Build a First Resume from a Fact Sheet

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Career and Technical Education · Career Readiness / Exploration
SP-CAREER-002  ·  Free to print and use in your classroom  ·  substituteplans.com
Page 2
Build a First Resume from a Fact Sheet
Career and Technical Education · Career Readiness / Exploration · Grades 9-11 · 50 minutes
Time needed
50 minutes (one class period)
Prep
Copy the 2-page worksheet (one per student). Write the heading Action Verbs on the board
with the verbs listed under Before class.
Technology
None.
Student
independence
High. Students work alone with an optional partner check.
Copies to make
One 2-page worksheet per student
Materials
Pencils, Worksheet, Whiteboard or chalkboard
Goal for today: Students will turn a set of plain facts into resume bullets that begin with an action verb and include a
detail, and will revise vague bullets.
Before the bell
☐ Copy the worksheet, one per student (2 pages).
☐ Write these action verbs on the board: Led, Organized, Helped, Sorted, Cared for, Tracked, Trained, Created,
Delivered.
☐ Keep the answer key on your desk. Several answers are open-ended with sample answers.
Say this to start
Good morning! Today you will practice writing the kind of resume you might use for a first job or a volunteer position.
You will read a made-up fact sheet about a student named Jordan and turn those facts into strong resume lines. At the
end, you will write one line about something you have done. Please do not write your address, phone number, or any
private information.


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Career and Technical Education · Career Readiness / Exploration
SP-CAREER-002  ·  Free to print and use in your classroom  ·  substituteplans.com
Page 3
Run of show
Minutes
What you do
What students do
0–5
Take attendance. Hand out the worksheet face down. Ask
students to wait.
Settle in and get a pencil.
5–12
Read the board aloud. Explain: a good resume line starts
with an action verb and adds a detail, such as a number.
Example: “Walked five dogs each week for two summers.”
Then compare to a weak one: “Did stuff with dogs.”
Listen and note the difference between
strong and weak lines.
12–24
Tell students to read Jordan’s fact sheet and answer
questions 1–6. Quiet independent work.
Read the fact sheet. Answer the
multiple-choice and true/false questions.
24–38
Tell students to complete questions 7–9, writing Jordan’s
objective and two resume lines. Remind them to start each
line with a verb from the board.
Write the objective and the resume lines
using only the facts given.
38–46
Tell students to fix the three weak lines in the table, then
write question 10 about themselves. Partners may read
aloud to each other.
Rewrite weak lines. Write one real line
about their own activity.
46–50
Collect all worksheets and place them in a stack for the
teacher.
Hand in the worksheet.
If things go wrong
• If a student says they have no experience for question 10, tell them chores, caring for siblings or pets, helping
a neighbor, club or team roles, and school projects all count.
• If students ask whether to use their real address or phone number, say no. This practice does not need them.
• If a student writes bullets without a verb, point back to the board list and have them try again.
• If a student finishes early, use the early finisher list.
Early finishers
• Write one more strong bullet for Jordan using any fact from the sheet.
• List five more action verbs not on the board and use one in a sentence about school.
Support and challenge
• Support: Provide this starter for question 8: “Walked ___ dogs each week for ___ summers.”
• Challenge: Ask students to put Jordan’s three activities in the order a hiring manager for a pet-care job would
care about most, and explain why.


SubstitutePlans.com
Career and Technical Education · Career Readiness / Exploration
SP-CAREER-002  ·  Free to print and use in your classroom  ·  substituteplans.com
Page 4
Notes for the teacher (you fill this in)
Jot a few lines before you leave. A full Daily Sub Report is in the free Sub Survival Kit at SubstitutePlans.com.
How far the class got / what to pick up next:
Students who were especially helpful:
Anything the teacher should know: