Strengths and Interests Map: People, Things, Ideas, Data

SubstitutePlans.com
Career and Technical Education · Career Readiness / Exploration
SP-CAREER-001 · Free to print and use in your classroom · substituteplans.com
Page 2
Strengths and Interests Map: People, Things,
Ideas, Data
Career and Technical Education · Career Readiness / Exploration · Grades 8-9 · 50 minutes
Time needed
50 minutes (one class period)
Prep
Copy the 2-page worksheet (one per student). Write PEOPLE, THINGS, IDEAS, DATA on the
board in a row.
Technology
None.
Student
independence
High. Students work alone, then briefly share with a partner.
Copies to make
One 2-page worksheet per student
Materials
Pencils, Worksheet, Whiteboard or chalkboard
Goal for today: Students will rate activities, total their scores in four work-style groups, and explain in writing what
their highest group suggests about work they might enjoy.
Before the bell
☐ Copy the worksheet, one per student (2 pages).
☐ Write on the board: PEOPLE (helping, teaching, leading), THINGS (building, fixing, operating), IDEAS (creating,
designing, inventing), DATA (organizing, counting, tracking).
☐ Keep the answer key on your desk. Most answers are personal, so there is nothing to grade right or wrong.
Say this to start
Good morning! Today is about getting to know yourself a little better. You will rate some everyday activities, add up
your scores, and see what kinds of work might match what you enjoy. There are no right or wrong ratings, and nobody
will see your answers but your teacher. Please be honest and keep it private.

SubstitutePlans.com
Career and Technical Education · Career Readiness / Exploration
SP-CAREER-001 · 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 take out a pencil.
5–10
Point to the four words on the board and read the short
description of each. Explain that most people are a mix,
and that today is about clues, not labels.
Listen. Ask questions if a group name is
unclear.
10–20
Tell students to complete the table at the top of the
worksheet (Part A). Each activity gets a rating of 1, 2, or 3.
Remind them to rate how they feel, not what they think
looks impressive.
Rate all eight activities honestly.
20–28
Walk students through adding up scores for questions 1–4.
Each group has two activities, so the highest possible total
is 6 and the lowest is 2.
Add the two ratings in each group and write
each total in the blank.
28–42
Tell students to complete questions 5–9 on their own.
Circulate quietly. If a student is stuck on 7–9, suggest they
think about school, hobbies, or helping family.
Answer the multiple-choice and
short-answer questions.
42–46
Have students finish true/false questions 10–12. Then
invite partners to share ONE thing they learned, only if
they want to.
Finish questions 10–12. Optionally share
one idea with a partner.
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 everything is a 3 or everything is a 1, ask them to pick the two activities they would choose
first and the two they would choose last, then adjust.
• If students ask whether the results are “official,” explain that this is a simple self-check, not a test, and that
interests change as people try new things.
• If students giggle about each other’s results, remind them that answers are private and everyone’s mix is
different.
• If a student finishes early, point them to the early finisher list.
Early finishers
• Write down three school or after-school activities you have tried, and which group each one fits.
• Choose one group that was your lowest score. Write one reason someone might still enjoy a job in that group.
Support and challenge
• Support: Read the eight activities aloud, one at a time, and give the class 20 seconds to rate each one.
• Challenge: Ask students to invent two more activities for their highest group and explain why they belong
there.

SubstitutePlans.com
Career and Technical Education · Career Readiness / Exploration
SP-CAREER-001 · 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: