Lesson Plan
Compass Exploration Outline
Guide the student to identify local community needs, plan a summer volunteer project, set personal social-emotional goals, and reflect on their learning to build self-awareness and civic responsibility.
This lesson empowers 11th graders to engage in meaningful community service, fostering empathy, initiative, and self-regulation while preparing them for real-world civic participation.
Audience
11th Grade Student
Time
60 minutes
Approach
Step-by-step guided exploration with tailored prompts and reflective tools.
Prep
Teacher Preparation
15 minutes
- Review Local Impact Opportunities Slide Deck and note 3–4 key local causes to discuss.
- Familiarize yourself with the Volunteer Planning Guide structure and sample entries.
- Examine the Personal Growth Rubric criteria to guide goal-setting.
- Preview the Reflection Compass prompts to support student reflection.
Step 1
Introduction & Objective Setting
5 minutes
- Welcome the student and outline today’s goal: explore community needs, plan a volunteer project, set growth goals, and reflect.
- Briefly show the Local Impact Opportunities Slide Deck.
- Prompt: “What social issue interests you most and why?” Use sentence stems if needed: I care about … because ….
Step 2
Explore Community Needs
15 minutes
- Guide the student through the Local Impact Opportunities Slide Deck, highlighting 3–4 local causes.
- Discuss each: what impact it has and what skills a volunteer might practice.
- Scaffold with questions: “How might you contribute? What strengths do you bring?”
- Have the student take notes on their top two interests.
Step 3
Volunteer Opportunity Planning
15 minutes
- Introduce the Volunteer Planning Guide.
- Student selects one cause from their notes and begins filling in:
- Project objective
- Required steps and timeline
- Resources and contacts
- Prompt: “What skills will you develop? How will you overcome barriers?” Offer 1:1 support as they plan.
Step 4
Goal Setting & Rubric Review
10 minutes
- Present the Personal Growth Rubric with criteria: self-awareness, empathy, initiative, resilience.
- Student drafts 2–3 SMART goals for their volunteer work (e.g., “I will attend orientation by June 15 to improve my teamwork skills.”).
- Use the rubric to self-assess and refine each goal. Provide sentence stems: I will … by … so that ….
Step 5
Reflection & Cool-down
10 minutes
- Hand the student the Reflection Compass.
- Guide them through prompts:
- What went well today?
- What challenges did you notice?
- What did you learn about yourself?
- Encourage honest, complete responses and offer sentence starters: I felt proud when … I discovered that ….
Step 6
Next Steps & Closing
5 minutes
- Summarize the student’s planned volunteer project and personal goals.
- Agree on a follow-up check-in date to review progress.
- Provide digital copies of all materials.
- Encourage immediate action: research contacts, send inquiry emails, set calendar reminders.
Slide Deck
Local Impact Opportunities
Discover local community needs and how you can make a difference this summer. We’ll explore 4 causes, learn key facts, see volunteer roles, and reflect on which resonates with you.
Use a vibrant gradient background (#FF8C00→#FFA233→#FFB55F). Greet the student and explain that today they’ll explore 4 local causes with facts, volunteer roles, and reflection prompts.
Cause #1: Food Insecurity
• Fact: 1 in 6 local residents face food insecurity.
• Volunteer Roles:
– Sort and pack food donations
– Assist at distribution events
– Help with community gardens
• Reflection: How might helping here develop your compassion and teamwork skills?
Present the issue of food insecurity. Highlight local food bank statistics. Invite discussion: why is food security important?
Cause #2: Environmental Cleanup
• Fact: Our city park sees 300 lbs of litter weekly.
• Volunteer Roles:
– Park or river clean-up crews
– Recycling sorting assistants
– Native plant restoration teams
• Reflection: In what ways would this role build your initiative and resilience?
Introduce environmental cleanup. Emphasize local parks and waterways. Ask: what skills would you practice cleaning a park?
Cause #3: Senior Support
• Fact: 40% of seniors report feeling lonely daily.
• Volunteer Roles:
– Conversation and activity partners
– Tech-support helpers (teaching video calls)
– Event assistants (bingo, music)
• Reflection: How could this experience strengthen your empathy and communication skills?
Share the needs of seniors in local care homes. Discuss loneliness and social connection. Encourage empathy.
Cause #4: Youth Mentorship
• Fact: 60% of students in our district lack after-school support.
• Volunteer Roles:
– Homework and reading tutors
– Coaches for sports or arts clubs
– Program planning and facilitation aides
• Reflection: Which mentoring role could help you grow your leadership and self-awareness?
Explain youth mentorship. Highlight after-school program benefits. Ask about leadership opportunities.
Your Next Steps
- Review the 4 causes and reflection prompts.
- Note your top 2 interests and why they matter to you.
- Think about the skills you’d develop in each.
