English Language Arts6-8
Building Your First Resume for Career Exploration
By Sandra F.
A printable, step-by-step resume guide with a fill-in template, sample entries, and reflection prompts for 8th graders exploring careers. It builds practical writing skills and self-assessment, and it includes supports for English language learners and 504 students.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use this as a 45-minute workshop block or a multi-day career exploration unit, working through one step per session while students draft on the template.
- Discussion question: What strengths or experiences from your life would a future employer want to know about, even if you have not had a job yet?
- Scaffold for struggling readers and ELL learners: pre-teach terms like "professional summary" and "contact information" with visuals, and let students copy from the sample entries before writing their own.
- Extension for advanced students: have them tailor a second version of their resume to a specific career they researched, explaining which sections they emphasized and why.
- Estimated time: about 45 minutes for the first pass through the guide, plus 15 to 20 minutes for reflection prompts and peer feedback.
English Language Arts6-8
Building Your First Resume for Career Exploration
By Sandra F.
A printable, step-by-step resume guide with a fill-in template, sample entries, and reflection prompts for 8th graders exploring careers. It builds practical writing skills and self-assessment, and it includes supports for English language learners and 504 students.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use this as a 45-minute workshop block or a multi-day career exploration unit, working through one step per session while students draft on the template.
- Discussion question: What strengths or experiences from your life would a future employer want to know about, even if you have not had a job yet?
- Scaffold for struggling readers and ELL learners: pre-teach terms like "professional summary" and "contact information" with visuals, and let students copy from the sample entries before writing their own.
- Extension for advanced students: have them tailor a second version of their resume to a specific career they researched, explaining which sections they emphasized and why.
- Estimated time: about 45 minutes for the first pass through the guide, plus 15 to 20 minutes for reflection prompts and peer feedback.