Extension Activities & Homework Options

Deepening Learning: Beyond the 90-Minute Lesson

Using These Resources

This collection provides options for extending Lesson 8 beyond the core classroom experience. Activities range from short homework assignments to multi-week projects, suitable for various student interests and learning goals.

Selection Strategy: Choose extensions based on your students' interests, available time, and curricular goals. Not every student needs to complete every option - differentiate based on individual learning needs and career aspirations.

Immediate Homework Options (1-2 Hours)

Short assignments to reinforce lesson concepts, perfect for assigning the night of the lesson or for completion over 2-3 days.

📝
Career Evolution Essay
60-90 minutes Written Reflection All Levels
Students write a 2-3 paragraph reflection exploring how AI might transform their career interest over the next 10-20 years, addressing both opportunities and challenges.

Prompt Questions:

  • What career are you interested in pursuing? Describe it briefly.
  • How is AI currently being used in this field? (Use class resources or additional research)
  • In 10-20 years, what tasks might AI handle in this career? What will humans still do?
  • What skills should you develop now to prepare for AI integration in your field?
  • How do you feel about these changes? Excited, concerned, uncertain? Why?
Assessment Focus: Critical thinking about AI's impact, connection to personal interests, evidence of research from class materials, honest reflection about feelings/concerns.
🗣️
Informational Interview
60-90 minutes Interview & Reflection All Levels
Students conduct a brief informational interview (15-20 minutes) with a professional in any career field, specifically asking how AI/technology has changed their work in recent years.

Required Interview Questions:

  1. What is your job title and primary responsibilities?
  2. How has technology or AI changed your work in the past 5-10 years?
  3. What tasks does technology help you do faster or better?
  4. What parts of your job do you think AI will never replace? Why?
  5. What skills would you recommend young people develop to succeed in your field?

Deliverable:

Write 1-2 paragraphs summarizing key insights from the interview, including at least one direct quote from the professional.

Assessment Focus: Completion of interview, quality of questions asked, thoughtful synthesis of responses, demonstration of professional communication skills.
🧪
AI Tool Experimentation Log
45-60 minutes Hands-On Exploration All Levels
Students experiment with at least two AI tools (ChatGPT, Gemini, DALL-E, etc.) for a specific purpose related to their career interest, documenting what works well and limitations they discover.

Documentation Requirements:

  • Tool Selection: Which AI tools did you test? Why these specific tools?
  • Task Description: What were you trying to accomplish? How does this relate to your career interest?
  • Process: What prompts or inputs did you provide? How did you refine your approach?
  • Results: What did the AI produce? Screenshots or examples included.
  • Analysis: What surprised you? What did AI do well? Where did it fall short? What human judgment or creativity was still needed?
Assessment Focus: Depth of experimentation, critical analysis of AI capabilities and limitations, connection to career relevance, evidence of iterative refinement.

Weekly Extension Projects (3-5 Hours)

More substantial assignments suitable for week-long homework or extended class projects.

📊
Career Comparison Analysis
4-5 hours Research & Analysis Intermediate-Advanced
Students research and compare three different careers within one industry, analyzing how AI integration varies by role, required skills, salary, and job outlook.

Project Components:

  1. Industry Selection: Choose one industry (healthcare, finance, education, creative, manufacturing, etc.)
  2. Career Selection: Identify three careers at different levels (entry, mid, senior) or with different focuses
  3. Research Each Career:
    • Job description and daily responsibilities
    • Current AI tools/integration
    • Education requirements and pathways
    • Salary range
    • Job growth outlook (BLS data)
    • Required skills (technical and human-centered)
  4. Comparison Matrix: Create visual chart comparing the three careers across key dimensions
  5. Analysis Essay (2-3 pages):
    • Patterns you noticed about AI integration across roles
    • Which career best fits your interests/skills and why
    • How you'd prepare differently for each pathway
    • Predictions about how these roles might evolve
Assessment Focus: Depth of research, quality of sources, clear comparison framework, critical analysis beyond surface-level description, personal reflection connecting to individual goals.
🎬
"Day in the Life" Career Documentary
5-6 hours Multimedia Project All Levels
Students create a 3-5 minute video documentary profiling a professional in an AI-integrated career, combining interviews, workplace footage (if possible), and analysis of how AI enhances their work.

