How to Write a Vocation Project

In week one of class, students will brainstorm vocations. They will discuss vocations to which they are attracted. They will discuss what makes this vocation appealing to them. Students will discuss their own strengths and why they feel this vocation would be a good fit for them. Students will also learn to outline the details about their chosen vocation that will be used in their paper. As homework for week one, students will be required to prepare an outline to share in week two. 
In week two, students will share their ideas with the other students. Students will discuss the ideas and offer ideas and feedback that may or may not be included in the final paper. This week, students will learn to research. Students will be taught how to search books, periodicals, and websites for information about their chosen vocation. They will be taught how to take notes for their paper on a computer, note cards, or paper - whatever way will be the most accessible for them when the time comes to write their paper. Students will be required to have between five and ten sources for their paper. As homework for week two, students will be required to gather their sources. They will need to notate their reasons for using these sources. They will share these sources and their reasons for choosing them in week three. 
In week three of class, students will have the opportunity to share their research. Students will discuss people who work in their chosen vocation. They will choose two to three professionals they may interview to learn more about their chosen vocation. They will choose at least two professionals to ensure they have an interview to include in their project. Students will then learn interviewing techniques. They will learn how to devise interview questions that will be helpful for their research. They will learn how to write a letter to ask their chosen professionals for an interview. Students will be allowed to conduct their interview(s) in-person, by telephone, or by mail or electronic communication. For homework in week three, students will submit their request letter and interview questions. They will be asked to schedule the interview with their chosen professionals. Students will have until the submission of the final draft to conduct and include the interviews in their project. If students conduct more than one interview, they will be allowed to include all the interviews in their final project. The interviews will be included in question and answer format in the final project.
In week four of class, students will have an opportunity to discuss how the interview process is going. It is to be expected, some students may not have yet conducted the interview(s). Students will then learn to write the rough draft of their vocation project. We will discuss the importance of a rough draft and of how the draft is simply a starting point. It is a place to make mistakes. Students will be given time to start their rough draft in week four's class. Students will be taught to make notations for citations in the rough draft. This will allow for ease in properly formatting citations in week seven's class period. Homework for week four will be preparing a rough draft. Students will not need to worry about length at his time, but the rough draft should contain most of what will be included in the final paper. Students will submit the rough draft to me two days prior to the next class.  
In week five, students will share their rough drafts with one another. I will make suggestions based upon the drafts submitted to me prior to this class.  Students will now begin the process of proofreading and editing. Students will be taught how to proofread and edit for both grammatical mistakes and content. Students will be taught how to edit sentences to state their ideas in the fewest words.  Students will be given an opportunity to begin revising their paper in this period. For homework in week five, students will continue the revision process.  
In week six of class, students will be shown how to include question and answer interviews in their paper. Students will be shown how to address themselves and their professionals in their paper. They will be shown how to transcribe their interviews. They will be given time in class to transcribe their interviews. For homework in week six, students are to finish transcribing their interviews and adding the interviews to their project. They will continue the revision process. 
In week seven, students will learn how to include proper Modern Language Association citations in their paper. They will be taught how to format their paper based upon the Modern Language Association style guide. They will learn to cite both sources and interviews in parenthetical citations and a works cited page. Students will be given the opportunity to edit their paper with the proper citations and formatting. For homework in week five, students will add their citations and works cited page to their paper and do a final editing of their vocation project. The final papers will be between five and ten pages.  For homework, students will submit their final project.   
In week eight, students will share their vocation project with the other students.  If students do not wish to read in class, they can request that the teacher share the paper.  Students will be given the opportunity to discuss the papers. 
I will teach this class through direct instruction, PowerPoint slides, and discussion. I believe it is important for learners to discuss their ideas with me and with one another. New ideas arise in such discussion. I believe students learn best when they can have fun and be creative.