Lesson 1

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Course Objectives

This lesson introduces students to some of the goals and basic concepts of this course. It guides students to determine the characteristics of a productive learning environment, which are then used to generate ground rules for the class. They also view a video that presents high school and college “success stories,” and they consider how they would personally define success in their future lives. Students are introduced to the personal portfolio, which is a key component of the course; their personal definition of success becomes their first portfolio entry. Finally, students share a letter about this course and a copy of the class ground rules at home for signature to encourage parent and guardian support of college and career education.

Make It Local  | This lesson includes an optional video available online at this URL presenting a picture of student success in San Francisco. Consider sourcing local resources or media to support an introductory conversation about what success looks like for students in your own community.

Advance Preparation

–   Read Teacher Resource 1.1, Guide: Teaching Plan Ahead, Teacher Resource 1.2, Guide: Supporting English Learners, and Teacher Resource 1.3, Guide: The Portfolio Project, before teaching this course.

–   Prior to Class Period 4, ascertain which languages you will need to have a letter to parents translated into. The translations must be completed in time for students to bring their letters home in the fourth class period.

–   Use Teacher Resource 1.9, Course Planning Tool: Plan Ahead, for planning purposes throughout the semester.

–   Prior to Class Period 2, determine whether students will be creating a digital or paper portfolio. If paper portfolios are necessary, decide where to keep them in the classroom and obtain portfolio folders. If digital portfolios will be used, obtain any necessary equipment and make arrangements to train students in the proper procedures during this lesson. For more information, see the “Digital Portfolio” section of the Plan Ahead Teacher’s Guide, as well as Teacher Resource 1.3, Guide: The Portfolio Project.

This lesson is expected to take 5 class periods. If you wish to introduce procedures for creating a digital portfolio, you may need to allow additional class time to introduce and practice those procedures.

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Lesson Framework

Learning Objectives

Each student will:

–   Identify the characteristics of a productive learning environment

–   Identify beliefs and assumptions about his or her future

–   Display understanding of ground rules and expectations for the course

–   Identify a personal definition of success to be included as the first component of a college and career preparatory portfolio that students will develop throughout the course and through senior year in high school

Academic Standards

–   Articulate feelings of competence and confidence as learners (ASCA National Standards, A:A1.1)

–   Identify attitudes and behaviors that lead to successful learning (ASCA National Standards, A:A1.5)

–   Demonstrate the ability to work independently, as well as the ability to work cooperatively with other students (ASCA National Standards, A:A3.2)

–   Seek information and support from faculty, staff, family and peers (ASCA National Standards, A:B1.4)

–   Maintain a career-planning portfolio (ASCA National Standards, C:B2.5)

–   Distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate behavior (ASCA National Standards, PS:A1.6)

21^st Century Skills

This lesson focuses on the following 21^st century skills:

–   Communication skills: Students demonstrate listening, speaking, reading, writing, presenting, and non-verbal communication that clearly demonstrates their skills and knowledge

Assessment

ASSESSMENT PRODUCT	MEANS OF ASSESSMENT
Written reflection on what success means to the student (portfolio component)	Assessment Criteria: Reflection on Success (Teacher Resource 1.5)

–   None

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Instructional Materials

Teacher Resources

–   Teacher Resource 1.1, Guide: Teaching Plan Ahead

–   Teacher Resource 1.2, Guide: Supporting English Learners

–   Teacher Resource 1.3, Guide: The Portfolio Project

–   Teacher Resource 1.4, Assessment Criteria: Reflection on Success

–   Teacher Resource 1.5, Letter: Plan Ahead

–   Teacher Resource 1.6, Ground Rules: Plan Ahead

–   Teacher Resource 1.7, Key Vocabulary: Course Objectives

–   Teacher Resource 1.8, Bibliography: Course Objectives

–   Teacher Resource 1.9, Course Planning Tool: Plan Ahead (separate Word file)

Student Resources

–   Student Resource 1.1, Notebook: Table of Contents (separate Word file)

–   Student Resource 1.2, Course Expectations: Plan Ahead

–   Student Resource 1.3, Worksheet: What I Want for My Future

Equipment and Supplies

–   LCD projector and computer for video

–   QuickTime Player and audio speakers

–   Whiteboard or blackboard

–   Each student will need a three-ring binder as a notebook to hold worksheets and assignments as well as a place to take notes during the course

–   Binder paper

–   Bell, chime, or other sound maker (optional)

–   Method for storing portfolio work (1 per student) (folders or binders for a paper portfolio; network folders or flash drives for a digital portfolio)

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Lesson Steps

INSTRUCTION

–   Welcome students. Tell them that this course will prepare them to do well in high school, make good choices for what they will do after high school, and give them lots of opportunity to explore different careers. Explain that this course will help them begin a portfolio, or a collection of documents that they can use as they pursue their future plans. Also tell them that by passing this course, they will already be completing one of their requirements for graduating from high school!