Project Requirements:

  • Professional Interview: Arrange and conduct 15-20 minute interview (in-person or virtual)
  • Video Content:
    • Introduction to the career field and why you chose it
    • Interview clips highlighting key insights
    • Visual elements: workplace scenes, AI tools in action (screen recordings), relevant images
    • Your analysis as narrator: how AI integrates, what's uniquely human
    • Conclusion: your takeaways and how this research affects your career thinking
  • Written Component: 1-2 page reflection on production process, what you learned, and how you'd use video storytelling in your future career

Tools:

Use accessible video editing tools like iMovie, Capcut, DaVinci Resolve (free), or Clipchamp. Phone recording acceptable for video quality.

Assessment Focus: Professional communication during interview, quality of questions, synthesis of information, video editing quality, clear narrative structure, depth of personal analysis.
🤖
AI Ethics Case Study Analysis
4-5 hours Critical Analysis Advanced
Students investigate a real-world ethical dilemma involving AI in the workplace, analyze stakeholder perspectives, and propose solutions that balance innovation with responsibility.

Case Study Options (or choose your own):

  • AI hiring algorithms showing bias against certain demographics
  • Automated content moderation removing legitimate posts
  • Healthcare AI making diagnostic errors with marginalized populations
  • AI surveillance of workers raising privacy concerns
  • Generative AI trained on artists' work without compensation
  • Autonomous vehicles facing ethical decision-making in accidents

Analysis Framework:

  1. Case Background: What happened? Who was involved? What AI system was at the center?
  2. Stakeholder Perspectives: Analyze viewpoints of at least 4 groups (workers, employers, AI developers, regulators, customers, etc.)
  3. Ethical Principles: What values conflict here? (fairness, privacy, efficiency, safety, autonomy, etc.)
  4. Consequences: What were the actual impacts? Who benefited? Who was harmed?
  5. Alternative Approaches: How could this have been handled better? What guardrails would prevent recurrence?
  6. Personal Position: What do you believe is the right approach? Defend your reasoning.
Assessment Focus: Depth of research, ability to see multiple perspectives, sophisticated ethical reasoning, evidence-based argumentation, proposed solutions demonstrate both idealism and pragmatism.

Long-Term Extension Projects (8-20 Hours)

Semester-long or multi-week projects for motivated students seeking deep engagement with career exploration and AI literacy.

📚
AI Career Research Portfolio
15-20 hours Portfolio Development All Levels
Students create a comprehensive digital portfolio documenting their career exploration journey throughout the semester, including research, reflections, skill development, and action plan updates.

Portfolio Components:

  • Career Research Archive: In-depth profiles of 5-7 careers explored, including interviews, job shadowing notes, research findings
  • Skills Development Log: Documentation of skills-building activities (online courses completed, coding projects, AI tool experiments, etc.) with certificates and evidence
  • Reflection Journal: Monthly reflections on how thinking has evolved about AI, careers, and personal pathway
  • Professional Materials: Resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile, elevator pitch - all tailored to AI-aware future
  • Action Plan Updates: Regular revisions showing progress on short-term goals and refinement of long-term plans
  • Artifacts: Work samples, projects, designs, code, writing that demonstrate developing capabilities

Platform Options:

Google Sites, Wix, Squarespace, Notion, Seesaw, or any digital portfolio tool. Should be shareable via link for college applications or job opportunities.

Assessment Focus: Comprehensiveness, evidence of sustained engagement over time, quality of reflection showing growth, professional presentation, organization and usability.
🚀
AI Skills Development Challenge
10-15 hours Skill Building Intermediate-Advanced
Students commit to developing one AI-related skill through structured learning, culminating in a demonstration project and presentation to class about what they learned.

