Lesson Topic:

Exploring the CPA Career with the START HERE GO PLACES web site

Lesson Description:

This is a multi-day lesson/activity that students can complete mostly independently. The START HERE GO PLACES web site is sponsored by the AICPA (Association of International Certified Professional Accountants). It is updated regularly and has great appeal to both high school and college students interested in the accounting profession. This lesson can be assigned for students to complete on a day (or more) when the teacher is absent and it may be difficult to continue instruction by a substitute teacher.

Learning Goals/Outcomes:

By completing this lesson, students will...

• KNOW……how to become a CPA

• UNDERSTAND…..the benefits of becoming a CPA

• BE ABLE TO.…share with classmates and your teacher highlights from reading, studying and researching a CPA career.

 Nebraska Standards:

NE.BMM.HS.8.7.B  Explore the career opportunities in accounting.

Teacher Planning:

Equipment/Materials/Software Needed:

Although this as activity could be printed for students, it is formatted as a document with tables so students can key responses fairly easy within the document. 

Time Required for Lesson:

This is very much dependent on how much time students read, study, and explore the web site. RECOMMENDATION/SUGGESTION: A teacher could assign this activity and as students complete their textbook assignments with class time remaining, students could access this assignment and complete in small sections/segments. The teacher could assign this activity at the beginning of the semester and have it due at mid-quarter or end of quarter.

Diagram/Setup:

NA

Technology Use:

Software:

The assignment is in Word format.

Access to the Internet

Hardware:

Student device

Instructional Plan:

Anticipatory Set/Pre-Activity:

Accounting teachers discuss accounting careers with their students in numerous ways. Accounting textbooks also cover accounting careers in various ways. Before assigning this activity, teachers should show the START HERE GO PLACES web site to students so that students have some familiarity with the organization of the web site, however, the web site is well organized and students will likely have little difficulty maneuvering the web site.

Benefits/Explanation/Real-World Connection:

One of the biggest benefits of completing this lesson is that students will have access to very up-to-date information about CPA careers. In addition the web site has links where students can explore colleges that offer accounting degrees and also the opportunity to read about people who are CPAs and students are studying accounting.

Activities (i.e. instructions, warm-up, lesson, cool-down):

After the teacher spends a few minutes discussing the START HERE GO PLACES web site, students can complete the lesson/activity independently. 

Closure:

It is the teacher's discretion as to how the information from the assignment would be shared. Options would be for students to submit the assignment to the teacher for his/her assessment; each student could share 3 to 5 highlights with the class; and/or students could partner and share with each other the "new" items learned by completing the assignment.

Assessment :

This is a formative activity; teacher discretion if it is assigned as completion or given formative points.

Supplemental Information:

Modifications:

Before assigning the activity, teachers should compare the assignment/activity with the web site to be sure the assignment aligns with the information on the web site.

Safety Precautions:

NA

Comments (adaptations for various grades/ages, teaching styles, etc.)

NA

Resources:

Start Here Go Places web site   (this web site is linked within the Word document)