Internship
Planning Guide Select where you are in your real world learning journey.
Getting Started
Set your goals and understand your commitment.
Finding Partners
Who from the real world will interact with your students?
Preparing
What do you need to be ready to launch?
Launching
Connect your students with real world learning experiences.
Following Up
How will you follow up with everyone after the experience?
Reflecting
Did you achieve your goals?
Getting Started
Understand goals and commitments
Write down your vision and identify student learning goals for the internships. NOTE: Not all students will participate in the same internship opportunity. You will need to determine how to introduce and offer this opportunity. Use the RWL Activity Planning Worksheet
Connect with your school guidance office, your district’s career office or a local college to identify organizations that coordinate or provide internship opportunities for students
Tips
- Determine the tasks you will complete and the ones you will expect students to complete. Many of the connect and prepare steps can be done by students for this opportunity
- Reach out to local companies, organizations, and universities for recommendations and connections
Supporting materials that can help
RWL Activity Planning Worksheet
A blank worksheet designed to plan the activity
Finding Partners
Who from the real world will interact with your students?
Obtain relevant information for the partners:
- Student requirements
- Industries/role
- Time commitment
- Feedback from past participants
Meet with students who have expressed an interest in internships about the kinds of work and companies experiences they would like
Determine which groups/organizations will work best for your students
If necessary, contact partners to obtain application and registration materials
Tips
- Seek recommendations from your peers at your school for input on partners organizations
- Ensure there are enough opportunities to match up with the number of students you hope to connect to an internship
Preparing
What do you need to be ready to launch?
Introduce the value of internships as a great way to support college applications, gain work experience and learn about a career or industry first hand. Do a lesson to get students thinking and researching internship opportunities. This exploration could take two to three class periods or you may choose to assign research as homework (see Internship Sample Lesson Plan)
Work with students to determine which opportunities best meet their needs
Support students with the application process and ensure materials are sent in on time
Have students research where they will be interning and set personal and professional goals for the experience
Discuss and plan how to maximize the internship experience (see Internship Etiquette)
Assist students in the process of obtaining course credit for the internship, if possible
If the program students are working with doesn’t provide training on interviewing and soft skills, prepare students (see sample lesson on interview prep and soft skills)
Tips
- Review written and spoken communication skills for professionals
Supporting materials that can help
Sample lesson plan to prepare your students for networking, interacting with professionals, and professional etiquette
A bank of lessons teaching soft skills to students.
Sample lesson plan to prepare students for interviews.
Tips on how to make the most of an internship
Launching
Connect your students with real world learning experiences.
Students participate in the internship experience
Check in with students in relation to the goals they set and the experience overall
Provide students with support or connect them to support they need to be successful (organization, multitasking, transportation, etc.)
Check in with the partner organization or host site supervisor as needed. A rubric can be used to evaluate the student’s experience and contributions (see example rubric)
Tips
- If allowed by the partner, students should take pictures to document their experience
Supporting materials that can help
A sample rubric from Kansas Public Schools
Following Up
How will you follow up with everyone after the experience?
Send a thank you note to the coordination partner or companies on behalf of yourself and the students
Reach out to anyone else who helped in arranging the partner to update them on the experience and thank them for their assistance
Have students write personal thank you notes sharing how they benefited from the experience
Tips
- Students should document and share their experience in some manner
Reflecting
Did you achieve your goals?
Reflect on the event with your students (see Student Reflection)
Reflect on the event yourself (see Teacher Reflection)
Share about the experience with teachers and families
Tips
- Share your students’ stories. It will help spread good ideas and gain support from others. You can blog about it, share it at a faculty meeting, send out a press release, etc.
Supporting materials that can help
A sample reflection sheet to use after the networking event
A sample reflection sheet to use after an experience
