a
copy of the Governor’s proclamation to your gallery by downloading a copy at
www.rtc.edu/cce
Neighborhood Watch –
Nearly every community in our state is expanding with residential and commercial
projects. Ask kids (with parent help) to locate a nearby project, and in
journal-style entries, record its progress towards completion over two weeks.
How was the work done? What kinds of academic and technical skills would a
construction worker need to build something safely and accurately? Help students
learn how to write a sequential report using a construction project as a guide.
Shoebox Building –
Students of all ages can gain problem-solving skills when given hands-on
application. Using a shoebox as the restricted area, ask students to build the
interior of a house, or use the space to design a lot, building, or even a park.
The project should be designed at scale, so students can relate measurements to
livable space.
Go to Your Room! –
Ask students to measure the dimensions of their bedroom, or another room in
their house, and calculate the square footage. If building codes require studs
to be in place every 16 inches, how many studs should be in each wall?