–   Ask students to take out paper, pencil, and a hard surface to write on. Review the prompts on the board with the class and give examples of what a student might say for each one. Answer any questions.

–   Give students about 10 minutes to write down at least one response to each prompt.

–   Put students in groups of four. Tell them to take turns reading their answers to each prompt. After each student has had a turn to talk to the group, ask them:

· Did anyone discover that he or she enjoys the same activity as someone else in the group?

–   If the answer is yes, ask for a few volunteers to share. Next, ask:

· Pick one person in your group to speak for all of you. What do you want to learn in this class?

–   Give students a few minutes to confer. Group by group, ask for their answers to this prompt and write down their responses on the board.

–   Follow the same procedure for gathering students’ questions. If possible, provide brief answers; otherwise, assure students that you will do your best to find the answers.

–   Once all student groups have shared, thank them for their responses. Tell them that it is helpful for you to know what the students want to learn and that you will address as many of their requests as you can.

–   Alert students that they need to bring a three-ring binder to class, with binder paper, by (pick the date on which the third class period falls). They will need to bring it to every class thereafter. Alternatively, choose a place in the classroom for these notebooks to stay when not in use. If you are able to conduct the class via computers, and students will not need binders, omit this step.

–   Keep student requests and questions in mind throughout the course and address them whenever possible.

 

DIFFERENTIATION Assign students with very limited English proficiency to complete this activity with a partner who can provide translation for them. If you have a number of English learners in your class, you can add another prompt to the conversation that recognizes students’ unique cultural backgrounds. For example: What culture, country, or language is an important part of your life? Student groups could compile a list of the various cultures/countries/languages that students mentioned. This honors all of the various cultures in your classroom, regardless of English proficiency.

 

CLASS PERIOD 2

–   Distribute copies of Student Resource 1.2, Course Expectations: Plan Ahead.

–   Have students pair with a neighbor to read and discuss the document.

–   After they have read through the expectations, tell students to write down one subject or type of assignment they think will be easy for them and one they think might be challenging.

–   Have pairs discuss their responses, and then call on several to share.

–   Draw students’ attention to the section on the portfolio. Answer any questions. Reassure students that they do not need to create their whole portfolio at once. They will work on individual pieces of it throughout the course, and by the end they may be surprised at how much they have accomplished!

–   Answer any other questions students may have about the course expectations. You may also wish to use this time to discuss your preferred grading system or percentages.

–   If you plan to use digital portfolios, this may be an appropriate time to introduce the procedures for collecting and storing digital assignments.

–   Collect the copies of Student Resource 1.2 to redistribute when students set up their course notebooks.

 

STEP 3, LIST MAKING QUALITIES OF A GOOD TEACHER AND A GOOD STUDENT

25 minutes

INSTRUCTION

–   Explain that, after so many years in school, students have had experiences with “good teachers,” or teachers whose teaching methods, personalities, or other qualities they found to be effective in helping them learn. Note that students also have opinions about what characteristics make a “good student.”

–   Put students in pairs. Have them write their names at the top of a piece of paper. Next, tell them to write the two headings. Then ask them to come up with at least three, but not more than 10, qualities of good teachers and students. Give them 15 minutes to do this.

–   At this point, you should not reveal the ultimate purpose of this assignment (i.e., to serve as the foundation for the class ground rules). Collect these lists from students, but for homework, encourage them to continue thinking of qualities to add to their lists in the next class period.

–   Remind students that they need to bring a three-ring binder with them for the next class period (Class Period 3).

 

DIFFERENTIATION The discussion of good teachers and good students may be an excellent time to address how different cultures consider different behaviors to be acceptable. If you have English learners who attended school in another country, invite them to share how their other school was similar to or different from their current school. Consider letting students complete the assignment in their primary language, since they will not be turning it in for assessment.

