Giving Compass' Take:

• Businesses and organizations are now designing simple curricula for teachers to use to connect students to specific employment industries.  

• How will this help students with career preparedness? What lessons are they getting from this curricula over other more traditional types? 

• Read more about career readiness and other tools to use in the classroom.

Curricula connected to the workplace engage students in ways that traditional sit-and-get instruction can’t. Lessons formed by organizations outside the classroom offer a deeper understanding of how learning in the classroom is applied in the real world.

Businesses and organizations are designing teacher-friendly curricula that can inspire students and perhaps even attract them to specific fields. The curricula, fortified with state education standards, are essentially a community service. But if they end up feeding future workers into given industries — or, in some cases, producing more civically engaged citizens — it’s worth the effort.

Here are a few examples of curricula developed with the hope of inspiring students to understand that what they're learning now will matter later.

The Ohio Supreme Court recently launched a high school curriculum program called "Under Advisement: Ohio Supreme Court Cases on Demand." In the course, students are taken through the trial step-by-step. Students formulate questions, think critically and come to their own conclusions about the case. The four-day lesson plan includes a video of the entire trial. It has been thoroughly earmarked for teachers' reference.

Read the full article about real-world curricula by Shawna De La Rosa at Education Dive.