Skill Options (Choose One):

  • Programming Fundamentals: Complete Python for Beginners course + build simple AI project (chatbot, prediction model, etc.)
  • Data Analysis: Complete Google Data Analytics certificate + analyze real dataset to extract insights
  • Prompt Engineering: Master effective AI prompting + create guide for using AI tools in your career field
  • AI Ethics: Deep dive into AI ethics literature + develop framework for evaluating AI tools ethically
  • Machine Learning Basics: Complete ML course + train simple model using Teachable Machine or similar tool
  • Creative AI: Experiment with generative AI tools + create portfolio showing AI-human collaboration

Project Deliverables:

  1. Documentation of learning journey (what resources used, time invested, challenges overcome)
  2. Demonstration project showcasing new skill applied to real problem
  3. 10-minute presentation to class explaining what you learned, why it matters for careers, and advice for others
  4. Written reflection (3-5 pages) on how this skill development connects to your career goals
Assessment Focus: Commitment to sustained learning, quality of final demonstration project, clarity of presentation, depth of reflection on career relevance, ability to teach others.
📑
Industry Transformation Report
12-18 hours Research Report Advanced
Students conduct comprehensive research on how AI is transforming an entire industry, examining multiple career pathways, economic implications, and future predictions. Produces professional-level research report suitable for portfolio.

Report Structure (8-12 pages):

  1. Executive Summary (1 page): Key findings and recommendations in brief
  2. Industry Overview (1-2 pages): Current state, size, major players, economic significance
  3. AI Integration Analysis (3-4 pages):
    • Current AI applications and tools being used
    • Case studies of companies leading AI adoption
    • Specific tasks being automated vs. augmented
    • Barriers to AI implementation
  4. Career Implications (2-3 pages):
    • Jobs being eliminated, transformed, or created
    • Changing skill requirements
    • Salary and employment trend data
    • Emerging specializations
  5. Future Outlook (1-2 pages): 5-10 year predictions with supporting evidence
  6. Recommendations (1 page): Advice for students interested in this industry
  7. Sources: Minimum 12-15 credible sources with proper citations

Research Sources:

Industry reports, Bureau of Labor Statistics data, academic research, interviews with professionals, company announcements, trade publications, technology analysis.

Assessment Focus: Research depth and source quality, sophisticated analysis, professional writing quality, data-driven conclusions, appropriate business report formatting.

Cross-Curricular Extension Opportunities

Partner with other departments to create interdisciplinary learning experiences that reinforce career exploration through multiple lenses.

📝 English / Language Arts

Research Paper: Write argumentative essay on AI's impact on creative professions, using evidence from interviews with writers, artists, or designers.

Career Narrative: Write first-person narrative from perspective of professional in 2040 describing their typical workday with pervasive AI integration.

Professional Communication: Practice workplace writing genres - cover letters for AI-integrated jobs, LinkedIn profiles emphasizing human skills, emails requesting informational interviews.

🔢 Mathematics

Data Analysis Project: Analyze BLS employment data across multiple AI-impacted industries, creating graphs visualizing job growth/decline, salary trends, education requirements.

Financial Planning: Calculate ROI of different post-secondary pathways (four-year university, bootcamp, community college + transfer) considering tuition, opportunity cost, projected earnings in target career.

Probability & Statistics: Research and present on how predictive algorithms work, explaining concepts like false positives/negatives, bias in data, statistical significance.

🏛️ Social Studies / Economics

Policy Analysis: Investigate different countries' approaches to workforce displacement from automation. Compare universal basic income, job retraining programs, education reform initiatives.

Historical Perspective: Research previous technological revolutions (Industrial Revolution, personal computing) and analyze patterns of job displacement, creation, and societal adaptation.

Economic Impact Study: Examine how AI automation affects income inequality, what economic sectors are most vulnerable, and policy proposals to address workforce transitions.

🔬 Science

AI in Scientific Research: Investigate how AI accelerates scientific discovery in drug development, climate modeling, space exploration, or genomics. Present findings to class.

Machine Learning Experiment: Use Teachable Machine or similar tool to train image recognition model, documenting the scientific method process and analyzing results.

Ethics in AI Development: Explore ethical considerations in deploying AI for scientific applications - healthcare diagnostics, environmental monitoring, predictive modeling.

🎨 Arts

AI-Human Collaboration Project: Create artwork using generative AI tools alongside traditional techniques. Display with artist statement analyzing creative process and AI's role.

Design Thinking: Design user interface for AI tool that would help professionals in students' career field of interest. Present prototypes explaining human-centered design choices.

Digital Portfolio: Develop professional digital portfolio showcasing creative work, demonstrating both technical skills and artistic vision - useful for college applications.

Implementation Tips for Teachers

Differentiation Strategies:

Assessment Approach:

Connection to Standards:

These extensions reinforce career readiness standards, information literacy, critical thinking, and technology integration. They provide evidence for portfolio assessment, college applications, and career development progress.