A Year of CTE Classroom Connections
Middle & High School
Career exploration doesn’t have to wait for career day. One of the easiest ways to weave real-world relevance into your instruction is by tapping into the national appreciation days, weeks, and months already built into the calendar.
This CTE calendar gives you a full year of career-connected teaching moments, complete with classroom-ready activities and tools to link careers to the science students are learning right now. Whether you teach biology, chemistry, engineering, healthcare, agriculture, or environmental science, you’ll find practical ideas to bring these career paths into focus.
Let’s take a spin through 2026.
JANUARY
National Retail Bakers Month
CTE Focus: Food science and culinary arts
Celebrate the art and science of baking by exploring the chemistry behind ingredients and processes, while highlighting careers in retail baking, food service, and product development.
Classroom Connection:
Use hands-on science kits to explore fermentation, food safety, and ingredient chemistry, then apply these concepts to design a bakery business plan that highlights science-based menu items.
Classroom Resources:
- Cheese Making Kit
- Ward's® Bacteria In Food Demonstration
- Science In the Kitchen - Small Group Learning Kit
FEBRUARY
Career and Technical Education Month
CTE Focus: This is the main event for CTE fans. Showcase the breadth of opportunities across all career clusters, from healthcare and biotechnology to food science. Spark curiosity about the many pathways that lead to high-demand, real-world careers.
Classroom Connection:
Host rotating “career lab stations” where students explore different industries through short investigations.
Classroom Resources:
MARCH
National Agriculture Week (March 15-21)
CTE Focus: Agriculture science, food systems, and sustainability.
From soil health to global food systems, agriculture is a living laboratory for chemistry, biology, and environmental science. Students learn how sustainable practices and technologies link science to daily life and solve challenges in food security and resource management.
Classroom Connection:
Agriculture integrates soil science, plant biology, and resource management to create resilient food systems. Students examine how sustainable practices and emerging technologies improve crop production, conserve water, and support global food security.
Classroom Resources:
- Ward's® AP Environmental Science: The Soil Factor - How Does Your Garden Grow?
- Ward's® Exploring Growth Movements in Plant Lab Activity
- Ward's® Instant Water Quality Test Kit
APRIL
National Biotechnology Month
CTE Focus: Biotech research, medical science, pharmaceutical careers
Biotechnology blends biology and technology to solve real-world problems. Students explore how genetic engineering, molecular biology, and drug development impact healthcare and global sustainability, preparing for careers in research labs, medical diagnostics, and pharmaceutical industries.
Classroom Connection:
Introduce DNA, proteins, and microorganisms through guided investigations that reveal how these building blocks of life influence health and medicine. Extract DNA, model protein structures, and observe microbial growth to understand the science behind vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments.
Classroom Resources:
- Ward's® Introduction to Biotechnology: DNA Extraction Lab Activity
- Ward's® Essentials Design a Coated Pill
- Ward's Science Biotech For Life Kits
MAY
Nurses Appreciation Week (May 6-12) and EMS Appreciation Week (May 17-23, 2026)
CTE Focus: Healthcare careers, patient care, and emergency response
These weeks celebrate professionals who blend compassion with clinical expertise and spotlight pathways in nursing, EMS, and allied health, roles vital to community well-being.
Classroom Connection:
Students measure vital signs, explore circulatory system function, and investigate how diseases spread. They also engage in realistic healthcare simulations to build skills in patient care and emergency response.
Classroom Resources:
- Apprentice Doctor Simulation Kits, Simulations, and Activities
- Ward's® Physiology of the Circulatory System Lab Activity
- Ward's® Engage Disease Transmission, IBL Case
JUNE
National Safety Month
CTE Focus: Biotechnology and biosciences
Emphasize the importance of lab safety in scientific careers, including biotechnology, microbiology, and biomedical research.
Classroom Connection:
Students can practice proper PPE use and aseptic techniques during a microbial culture demonstration, analyze safe chemical handling in DNA extraction, or evaluate risk assessment steps in biotech labs.