 

CLASS PERIOD 3

INSTRUCTION

–   Have students form groups of four. Allow groups approximately five minutes to discuss and choose their top three qualities for teachers and students from the lists they started in the previous class period. They can also suggest new qualities for their top three that they hadn’t considered before.

–   Then, call on each group to share their qualities, explaining that groups should not repeat any characteristics already stated. Write these on the board.

–   Next, explain that the class has just worked together to describe the kind of environment they need in order to do their best work. These qualities will make the ground rules for the environment they will aspire to achieve in this classroom and for this course. For example, if one of the qualities of a good teacher is that he or she helps you if you don’t understand something, then one ground rule could be:

· The teacher will be available outside of class to answer questions and to help students with their work on a regular basis.

–   Divide up the qualities on the board equally among the groups of students and have them “translate” the qualities into rules using the example you have provided. They should develop at least one ground rule for students and at least one for teachers (in other words, not all the rules can govern just the teacher’s conduct).

–   Ask each group to share their rules and write them on the board.

–   Collect groups’ lists of both qualities and ground rules to prepare copies of the class list of ground rules for the next class period. Explain that you may choose to include ground rules that they haven’t considered in order to create the most productive class environment possible.

 

DIFFERENTIATION For this activity, consider homogeneous grouping: group students together based on their primary language. Explain that they will share the results of their discussion (their top three qualities) in English, but they may discuss it within the group in their primary language. This will allow all students to contribute to the “ground rules” discussion.

 

STEP 5, ORGANIZATION SETTING UP A COURSE NOTEBOOK

25 minutes

INSTRUCTION

–   At the start of class, tell students that one important tool they will each use throughout this course is a notebook. They will need to bring it to every class (or use it in every class, if you decide to house notebooks in the classroom) and will use it to keep many kinds of work in, including:

· Notes

· Reflections

· Ideas

· Project plans

· Taxonomies

–   Explain to students that they will now set up their notebooks. They will all use the same structure for organizing them to make it easier for both you and the students to locate completed work. Ask students to insert a couple of copies of Student Resource 1.1, Notebook: Table of Contents, into their notebooks. Tell them to write their names at the top and the roman numeral “I” in the bottom right-hand corner of the first page, and “II” on the second page. Explain that they will number their table of contents pages using roman numerals and their notebook pages with arabic numerals, the ones they usually use (i.e., 1, 2, 3), to keep from confusing the two sections. You may wish to model these instructions by projecting a table of contents page and showing students where to place the roman numeral, or by drawing the page and showing students where to place it that way. You may also consider writing roman numerals for 1–10 across the top of the blackboard to jog students’ memories.

–   When the table of contents is ready, redistribute Student Resource 1.2, Course Expectations: Plan Ahead. Tell students to insert this page after the table of contents and write the page number “1” in the bottom right-hand corner. Next, have them fill in the information for this resource as the first entry in their table of contents. Continue to model these instructions via the projector or the pages you’ve drawn on the board. Tell students that they need to keep all of the handouts they receive in this course, and keep track of them via the table of contents, because they will refer back to many of them and use them for other assignments.

 

CLASS PERIOD 4

–   At the start of class, distribute the copies of the classroom ground rules. Ask students to read silently to themselves. Once they are done reading, answer any questions.

–   Note that the rules of the classroom apply to other spheres of their lives as well. For example, just as it’s important to listen respectfully to your classmates and teachers, it is as important to listen respectfully to your sister, your coworker, your boss, etc. A major component of this class is about understanding how what they do in the classroom will help them be successful and prepared outside of the classroom.

–   Tell students that new rules may occur to them, or to you, as the semester progresses. You will discuss these rules and you may decide as a class to make additions or changes to the list.

–   Tell students to insert the rules as page 2 of their course notebooks and to fill in the table of contents with this entry. It will be up to them from now on to remember to paginate their handouts and to add them to the table of contents. Note that you expect them to keep their work organized in this way and that you will conduct periodic checks of all students’ notebooks.

–   Post an enlarged copy of the rules on the classroom wall in a prominent place.

 

STEP 7, VIDEO PLAN AHEAD

35 minutes

–   Tell students they will be watching a video and that they will answer the questions on the board as they watch. Ask them to take out pens and paper to jot down notes related to the questions as they watch. Present the video to the class.

–   After you have screened the video, give students a few minutes to finish answering the questions on their own. Then have them share their responses with a neighbor. Call on several pairs to share their responses with the class. Ask the last pair how they think the stories and information presented in the video might relate to what they will be learning about in this class.

