National Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day is April 25 and this year’s theme is Workforce Development for All. The program celebrates its 26th anniversary this year and provides learning opportunities for millions of parents, students, employees, and workplaces.
Learn more about the theme at the home page for the Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Foundation. Their robust website includes printable booklets exploring many different career pathways, Educator Toolkits, Parent’s Toolkits, and much more. It is an excellent site to begin learning about and preparing for student and parent participation in this event.
This day is an opportunity to encourage students to explore career options, even at a very young age. Program recommendations indicate it is best for 8 to 12-year-old students; however, it is also appropriate for older students who are interested in learning more about their chosen career.
What can you do to make this an authentic learning experience for your students and not just a day off from school? With thoughtful planning, it is possible to make this a meaningful lesson with a real-world look at the daily life of workers in their workplace.
There are many online tools for creating and sharing student work. Let’s take a look at how to incorporate Wakelet (TeachersFirst review) throughout your students’ Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day experience. This Wake is an example of what students might create to share images, videos, websites, and more to share their learning experience.
Before April 25 :
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- Have students choose a career or person that they plan to follow on the work day
- Decide on requirements for their work reflection project and share with students – suggestions include:
- Videos about their career choice
- Information about salary and required college course information
- Possible questions to ask their mentor
- Do you need an observation form for students to take with them?
- Pictures from their day on the job
- Video interview with their mentor
- Reflection form
After April 25:
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- Ask students to complete a Google Form with their observations from their work activities. Include a link to the form on their Wake. Here is a sample to consider, just create a copy of the form and edit to fit your needs.
- If students completed an observation form, upload it to their Wake.
- Have students upload images and videos from their day into their Wake.
- Share students’ Wakes on your class website using a link or the embed code. Be sure to also share their presentation with their career mentor.
- Do you have #FlipgridFever? Awesome! Try some app-smashing by combining Flipgrid (TeachersFirst review) with Wakelet. Create a prompt in Flipgrid for student response – examples might be to describe the importance of exploring different careers or tell us about a career that isn’t available now but will be in the future. Have your students share their Flipgrid response into their Wake. It’s super easy, ask students to find their response in Flipgrid, select the share link and copy the URL. In their Wake add a new item and paste the link. Their response appears in the Wake with a preview of their snapshot. Cool!
There are several other options for creating and curating students’ activities. Take a look at Adobe Spark in K12 (TeachersFirst review), Sway (TeachersFirst review), PowerPoint, and Google Slides to find a tool that matches your comfort level and that of your students. Or share a variety of tools with your students and let them pick the one they like best.
Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day is the perfect time to encourage students to learn about and explore career options. Why not take this as an opportunity for learning based on individual student interest and real-world experience? Incorporating Wakelet or another presentation resource allows students to show creativity, take pride in their work, and share their excitement with others.
We love hearing from our readers with their ideas and tips. Do you have a suggestion for Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day? Please share them in the comments below.