Planning for college or training next year? Apply for the Vermont Grant and explore VSAC’s free scholarship booklet to help you cover costs.

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Dec

16

FAFSA Filing Help

9:00am - 4:00pm Virtually via Zoom or In Person at VSAC in Winooski

Do you need help filing your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2025-26 school year? We have counselors available to assist you in person or virtually. Virtual...

FAFSA

Dec

17

FAFSA Filing Help

9:00am - 4:00pm Virtually via Zoom or In Person at VSAC in Winooski

Do you need help filing your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2025-26 school year? We have counselors available to assist you in person or virtually. Virtual...

FAFSA

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VSAC Curriculum Map and Learning Activities for Grades 6–12

Looking to target college and career readiness skills at your school?

The VSAC Curriculum Map provides targeted academic and postsecondary planning skills that Vermont students in grades 6–12 will need in order to pursue education and career opportunities after high school. This framework reflects current research, best practice, and experience on the ground.

This framework and selected learning activities may interest you if you are a:

counselor
school leader
teacher
work-based learning coordinator

The map and learning activities can be used to develop postsecondary planning activities for advisory or can be incorporated into class curriculum for students across the grades.

VSAC has a growing collection of college and career planning learning activities that are directly related to the skills in the VSAC Curriculum Map, and we’ve included a few below.

If you' re looking to target specific skills in the curriculum map please connect with your Talent Search, GEAR UP, or Aspirations partner at your school as they would be happy to collaborate with you or may already be targeting specific skills at your school and with your students. If you’ve already connected with VSAC partners at your school and would like more curriculum that VSAC has developed, please reach out to Lauren Hood, Aspirations School Specialist and Curriculum Lead.

Download the full curriculum map for grades 6–12.

Curriculum Map
Learning Activities

6-8 Grades
9th & 10th Grades
11th Grade
12th Grade

Academic Learning Activities

These learning activities may be targeted to a specific grade or grade band for our purposes, but we also believe in appropriately adapting learning activities to meet the needs of students across the grades. Please feel free to adapt these learning activities to best meet the needs of your students.

Masterful Mistakes: For grades 6-8, targeting growth mindset. Often, we throw something away because it was broken or ruined. This activity is designed to experience a creative way to look at complications and challenges we encounter in school and in our personal lives.

Memory Mnemonics: For grades 9-10, targeting study skills. In this activity students will learn a few quick tips to help improve their memory.

Your Evolving Academic Identity: For grade 12, targeting academic achievement. This journal-based discussion activity will guide seniors to explore their academic identity in high school and set goals for their academic success in future in college or career training programs.

Hour-by-Hour Time Management: For grades 9-10, targeting study skills. In this activity, students will plan an hour-by-hour schedule of a typical school day, practice living by the schedule, and then compare in a follow-up meeting for discussion or a written reflection.

Postsecondary Planning Learning Activities

These learning activities may be targeted to a specific grade or grade band for our purposes, but we also believe in appropriately adapting learning activities to meet the needs of students across the grades. Please feel free to adapt these learning activities to best meet the needs of your students.

Holland Code: What Are Your Interests?: For grades 6-8, targeting career exploration and awareness. In this activity, students will take an assessment based on the work of Dr. John Holland to learn how interests and career choice are tied together.

College and Careeragories Game: For grades 6-8, targeting career exploration and awareness. This activity is a spin-off from the traditional Scattergories game. This game is an opportunity to introduce and remind students of different terminology when discussing college and career.

Postsecondary Beach Ball: For grades 6-8, targeting career exploration and awareness. This activity is geared towards students gaining a deeper understanding of themselves and post-high school planning. Questions are written on an inflated beach ball. Students answer questions and ponder next steps.

Job Search: For grades 9-10, targeting career exploration and awareness. In this hands-on activity, students will experience what it is like to search for a job using the job section in a newspaper.

Please be sure to also check out our stand-alone worksheets from our I am an Education Professional page. For more learning activities that are easy to use and that target Career Exploration and Awareness, Postsecondary Education and Employability Skills, as well as Applying and Admission, please take a look at our College and Career Pathways video lessons.