Reflection Question:
Which cause resonates most with you, and how might you contribute?
Guide student to choose top two causes and record notes. Use prompts to compare interests and strengths.
Project Guide
Volunteer Planning Guide
Use this guide to design and organize your summer volunteer project. Fill in each section thoughtfully to ensure a clear plan, realistic timeline, and strong support network.
1. Project Objective
What do you aim to accomplish? Who will you serve, and why does this matter?
Example:
“I will organize a weekly tutoring session for five middle school students to improve their reading skills by the end of summer.”
2. Steps & Timeline
Outline the sequence of tasks you need to complete. Include deadlines to stay on track.
| Step | Description | Due Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||
| 2 | ||
| 3 | ||
| 4 |
Use the space below to add more steps or notes.
3. Resources & Contacts
List the people, organizations, materials, or spaces you’ll need.
- Organization / Venue:
- Key Contacts (Name, Role, Email/Phone):
- Materials or Equipment Needed:
4. Skills to Develop
Which social-emotional or practical skills will you practice? How will you measure your growth?
- Skill 1: ___________________________
- Growth Indicator: ____________________________________________
- Growth Indicator: ____________________________________________
- Skill 2: ___________________________
- Growth Indicator: ____________________________________________
- Growth Indicator: ____________________________________________
- Skill 3 (optional): _______________
- Growth Indicator: ____________________________________________
- Growth Indicator: ____________________________________________
5. Potential Barriers & Solutions
Anticipate challenges and brainstorm how to overcome them.
| Barrier | Possible Solution |
|---|---|
| e.g., Scheduling conflicts | Offer multiple session times; use a doodle poll to decide |
Additional notes:
6. Support Network
Who can help you succeed? Include peers, mentors, family, or community members.
- Peer or Friend: __________________ – Role/How they help: ___________________
- Adult Mentor or Teacher: __________ – Role/How they help: ___________________
- Family Member: _________________ – Role/How they help: ___________________
7. Reflection Prompt
After your first session or major milestone, reflect on your experience.
Prompt: “What went well, what challenges did I face, and what did I learn about myself through this project?”
Next Steps:
- Set calendar reminders for each deadline above.
- Share this plan with your support network.
- Begin outreach to listed contacts.
- Prepare any materials needed for your first activity.
Good luck – you’re on your way to making a meaningful impact!
Rubric
Personal Growth Rubric
Use this rubric to self-assess your development in four key social-emotional areas as you plan and carry out your volunteer project. Circle the score that best describes your performance for each criterion and refer to the descriptors to guide goal setting and reflection.
| Score | Performance Level |
|---|---|
| 4 | Exemplary |
| 3 | Proficient |
| 2 | Developing |
| 1 | Beginning |
Criteria
1. Self-Awareness
- 4 Exemplary: Clearly identifies personal strengths and areas for growth; consistently reflects on how feelings and experiences shape actions.
- 3 Proficient: Recognizes most personal strengths and challenges; usually reflects on thoughts and emotions in relation to tasks.
- 2 Developing: Identifies some strengths or needs with prompting; reflection is basic or inconsistent.
- 1 Beginning: Struggles to recognize personal strengths or areas for improvement; little to no self-reflection.
2. Empathy
- 4 Exemplary: Anticipates and understands others’ feelings; adapts language and actions to support diverse community members.
- 3 Proficient: Demonstrates understanding of others’ perspectives; shows caring responses in most situations.
- 2 Developing: Begins to notice others’ emotions; responses can be basic or situation-specific.
- 1 Beginning: Has difficulty recognizing others’ feelings; responses lack understanding or sensitivity.
3. Initiative
- 4 Exemplary: Proactively identifies tasks and takes leadership; consistently seeks out new opportunities and solutions.
- 3 Proficient: Takes charge of assigned tasks; occasionally volunteers for extra responsibilities.
- 2 Developing: Completes tasks when prompted; shows limited willingness to take on new challenges.
- 1 Beginning: Waits for direction; rarely volunteers or engages beyond minimum requirements.
4. Resilience
- 4 Exemplary: Embraces challenges, quickly recovers from setbacks, and adjusts strategies to succeed.
- 3 Proficient: Handles obstacles with moderate stress; recovers with some support and adapts when prompted.
- 2 Developing: Experiences difficulty recovering from setbacks; may need significant encouragement.
- 1 Beginning: Struggles to cope with challenges; tends to give up or avoid difficult tasks.
Once you’ve scored yourself, use your results to:
- Identify one area where you excel and plan how to leverage it in your project.
- Choose one area for growth and set a SMART goal to improve it.
- Refer back to this rubric during reflection to track your progress and adjust your strategies.
Cool Down
Reflection Compass
Use this exit-ticket to reflect on today’s session. Answer each prompt thoughtfully.
1. What went well today?
2. What challenges did you notice?
3. What did you learn about yourself?