Comparing Employee Benefits Packages Research Project
A multi-part research project for 10th graders that has students investigate and compare employee benefits at a Fortune 500 company, a local business, and a workplace of their choice. Students build research, categorization, comparison, and analytical writing skills, and the packet is designed to run across several class periods as an extended independent or small-group project.
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Introduce the project with a short whole-class discussion of what counts as a benefit (health, retirement, tuition reimbursement, remote work) and why it matters when choosing a job, then assign the three company types.
- Discussion question: Does a generous salary always outweigh a strong benefits package, and how would you weigh the two for your own future career goals?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: provide a pre-filled benefits category chart (medical, dental, vision, 401k, lifestyle perks) and a sentence frame such as "Company X offers ___, which means employees can ___."
- Extension for advanced students: ask them to calculate the approximate dollar value of each package, including employer contributions to retirement and insurance premiums, and justify which package they would accept.
- Plan roughly 3 to 5 class periods for research, comparison, and the final write-up, with a checkpoint midway to review source quality.
Comparing Employee Benefits Packages Research Project
A multi-part research project for 10th graders that has students investigate and compare employee benefits at a Fortune 500 company, a local business, and a workplace of their choice. Students build research, categorization, comparison, and analytical writing skills, and the packet is designed to run across several class periods as an extended independent or small-group project.
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Introduce the project with a short whole-class discussion of what counts as a benefit (health, retirement, tuition reimbursement, remote work) and why it matters when choosing a job, then assign the three company types.
- Discussion question: Does a generous salary always outweigh a strong benefits package, and how would you weigh the two for your own future career goals?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: provide a pre-filled benefits category chart (medical, dental, vision, 401k, lifestyle perks) and a sentence frame such as "Company X offers ___, which means employees can ___."
- Extension for advanced students: ask them to calculate the approximate dollar value of each package, including employer contributions to retirement and insurance premiums, and justify which package they would accept.
- Plan roughly 3 to 5 class periods for research, comparison, and the final write-up, with a checkpoint midway to review source quality.