–   Conclude this activity by letting students know that in the next class period they will consider what success means to them personally.

 

CLASS PERIOD 5

INSTRUCTION

–   Remind students of the video they viewed in the last class period. Tell students that they too will find success by facing and learning from the obstacles they encounter. For this assignment, they will have the opportunity to reflect on what success means to them.

–   Ask students to review Student Resource 1.3, Worksheet: What I Want for My Future. Explain that in the box at the top of this resource are common goals or dreams people have for their lives. Ask students to read over these statements and then copy them down onto the numbered lines below, with 1 being the one thing they want most in their lives and 10 being the thing they are least interested in having as part of their lives. Also allow students to write in their own wishes, dreams, or goals, if they have specific ideas that are not reflected on the worksheet.

–   Give students time to complete their lists. Ask for a volunteer to share what they wrote as their number one goal. Ask for a show of hands to see if anyone else also made that choice; start a list on the board. Ask for several volunteers to share what they chose instead. Repeat this process with the next two or three goals.

–   Explain that this list includes what many people think they need to have in order to be successful in life, because people define success differently. Some people feel that in order to be a success, they need to earn a lot of money or achieve a certain level in their careers. Other people measure success by their involvement with their romantic partner or their children. Still others measure it by how much of a difference they make in the lives of others.

–   Ask students to look again at their list and consider the three things they marked as most important. Is that how they would define success? If not, what three things would they pick? Encourage students to revise their numbering or add new items to the list.

–   Explain that now that they’ve evaluated this list, they are going to write down what success means to them. Point out that people’s ideas about success may change over time—how the students define success right now may be different a year from now, or five years from now—but that it’s a good exercise to write down these priorities so that they can look back at them later and see if their ideas have changed.

–   Ask students to read over the assessment criteria provided at the end of Student Resource 1.3. Explain that many assignments in this course will be assessed according to assessment criteria, like this one. Review each criterion with the students and answer any questions.

–   Instruct students to review the prompts under “Writing about Success.” Explain that students should use these prompts to help them compose a reflection on what success means to them. Review the instructions and the example with students. Then ask them to complete the prompts on the worksheet.

–   When approximately 15 minutes remain in class, collect the assignment from students and assess using Teacher Resource 1.4, Assessment Criteria: Reflection on Success. Tell students that this assignment will be the first piece that they will put in their course portfolios.

 

ENHANCED PORTFOLIO OPTIONS Have students complete the “Writing About Success” portion of the assignment digitally. Students could: –   Type their reflection in a word processing program –   Use a graphics or paint program to type and illustrate their reflection –   Create an online poster in Glogster –   Create a brief presentation in PowerPoint or Prezi

 

STEP 9, HOMEWORK PLAN AHEAD LETTERS HOME

15 minutes

–   Have students read the letter. Answer any questions.

–   Have students sign the letter in the appropriate place and explain that they will also need to have someone at home read and sign it as well.

–   Next, distribute copies of the classroom ground rules. Point out that they are formatted to include space for students to write brief, individual messages to their parents or guardians explaining the purpose of each rule and that they also include spots for both student and parent signatures.

–   Have students write their notes explaining the rules and remind them that they must return the letters with signatures. Establish a deadline for students to turn in their signed letters and copies of ground rules.

–   Make sure students understand the importance of the assignment to take their letters and codes home for signature. Answer any questions students may have about expectations for the course.

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Extensions

Enrichment

–   Have students imagine that they are visitors from another culture (or even another planet!) sent to your school to observe and report on high school student behavior. What conclusion would a visitor reach about students based on these first few days of class? How might student respect for the ground rules influence this visitor’s impressions? For homework, have students write a “point-of-view” first-person essay about their visitor’s observations.

–   Have students research famous quotations about success (or provide them with a list of quotes). Ask students to select a quotation that reflects their personal ideas about success and ask them to write an essay in which they explain what they think that quote means and why it is important to them.

Cross-Curricular Integration

–   Social Studies: Assign different well-known historical or contemporary codes of conduct/ethics to have students analyze, discuss in small groups, and share with the class. Examples might include: the Medieval Code of Chivalry, the US Oath of Citizenship, the Hippocratic Oath, the NCAA Code of Conduct, mission statements from corporations and government agencies, etc. What do these codes say about the organizations or populations they represent? If historical, how have the standards for appropriate conduct changed over time? How effective do students think they are, and why?

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