11th Grade · Week 1 of 36 · Life Skills
College/trade pathway inventory
1. Hook
- Read (or listen to) what you’re learning. Don’t jump to the quiz.
- Walk the worked example. Then use the interactive lab on this page.
- Guided set → independent set → mastery check → teach-back.
- If you write a paper, stay on campus: Citation Helper, Source Library, Paper Studio.
This is self-paced homeschool on Life Academy. Everything you need is on this page.
College/trade pathway inventory. The right next step after high school is the one that fits your goals, budget, and way of learning, not the one with the most famous name.
Then: lab → guided → quiz → teach it back. The lab is the lesson, not a decoration.
2. Teach
Compare college, trade, military, work, and gap-year pathways and build a list based on fit (ASCA career and college readiness standards).
Standards alignment: CASEL SEL competencies (self-management, responsible decision-making) (domain-level; works with any state’s standards)
Name one next action you can actually do for: College/trade pathway inventory.
- Pathway options: four-year college, community college (often with transfer agreements), trade or technical school, registered apprenticeship (paid training; the U.S. Department of Labor lists programs at apprenticeship.gov), military, direct employment, or a structured gap year.
- Fit criteria: programs in your interest area, cost after aid (net price; every college must post a net price calculator), graduation rate, size, location, support services, and campus culture. The U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard reports graduation rates, typical debt, and earnings.
- A visit plan includes a tour, an information session, a class or shop observation if possible, and questions for current students; virtual tours count when travel isn't possible.
Balanced list: 2–3 "likely" schools or programs, 3–4 "target," and 1–2 "reach," all affordable after likely aid.
Gap year framework: have a written plan (work, service, or a program), a budget, and a start date for the next step; many colleges allow admitted students to defer.
- Interest: electrical work.
- Options: apprenticeship, community college certificate, four-year engineering.
- Data: cost, earnings, time to credential.
- Decision memo: apprenticeship first, with college later as an option.
Complete a pathway inventory, build a fit-based list of 6–10 options using the College Scorecard or apprenticeship.gov, plan two visits, and write a one-page pathway decision memo comparing your top two options.
Choosing by ranking or prestige without checking net price, outcomes, and fit.
This decision affects your debt, career, and happiness for years.
No classroom teacher today — this page is the lesson. Follow the how-to, then the lab, then the quiz. Follow Lesson Studio, then the lab, then the quiz. Open Transcripts for credits and grades.
Quick check · from this week’s lesson
Tap the answer that fits. Every item comes from this week’s lesson.
Your work — type it here
Name one next action you can actually do today.
3. Guided practice
Try these with me — type the missing word, then check.
Reveal the thinking
Interests → options → data → fit → decision memo.
4. Independent practice
Work the set. Check when finished — this is practice (mastery quiz is next).
5. Mastery check
Scored quiz — results save to your gradebook.
Practice the skill
Life Skills is a habit you can show. Today: College/trade pathway inventory.
Research Desk · Transcripts · Gradebook
Honest limit: We did not film a custom movie for every core lesson. The teach-back, the on-page lab, and the campus library are the curriculum. The teach-back, the on-page lab, and Lesson Studio are the lesson.
6. Reflection / teach-back
Teach-back: Explain College/trade pathway inventory in your own words. Give one example and name the usual mistake.