Choosing Hospitality

Overview

This 60-minute lesson is designed for Year 9 Humanities students in New Zealand, following the New Zealand Curriculum. It focuses on exploring why students might choose a career in hospitality, their motivations, the skills required, and the career opportunities available. It develops self-awareness, critical thinking, and communication skills, connects learning with real-world contexts, and encourages reflection.

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Curriculum Alignment

Learning Area: Social Sciences (Humanities)

• Social Sciences Key Competencies: Participating and contributing; Thinking; Relating to others; Managing self; Using language, symbols, and texts.
• Achievement Objectives (Year 9)
  • Understand how people's management of resources reflects their values (Social Studies Level 5).
  • Understand different contexts where people participate and contribute as critical, informed, and responsible citizens.

Key Competencies Developed

• Managing Self: Students plan, set goals, and reflect on their learning and career interests.
• Relating to Others: Engaging in discussions and respecting diverse perspectives.
• Thinking: Investigating personal motivations and thinking critically about future career pathways.
• Using Language, Symbols, and Texts: Communicating ideas clearly through discussion and written reflection.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will:

1. Identify and articulate personal motivations for choosing hospitality.
2. Explore and describe core skills important in hospitality careers.
3. Investigate various career opportunities available in the hospitality industry.
4. Reflect on how their personal strengths and values align with hospitality work.
5. Develop communication skills through discussion and sharing ideas.

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Lesson Breakdown (60 minutes)

1. Introduction & Engagement (10 minutes)

• Starter Activity:
  • Ask students: "If you could choose your dream job, why might hospitality be it?"
  • Record responses on a whiteboard or digital board.
• Teacher Input: Brief explanation of hospitality — what it involves, including real-world examples like restaurants, hotels, event management, tourism, and catering.
• Show a short video clip or image slideshow showcasing diverse hospitality roles in New Zealand or famous Kiwi hospitality businesses.

2. Group Discussion: Motivations for Choosing Hospitality (15 minutes)

• Discussion questions (in small groups of 4-5 students):
  • What attracts you to hospitality as a career?
  • What personal qualities or skills do you think are important in hospitality?
  • How can hospitality be meaningful to New Zealand's economy and culture?
• Use sentence stems such as:
  • "I believe hospitality is important because..."
  • "A key skill in hospitality is..."
  • "One reason I might choose hospitality is..."
• Groups share highlights with the class.

3. Exploring Skills & Careers (15 minutes)

• Activity: Provide each group with “Career Cards” that describe different hospitality roles (chef, event planner, hotel manager, barista, front desk, tour guide, etc.) with key skills and traits.
• Each group reads their cards and discusses:
  • What skills do these roles require?
  • Which roles appeal to you and why?
  • What career pathways could start from these roles?
• Groups present a brief summary of one role and why it might be appealing.

4. Real-World Connection (10 minutes)

• Guest Speaker/Video (optional): Play a short video or share a story of a New Zealand hospitality worker’s journey (or a famous local hospitality business).
• Discuss how hospitality skills are transferable and useful in everyday life and other careers.
• Highlight the importance of hospitality in New Zealand’s culture and economy (e.g., tourism, Māori hospitality values – manaakitanga).

5. Reflection & Personal Goal Setting (10 minutes)

• Individual Reflection Task:

  • Students answer in writing:
    • Why have I chosen hospitality (or why might I consider it)?
    • What skills do I already have that will help me?
    • What skills do I want to develop?
    • How does hospitality connect with my values and future ambitions?

• Use prompts and encourage use of vocabulary related to emotions, skills, and values aligned with Te Mātaiaho English guidelines.

• Sharing: Volunteers read their reflections or share goals with a partner.

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Assessment and Follow-up

• Formative Assessment: Observation of participation in discussions, presentation feedback, and written reflections.
• Success Criteria:
  • Students clearly express their interest and motivation for hospitality.
  • Students identify relevant skills and link these to career opportunities.
  • Reflections demonstrate personal connections and future goals.
• Follow-up Activity Suggestion:
  • Research a hospitality career pathway or local hospitality business for a short report or presentation.
  • Interview a family member or community member who works in hospitality.

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Teaching & Learning Strategies

• Use inclusive questioning and sentence stems to support students in articulating their thoughts.
• Support vocabulary development related to hospitality, emotions, and skills through explicit teaching aligned with Te Mātaiaho English resources.
• Provide visual and audio aids for engagement.
• Encourage metacognition and self-regulation: help students set personal learning goals connected to their career interests.
• Real-world connection: highlight Aotearoa/New Zealand context and values such as manaakitanga (hospitality and care for guests).

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Resources Needed

• Whiteboard or digital display.
• Printed or digital "Career Cards" with hospitality roles and skills.
• Video clip or image slideshow on hospitality careers in New Zealand.
• Reflection writing sheet or digital equivalent.
• Optional guest speaker or recorded interview.

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Specific Curriculum References

• New Zealand Curriculum (Social Sciences, Year 9)
  • Achievement Objective: Understand how people participate as critical, informed, and responsible citizens.
  • Key Competencies: Managing self, Relating to others, Thinking.
  • Values and Principles: Recognising diversity and inclusion, community engagement.
• Te Mātaiaho English (Years 7-10): Supports communication skills development relevant to expressing ideas, discussion, and reflection, including vocabulary for emotions and personal qualities, and structured writing using paragraphs and linking words .

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This lesson plan invites Year 9 students to actively explore and reflect on their choices and aspirations related to hospitality, helping them engage deeply with the curriculum and see real-world relevance in their learning.