Postsecondary Pathways
Purpose First Curriculum
Our Purpose First Curriculum provides educators with lessons and activities through which students explore and identify their interests and strengths and develop these into intentional postsecondary plans.
Explore This Page
Exploring college and career pathways is complicated. Making good decisions requires the right support.
Everyday, educators work tirelessly to support their students in navigating the complexities of postsecondary planning. Often this happens in isolation and the sheer volume of work is overwhelming. In order to support educators and students, New Visions developed the Purpose First Curriculum. This sequence of lessons, free to all educators, supports 9th through 12th grade students in exploring interests, developing purpose, and building postsecondary skills.
The Purpose First Curriculum empowers students by:
- Providing NYC relevant content
- Supporting all learners, including multilingual learners and students with disabilities
- Facilitating meaningful family engagement
- Building developmentally appropriate career readiness skills
Purpose First Curriculum
After a Career Panel
Grade 9,10,11,12
In this lesson, students will debrief their learnings from the career panel. They will start by listing all the learnings and finding commonalities and will then dive deep into one panelist and their career. (While this session is designed for use with Pathful, it can work for any Career Panel.)
RESOURCES:
Lesson Plan
Slide Deck
Worksheets
Career Interest Inventory
Grade 9, 10, 11, 12
Students will complete a career interest inventory and review the results. Students will connect career interests to postsecondary plans through personal reflection and group discussion. This lesson will help instructors learn about student interests which can in turn inform subsequent work.
RESOURCES:
Lesson Plan
Slide Deck
Worksheets
College Research
Grade 10, 11, 12
Students will focus on colleges: types of colleges/college preferences & college success. The group will zoom in on HBCUs and data about graduation. Then students will be more familiar with the college landscape and their own preferences.
RESOURCES:
Lesson Plan
Slide Deck
Worksheets
Extracurricular Activities
Grade 9
In this session, students will learn about extracurricular activities. They will learn about their unique community (school, partnerships, etc.) and identify ways to get involved and to get to know people (staff, other students who lead clubs or sports, etc.) and the value these connections and experiences have.
RESOURCES:
Lesson Plan
Slide Deck
Worksheets
Final Choice:
Finding and Making a Postsecondary Choice
Grade 12
In this session, students will review possible paths after high school and will use the Six Thinking Hats Method to decide what their next step is. This lesson is designed to work with students who have already applied and heard back from some choices and also for students who haven’t chosen a pathway yet.
RESOURCES:
Lesson Plan
Slide Deck
Worksheets
Financial Aid 101
Grade 9, 10, 11, 12
This lesson reviews the basics of funding postsecondary education. Using a slide show and other information sources – the instructor will be able to review basic vocabulary and answer basic questions about sources of aid/ the application process & what students can do now.
RESOURCES:
Lesson Plan
Slide Deck
Worksheets
Financing Your Postsecondary Education
Grade 12
In this lesson, students will explore the different ways people pay for college, and examine the benefits and drawbacks of each approach. Students will also analyze sample financial aid packages in preparation for analyzing their own package. This lesson prepares students to have informed discussions and make informed decisions about their financial aid options.
RESOURCES:
Lesson Plan
Slide Deck
Worksheets
Intro to Standardized Tests
Grade 9, 10
This lesson reviews the tests that students will encounter in high school and beyond. Using a slide show and other information sources, the instructor will be able to review basic vocabulary and answer basic questions about the tests and what students can do to prepare. This lesson is best delivered over two periods– in that case, you can add the extension at the bottom and/or extend the time for activities.
RESOURCES:
Lesson Plan
Slide Deck
Worksheets
List Making
Grade 11, 12
Students will review some of the concepts they discussed earlier and draft their college list.
RESOURCES:
Lesson Plan
Slide Deck
Worksheets
Mock Admissions Lesson
Grade 9, 10, 11
This lesson reviews the parts of the application and how they are considered in the admission decision. Students will look at data from an admission counselor survey as well as take on the role of admission counselors. Then they will reflect on what it means for their application process.
RESOURCES:
Lesson Plan
Slide Deck
Worksheets
My Career Interests
Grade 9, 10, 11, 12
In this session, students explore their strengths, values, and talents as they start to consider possible career pathways. Students start planning for their future by learning about career options and connecting them to what they’ve discovered about themselves. Students will also identify the skills, education, and experiences needed to pursue those careers.