Classroom Resources:
- How Clean is your Lab Station? Microbiology Experiment Kit
- Wards® DNA Extraction Lab Activity
- 9 Ways to Reinforce Lab Safety; Plus a Free Student Safety Contract
- Safety Supply Kit
- Lab Safety Posters
JULY
National Parks and Recreation Month
CTE Focus: Environmental science, conservation, and park services
Celebrate science outdoors! Highlight careers in ecology, wildlife management, and sustainability.
Classroom Connection:
Identify tree species, analyze biodiversity, study climate impacts, examine disease transmission, and explore aquatic ecosystems, connecting environmental science to conservation and park management.
Classroom Resources:
- Easy Tree Key: Dichotomous Tree Identification Kit
- Science Take-Out® Ticks, Biodiversity, and Climate
- Fluval® Marine Aquaria Kits
AUGUST
Professional Engineers Day (August 05) and National Aviation Day (Aug 19)
CTE Focus: STEM – Engineering, Transportation, Aerospace
Celebrate innovation in flight and the problem-solving power of engineers shaping every industry.
Classroom Connection:
Host an “Engineering Design Challenge Day” where students tackle mini-projects like building bridges, designing water filtration systems, or testing paper airplane aerodynamics. Discuss how these skills apply to careers in civil, mechanical, electrical, and aerospace engineering.
Classroom Resources:
- Bridge Building Contest Kit
- Forces & Motion Curriculum Learning Module
- Paper Planes and The Scientific Method Kit
SEPTEMBER
Animal Pain Awareness Month
CTE Focus: Veterinary Science & Animal Biotechnology
Highlight the importance of understanding animal pain and welfare in careers such as veterinary medicine, animal research, and biotechnology.
Classroom Connection:
Explore how scientists assess and manage animal pain ethically. Students can analyze pain indicators in animals, discuss the role of analgesics in veterinary care, and connect these concepts to careers in animal health and research.
Classroom Resources:
- Science Take-Out® Use Of Animals For Medical Testing
- Rescue Critters® Critical Care Fluffy
- Rescue Critters® Critical Care Jerry
OCTOBER
World Food Day (October 16)
CTE Focus: Highlight agriculture’s role in global food security and sustainability. Show how soil health, crop science, and food technology help feed a growing population while protecting ecosystems. Connect students to careers in agronomy, food science, agricultural engineering, and sustainability.
Classroom Connection:
Investigate the science behind food production and its impact on global sustainability by testing soil pH and nutrient levels to assess crop productivity, exploring food preservation techniques to reduce waste, and designing sustainable farming strategies that balance food security with environmental health.
Classroom Resources:
- Amino Labs Bioplastic Kits: Reuse Food Waste™
- A-maize-ing Editing: Using CRISPR to Improve Crops
- Kidder Farm in a Box Grow Kit
NOVEMBER
National STEM Day (November 8)
CTE Focus: Cross-disciplinary STEM careers
Cross-disciplinary STEM careers in engineering, technology, data science, and applied research. This is where science, math, and engineering all shake hands, opening doors to careers in robotics, aerospace, biotechnology, and beyond.
Classroom Connection:
Run a multi-disciplinary challenge that blends physics, coding, or data analysis.
Classroom Resources:
DECEMBER
World Soil Day (December 5)
CTE Focus: Agricultural Science & Sustainability
Highlight the role of soil health in sustainable agriculture, food security, and environmental stewardship, and connect it to careers in agronomy, soil science, and sustainable farming technologies.
Classroom Connection:
Students investigate soil composition and its impact on plant growth and ecosystems. Activities could include testing soil pH and nutrient levels, comparing microbial activity in different soil types, and designing strategies to improve soil health for sustainable farming.
Classroom Resources:
Career awareness works best when it feels like part of the rhythm of the school year, not a one-time event. With this
Career awareness works best when it feels like part of the rhythm of the school year, not a one-time event. With this CTE Calendar, you have twelve months of built-in opportunities to celebrate careers, connect content, and keep learning grounded in the real world.[JB1]
