WHAT DO I WANT TO BE WHEN I GROW UP?
By: Kelly Colson

The overall objective of this lesson, in terms of infusing equity by gender into the classroom, is to enable students to project possible jobs/careers they may want to have in their futures, and to enable them to begin to understand who/what is influencing their choices. It also begins to get at the issues of job/career stereotyping, which schools need to address.

STANDARD: All students will be able to identify career areas which are nontraditional for their gender.

GRADE LEVEL: Kindergarten

OBJECTIVES: The students will be able to identify non-traditional career areas for their gender by:

TIME: 1/2 hour

MATERIALS: drawing paper, crayons

PROCEDURES:

1. Pass out a piece of drawing paper to each child. Tell the children to draw a picture of what they want to be when they grow up. Give the children some direction about the drawing; such as, if you draw a doctor, how would I know your person is a doctor? Discuss the kinds of things to include in their drawings. Allow time for the children to complete their drawings.
2. Gather the children at the rug or discussion area with their drawings. Give each child a turn to tell about what they have drawn on their paper and what they want to be when they get older. As each child responds to the question, follow up with other questions such as "Why? or "Do you know someone who does that job now?" Also, list the occupation that is chosen by each child on the board to use for easy reference in your discussions.
3. Using the occupations that the children have chosen, discuss whether the jobs are just for men or just for women. Elicit responses from the children that encourage that men and women can do the same jobs.