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Adulting Survival Kit

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Lesson Plan

Essential Adulting Skills Guide

Students will learn practical strategies for managing time, making appointments, and practicing self-advocacy to navigate common adult challenges.

This lesson is important because it equips students with crucial life skills, fostering independence and reducing stress as they transition into adulthood.

Audience

12th Grade Group

Time

60 minutes

Approach

Through interactive activities and guided practice, students will develop essential adulting skills.

Materials

Your Guide to Independent Living (slide-deck), My Adulting Action Plan (project), and Adulting Hacks Roundtable (discussion)

Prep

Teacher Preparation

15 minutes

Step 1

Introduction & Hook: What's Your Adulting Superpower?

5 minutes

  • Begin with an engaging question to activate prior knowledge and get students thinking about 'adulting' challenges.
  • Use Your Guide to Independent Living (Slide 1-2) to introduce the concept of an 'Adulting Survival Kit.'

Step 2

Time Management: Taming the Schedule Beast

15 minutes

Step 3

Appointment Power: Taking Charge of Your Calendar

15 minutes

  • Discuss the importance of making and keeping appointments using Your Guide to Independent Living (Slide 6-8).
  • Role-play scenarios (e.g., calling to schedule a doctor's appointment, rescheduling an interview) to practice these skills.

Step 4

Self-Advocacy: Your Voice, Your Needs

15 minutes

  • Introduce the concept of self-advocacy and its importance in adult life using Your Guide to Independent Living (Slide 9-11).
  • Present various scenarios where self-advocacy is necessary (e.g., asking for help in college, speaking with a landlord, advocating for fair treatment at work). Encourage students to share their own experiences or potential future scenarios.
  • Lead a brief discussion from Adulting Hacks Roundtable on effective self-advocacy techniques.

Step 5

Wrap-Up & Action Planning

10 minutes

  • Distribute the My Adulting Action Plan and explain the project.
  • Students begin filling out their action plan, identifying one or two skills they want to develop further.
  • Conclude with a quick share-out: one thing they learned or one skill they're excited to practice.
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Slide Deck

Adulting Survival Kit: Level Up Your Life!

What does "adulting" mean to you? What's one challenge you imagine facing as an independent adult?

Welcome students and kick off the lesson with an engaging question. Encourage a few students to share their initial thoughts to get everyone thinking about the challenges and skills of being an adult.

Your Guide to Independent Living

We're building your personal 'Adulting Survival Kit' to help you conquer real-world challenges.

Today, we'll focus on:

  1. Time Management
  2. Making Appointments
  3. Self-Advocacy

Introduce the idea of an 'Adulting Survival Kit' as a collection of essential skills. Explain that today, we'll focus on three key areas.

Time Management: Taming the Schedule Beast

Why is time management important?

It helps you:

  • Reduce stress
  • Meet deadlines
  • Have more free time
  • Achieve your goals

Transition into the first skill: Time Management. Emphasize that this isn't just about busy schedules, but about managing energy and priorities.

Time Management Strategies

  1. Prioritize: Use a to-do list (digital or paper) and identify your most important tasks.
  2. Break it Down: Large tasks seem overwhelming. Break them into smaller, manageable steps.
  3. Schedule It: Block out time for tasks in a planner or calendar.
  4. Avoid Procrastination: Start early, even if it's just for a few minutes.
  5. Take Breaks: Short breaks can boost your focus and productivity.

Present practical strategies for time management. Encourage students to think about which strategies might work best for them.

Time Management: Let's Discuss!

What are your biggest time management challenges?

What strategies have you tried? What worked or didn't work?

(Refer to Adulting Hacks Roundtable for discussion prompts)

Lead into the discussion about time management challenges and solutions using the discussion guide. Ask students to share their experiences and tips.

Appointment Power: Taking Charge of Your Calendar

As an adult, you'll need to make appointments for:

  • Doctors and dentists
  • College advisors
  • Job interviews
  • Car maintenance
  • And more!

Why is this skill crucial for independence?

Move on to the second skill: Making Appointments. Highlight the importance of being proactive and organized.

How to Make an Appointment

  1. Know Your Needs: Be clear about why you need the appointment.
  2. Gather Information: Have your calendar, insurance info, or any relevant details ready.
  3. Call/Email: Be polite and clear about what you need.
  4. Confirm Details: Repeat the date, time, and location.
  5. Write It Down! Add it to your calendar and set reminders.

Provide a step-by-step guide for making appointments. Consider role-playing a simple appointment-making scenario with a student.

Appointment Practice!

Let's practice! How would you...

  • Schedule your first college advising appointment?
  • Call to reschedule a dentist appointment?
  • Ask a landlord about a maintenance issue?

Suggest some role-play scenarios to practice. You can use the examples provided in the lesson plan or create new ones.

Self-Advocacy: Your Voice, Your Needs

What is self-advocacy?

