Counselora · Classroom lesson
Planning schoolwork backward from a deadline
Grades 9–12 · Ready-made original
Learning goal
Plan backward from a due date and check unclear directions.
Materials
The student page below and a pencil.
Opening question · 3 minutes
“What order fits the deadline and missing information?”
A school situation · 5 minutes
A made-up history project is due Friday. It requires a claim, two school-approved sources, and a short presentation. The student has class work time Tuesday and Thursday but does not know whether the sources must be different types.
One possible response · 4 minutes
Ask about source types first, find two approved sources, draft the claim, and use Thursday to practice before Friday.
Practice · 10 minutes
What order fits the deadline and missing information?
1. A project is due Friday. The student has a draft and two sources but has not checked a required part.
2. A source requirement is still unclear before the final work session.
Possible answers
1. Check the draft against the directions before spending time decorating it.
2. Ask the teacher which sources count and revise the remaining steps using the answer.
Student page · 5 minutes
Use the ready-to-print student page at the end of this lesson. Students may write, draw, or give an answer aloud.
Exit question · 3 minutes
“Choose one of the stories. What could the student say or do first?”
Student page to print
Planning schoolwork backward from a deadline
Write, draw, or say your answer. You may pass.
An example
A made-up history project is due Friday. It requires a claim, two school-approved sources, and a short presentation. The student has class work time Tuesday and Thursday but does not know whether the sources must be different types.
What order fits the deadline and missing information?
One possible response: Ask about source types first, find two approved sources, draft the claim, and use Thursday to practice before Friday.
1. A project is due Friday. The student has a draft and two sources but has not checked a required part.
What order fits the deadline and missing information?
2. A source requirement is still unclear before the final work session.
What order fits the deadline and missing information?
One sentence to keep
Choose one story above. Write the first thing the person could say or do.