RESOURCES:
Lesson Plan
Slide Deck
Worksheets
My Career Interests- Part 1
Grade 9, 10, 11, 12
In this first of three sessions, students explore their strengths, values, and talents as they start to consider possible career pathways. Students will define identity and highlight parts of their own identity through conversations with their peers, creative writing, and a personality survey.
RESOURCES:
Lesson Plan
Slide Deck
Worksheets
My Career Interests- Part 2
Grade 9, 10, 11, 12
In this second of three sessions, students will start to consider possible career pathways that are connected to their strengths. Students start planning for their future by learning about career options and connecting them to what they’ve discovered about themselves. Students will also identify the skills, education, and experiences needed to pursue those careers.
RESOURCES:
My Career Interests- Part 3
Grade 9, 10, 11, 12
In this third of three sessions, students will dive into a specific career by researching a person’s path and their current job. They will present their research to the rest of the class.
RESOURCES:
My Future Path including Pathful
Grade 9,10,11,12
In this lesson, students will think forward to their future plans and backwards map some of their possible stepping stones. Students will map a path to their future and recall the careers and programs they’ve researched. While these lessons are recommended for 10th grade, they could be used with other grades. (While this session is designed for use with Pathful, it can be adjusted for hosting any speaker(s) virtually or in-person.)
RESOURCES:
My Vision
Grade 9, 10
In this session, students will review all the artifacts from the previous sessions – True Colors results, career research, extracurricular plans, goals, and other notes. The instructor will model their Who Am I Now Tree Map with their identity and help students complete their own (digital or paper version). Students will share their Tree Map with a partner, and will make SMART goals.
RESOURCES:
Personal Statement
Grade 11, 12
This lesson supports students to draft a personal statement. Students will review sample statements and participate in several activities that will result in essay starters. Students will be encouraged to write a statement that uplifts joy, excellence, and empowerment and not just struggle and resilience.
RESOURCES:
Postsecondary Landscape
Grade 9, 10, 11, 12
The purpose of this lesson is to build on students’ career research and delve deeper into what types of colleges and postsecondary programs exist that would enable their future goals. The focus of this session is to introduce terminology with some basic definitions of the postsecondary landscape.
RESOURCES:
Postsecondary Pathways
Grade 10, 11, 12
Students will review the postsecondary pathways that were previously introduced and discuss how these pathways may fit into a students plans for their future.
RESOURCES:
Postsecondary Plan #1: Finding Your Purpose
Grade 9,10
In this first session of two, students will learn about the idea of purpose and dream some little or big dreams using the idea of purpose and some of the careers they may have researched in earlier sessions.
RESOURCES:
Postsecondary Plan #2: My Future Path
Grade 9,10
In this second session of two, students will map a path to their future and recall the colleges they’ve researched. While these lessons are recommended for 10th grade, they could be used with other grades.
RESOURCES:
Preparing for a Career Panel
Grade 9,10,11,12
In this lesson, students will prepare for an upcoming Pathful Career Panel. They will review the roles they can play in facilitating the panel and how they would like to present themselves at the event. (While this session is designed for use with Pathful, it can work for any Career Panel.)
RESOURCES:
Resume Workshop
Grade 10, 11, 12
This lesson supports students to draft a resume. reflect on their accomplishments and skills. The instructor will review the sections of a resume and best practices in putting it together. Students will draft their resume with guidance from peers and the instructor.
RESOURCES:
Transition Plan
Grade 12
In this lesson, students will discuss the idea of basic needs and what it means for their continuing career journey. Students will also talk about asking for help and review the resources available for support after high school. The lesson closes with planning ahead for potential obstacles in their path. This lesson is best delivered in the spring of senior year.
RESOURCES:
Understanding FAFSA and TAP
Grade 11, 12
This lesson zooms in on the most important forms for funding postsecondary education. Using a slide show and other information sources, the instructor will be able to review basic vocabulary and answer basic questions about the application process. The group will discuss and create material about why these forms are so important.
RESOURCES:
Understanding my Transcript
Grade 9
In this session, students will explore transcripts to understand how a transcript tells a story. Through hands-on handling of a transcript students will review its parts and the importance of the GPA. Students will make connections to themselves, their vision for their high school experience and future, and set SMART goals.
RESOURCES:
Tell Us What You Think
We value your expertise. Provide feedback on the lesson content, activities, and overall effectiveness.