It's about understanding your needs and communicating them effectively to others.

Why is this a key adulting skill?

Introduce the third and final skill: Self-Advocacy. Emphasize that it's about speaking up respectfully for oneself.

When Do You Need to Self-Advocate?

Self-advocacy is essential in situations like:

  • Asking a professor for clarification or an extension
  • Discussing a problem with a roommate or colleague
  • Negotiating terms for a job or apartment
  • Addressing unfair treatment or misunderstandings

Discuss various situations where self-advocacy is vital. Encourage students to think about future situations where they might need to advocate for themselves.

Tips for Effective Self-Advocacy

  1. Be Clear & Concise: State your needs directly.
  2. Stay Calm: Keep your emotions in check.
  3. Know Your Rights: Understand what you are entitled to.
  4. Listen Actively: Understand the other person's perspective.
  5. Propose Solutions: Offer constructive ways to resolve an issue.

(Refer to Adulting Hacks Roundtable for discussion prompts)

Provide actionable tips for effective self-advocacy. Lead a discussion from the discussion guide about real-world applications.

Your Next Steps: My Adulting Action Plan

Now it's time to create your own personalized plan!

Choose one or two adulting skills you want to focus on and outline how you'll practice them.

(Distribute My Adulting Action Plan)

Explain the 'My Adulting Action Plan' project. Guide students to think about how they will apply these skills in their own lives.

Ready to Adult? You Got This!

What is one new thing you learned or one skill you feel more confident about today?

Remember, adulting is a journey, and your survival kit is growing!

Conclude the lesson by asking for one takeaway from the session. Reinforce the idea that these skills are empowering.

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Project Guide

My Adulting Action Plan

Transitioning to adulthood comes with exciting new responsibilities! This action plan is your personal guide to mastering essential life skills. You will choose one or two skills from today's lesson (Time Management, Making Appointments, or Self-Advocacy) and create a plan to practice and develop them.

Project Goal

To identify key adulting skills you want to strengthen and outline actionable steps to achieve proficiency.

Instructions

  1. Reflect: Think about the three skills we discussed today: Time Management, Making Appointments, and Self-Advocacy. Which one do you feel you need to develop the most, or which one are you most interested in practicing?

  2. Choose Your Focus (1-2 Skills): Select one or two skills you want to focus on for your action plan.




  3. Define Your Goal: For each chosen skill, write a specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goal. What do you want to be able to do?

    • Skill 1: ________________________________________

      • My SMART Goal:










    • Skill 2 (Optional): ________________________________________

      • My SMART Goal:










  4. Action Steps: For each goal, list at least 3-5 concrete action steps you will take to achieve it. Be specific!

    • Skill 1 Action Steps:
















    • Skill 2 Action Steps (Optional):
















  5. Identify Resources/Support: What tools, people, or resources will help you achieve your goals? (e.g., a planner, a trusted adult, online tutorials, specific apps).







  6. Timeline: Set a realistic timeline for when you plan to complete your action steps and achieve your goal.




Reflection Questions (After completing your plan)

  • What challenges do you anticipate when trying to implement your action plan?






  • How will achieving these goals impact your independence and reduce stress?






  • Who can you ask for support or feedback as you work on these skills?






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Discussion

Adulting Hacks Roundtable: Discussion Prompts

This discussion guide will help facilitate meaningful conversations around the challenges and strategies of adulting skills. Use these prompts throughout the lesson to encourage student participation and shared learning.

Section 1: Introduction & Initial Thoughts (Warm-Up)

  • What does the term "adulting" mean to you? Is it exciting, daunting, or a mix of both?
  • What is one adult responsibility you are looking forward to? What is one you are worried about?
  • If you could get one piece of advice about "adulting" right now, what question would you ask?

Section 2: Time Management: Taming the Schedule Beast

  • What are some common distractions that make it hard to manage your time effectively?
  • Share one time management "hack" or strategy that you already use or have heard of that you think is effective.
  • How can good time management impact your stress levels and overall well-being?
  • What would a typical weekly schedule look like for you after high school (e.g., college, work, personal time)? How might you organize it?

Section 3: Appointment Power: Taking Charge of Your Calendar

  • Why is it important to practice making appointments before you absolutely have to?
  • What kind of information should you have ready before calling to make an appointment (e.g., for a doctor, a car repair, a job interview)?
  • Beyond doctors, what other types of appointments will you need to manage as an independent adult?
  • Imagine you need to reschedule an important appointment. What would be the key steps you would take?

Section 4: Self-Advocacy: Your Voice, Your Needs

  • Describe a situation where you might need to advocate for yourself in college or at a new job.
  • What does it mean to communicate your needs "effectively and respectfully"?
  • What makes it difficult to advocate for yourself sometimes?
  • Think about a time you wished you had advocated for yourself. What held you back? What would you do differently now?
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