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How much money do I make?: activity requirements

Lesson description

The “How much money do I make?” activity helps students to learn more about various occupations that may interest them based on how much one earns working in that job and the education that is needed to perform that job. Students will use the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Career Exploration web page as a resource to learn more about how much money workers earn in these occupations and the education that is needed for each occupation.

Activity objective

Students will accomplish the following:

  • learn more about a particular occupation including:

    • what workers wear at their jobs,
    • how much workers make performing their jobs, and
    • how to use the Career Exploration web page to locate statistical information.

  • pique their interest to learn more about different occupations

  • get acquainted with the Career Exploration web page as a method to find wage and education information.

BLS topics covered

  • Occupational wages
  • Typical entry-level education

Grade level

Elementary level

Time to complete

Approximately 30 minutes

Materials

Students will need:

  • a printed version of the “How much money do I make?" activity
  • a pencil or pen.

Instructions

Using a printed copy of the “How much money do I make?” activity document—have the students: 

  1. Review the selected occupations.

  2. Students will match the pay and education needed for each occupation and write down what they think each worker makes with the corresponding education needed for each occupation.

  3. Match the worker to the correct annual median pay and education needed for each occupation by searching in the Career Exploration web page.

  4. Locate the correct annual median pay and education information for the occupations listed in the box.

  5. Write the letter down that corresponds to the correct pay and education information under the appropriate occupational image.

Activity assessment

At the conclusion of the activity, students should be able to

  • learn how much a person makes working in these occupations and the education needed—allowing students to think about what they may want to be when they grow up.

  • ask more questions about these occupations and potentially other occupations (e.g., how much do people make working in their occupations? How much does a weather forecaster, pilot, or fitness trainer make?)

Other resources

You may visit the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) to browse the available profiles and information. The Teacher's Guide lists resources to help teachers develop a career curriculum for their classrooms. BLS' Career Resource Guide resource guide is another great resource students and teachers can use to find career information. 

If you have any questions about this K–12 activity, or would like to provide feedback, please contact the BLS Division of Information and Marketing Services at 202-691-5200, or email us at k12@bls.gov.