Put Learning to Work: The Value of an Applied Pre-vocational Curriculum for 6-8th Grade, At-risk and Special Needs Students

At-risk and Special Needs students find typical academic curriculum difficult. Many times, these students experience failure within a classroom environment. By focusing on the strengths of At-risk and Special Needs students, success may be found within the classroom. In general At-risk and Special Needs students do well with hands on activities. Even more successful are activities that are relevant and that can be applied directly to students lives. Included in this book is research describing the value of hands on activities related to the world of work as well as information on productive occupation and its potential to help to develop positive self esteem, increase need for achievement and to increase productivity of students in the classroom. The curriculum included is based on the California Pre-vocational Standards and involves the use of a multiplicity of skills including, cooking, mechanics, carpentry, team building and technology. By encouraging At-risk and Special Needs students to apply themselves to meaningful activities related to the world of work in the classroom, a more hopeful and productive future may be realized for each of them.