Lesson plan for a group of 9 students that are 9, year olds about a book from the Space

How does water shape us and our world? Waterfalls, tidepools, fish ponds, and oceans, oh my!

🔍 STOP 1: Joyful Thinkers 🧠 (Resilience) • Leadership Link: Models emotional regulation, optimism, and persistence under pressure. 🏕️ Activity: “Baggage & Gear” • Reflect on and share what “emotional baggage” to leave behind from last year, and what “gear” (strategies/mindsets) will be essential to carry forward. 💬 Discussion Prompt: • “What does resilient leadership look like during difficult decisions or setbacks?” Quote: “Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals.” – Angela Duckworth 🤝 STOP 2: Accountable Teammates 🤲 (Collaboration) • Leadership Link: Fosters teamwork, holds self and others accountable, builds trust. 🧩 Activity: “Lost in the Wilderness” • Survival scenario challenge in small groups where leaders must decide on tools/resources to take. Success requires consensus and compromise. 💬 Debrief: • Who stepped up as a teammate? • What does accountability look like in leadership—not just in tasks, but in relationships? Quote: “Accountability is the glue that ties commitment to results.” – Bob Proctor 🗣️ STOP 3: Confident Communicators 📢 (Voice and Choice) • Leadership Link: Clearly communicates vision, seeks input, and creates space for other voices. 🎤 Activity: “Leadership Mic Drop” • 1-minute elevator speeches: Leaders state one goal they have for the year using student-centered language. • Optional: Peer voting for most empowering message. 💬 Prompt: • How do we build systems where students and staff feel heard and valued? Quote: “The art of communication is the language of leadership.” – James Humes 💛 STOP 4: Kind Citizens 🌍 (Empathy and Caring) • Leadership Link: Creates a culture of belonging, models compassion in policies and interactions. 🧵 Activity: “Compassion Web” • Use string or yarn to build a web by sharing one moment of kindness they experienced this year. As each person speaks, the web grows. 💬 Discussion: • How can school leaders model compassion while still holding high expectations? Quote: “People will forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou 👂 STOP 5: Engaged Learners 🎧 (Active Listening & Growth) • Leadership Link: Models curiosity, feedback-seeking, and presence. 🔁 Activity: “Silent Coaching Walk” • Leaders pair up, walk for 3 minutes while one talks and the other only listens. Then roles reverse. End with reflective journaling. 💬 Prompt: • How can we stay learners in our roles? • How do we make space to hear our teachers and students? Quote: “To be a great leader, you must first be a great listener.” – John Maxwell 🏔️ STOP 6: Trustworthy Leaders 🏅 (Integrity) • Leadership Link: Leads with consistency, transparency, and moral courage. 🪨 Activity: “Legacy Rock” (Final Reflection) • Each leader writes one action they will commit to this year that will earn trust. Rocks are displayed as a visible legacy. 💬 Prompt: • What is one trust-building action you’ll take within your first 30 days? Quote: “Leadership is not about being in charge. It’s about taking care of those in your charge.” – Simon Sinek

PRIORITY CONTENT & LEARNING GOALS Prep Academy Orientation Recognizing Your Potential College Level Learning College Communication Study Skills Writing Effectively Plagiarism and Academic Integrity Recognizing Your Potential Revisited Unit Completion: Fantasy Career PROJECT IDEAS Who I Am and Why I’m Here Purpose Mapping Reflection on Experiences this Semester Fantasy Career FIELD TRIP/EXPERIENCES University of Memphis Tour Guest Speakers: College Student (College Transition Story) Campus Mental Health University of Memphis- Writing Center Guest Speaker: Faculty - What Professors Wish 1st Year Students Knew Service Learning Opportunity

Cybersecurity Students are learning Python, creating cyphers, micro:bits, breadboarding

In our first 8th grade project of the year LASS students will investigate different PBL strategies and procedures, while also building their geographic foundations by learning how rivers and mountains either help or hurt the growth of a city or region. Students will answer the following question: How have Fort Wayne’s rivers—the St. Joseph, St. Marys, and Maumee—have shaped the area's history and development? Use the following standards to create a project: 8.G.1 Read and interpret maps that portray the physical growth and development of the United States from colonization through Reconstruction (1877). 8.G.2 Identify the major mountain ranges and river systems of the United States and explain the importance of these physical features in the development of America. 8.RC.1 Analyze what a text says explicitly as well as draw inferences from the text through strong and supportive textual evidence. (E) 8.RC.2 Analyze the development of a theme or central idea over the course of a work of literature, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide a detailed summary that supports the analysis. 8.RC.11 Interpret figures of speech (e.g., verbal irony, puns) in context. 8.W.2 Write informative compositions on a variety of topics. (E) 8.W.4 Apply the writing process. 8.W.5 Conduct research assignments and tasks.

Students will develop critical AI literacy and web development skills through community-centered technology creation. Using Humanizing Data Expression (HDE) practices, students will learn to use AI tools ethically while examining their biases and limitations. The program culminates in creating websites for authentic Ventures team clients, with structured feedback cycles supporting growth mindset development. Core Focus: Critical AI literacy + Web development + Community-centered design + Professional client work

We want to teach Cybersecurity through building escape rooms with highschoolers. They'll be using MicroPython on Microbits, learning new skills like ciphers, servos, RFID readers, etc in the mornings and then building mini themed puzzles in the afternoons. For the second week, they weill work in small groups of 3-4 to make a full escape room inside a single space.