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Game Plan for Grades!

mmanning

Tier 1
For Schools

Lesson Plan

Game Plan for Grades Lesson Plan

Students will be able to identify key executive functioning skills and apply at least two study strategies to their academic work.

Effective study skills and executive functioning are crucial for academic success and reducing stress. This lesson provides practical strategies to help students take control of their learning.

Audience

9th and 10th Grade Students

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion and activity, drawing on sports and literary analogies.

Materials

Smartboard or Projector, Slide Deck: Game Plan for Grades, Markers or Whiteboard, Warm Up: Study Showdown, Discussion: Strategy Talk, Activity: Build Your Playbook, Worksheet: My Academic Playbook, and Cool Down: One Play Promise

Prep

Teacher Preparation

15 minutes

  • Review the Lesson Plan: Game Plan for Grades and all linked materials.
  • Ensure projector/smartboard is ready for the Slide Deck: Game Plan for Grades.
  • Print copies of the Worksheet: My Academic Playbook (one per student).
  • Prepare markers/whiteboard for brainstorming during the discussion and activity.
  • Consider having a few extra pencils available for students.

Step 1

Warm Up: Study Showdown

5 minutes

  • Begin with the Warm Up: Study Showdown projected on the board.
  • Ask students to quickly jot down their thoughts or discuss with a partner their response to the prompt.
  • Briefly bring the class together to share a few answers, connecting their frustrations to the need for better strategies.

Step 2

Introduction: Why a Game Plan?

5 minutes

  • Introduce the concept of executive functioning as the 'coach' of your brain, responsible for planning, organizing, and staying focused.
  • Use Slide 1 and Slide 2 of the slide deck.
  • Relate this to the idea of a 'game plan' in sports or avoiding a 'tragedy' like in Romeo and Juliet due to poor planning.

Step 3

Discussion: Strategy Talk

8 minutes

  • Lead a discussion using the prompts from Discussion: Strategy Talk.
  • Use Slide 3 and Slide 4 to facilitate the comparison between sports strategies (Cubs vs. Sox) and academic strategies.
  • Encourage students to share examples of times when a 'game plan' worked well or failed due to lack of planning.

Step 4

Activity: Build Your Playbook

8 minutes

  • Transition to the Activity: Build Your Playbook.
  • Project Slide 5.
  • Distribute the Worksheet: My Academic Playbook.
  • Guide students to start filling out the worksheet, focusing on identifying one current academic challenge and applying a newly learned strategy to it.

Step 5

Cool Down: One Play Promise

4 minutes

  • Project Slide 6.
  • Have students complete the Cool Down: One Play Promise on their worksheet or a separate slip of paper.
  • Collect the cool-down responses as an exit ticket to gauge understanding and commitment to trying a new strategy.
lenny

Slide Deck

Game Plan for Grades: Win Your Academic Season!

Strategies for Study Skills & Executive Functioning

9th & 10th Grade


Image: A sports playbook or a trophy/medal (optional)

Welcome students and get them settled. Introduce the lesson's goal: to find better ways to study. Make sure to project the title slide as students enter or begin class.

Ever Feel Like Your Study Plan is a Tragedy?

• "Wherefore art thou, good grades?"
• Lack of a clear plan often leads to poor outcomes.
• Just like Romeo & Juliet's story, a lack of communication and planning can lead to unexpected (and undesirable!) results.

Use this slide to grab attention. Ask students if they've ever felt overwhelmed or like their studying just wasn't working. Connect to the idea of a 'tragedy' where things go wrong due to poor planning, much like a certain famous play.

Your Brain's Head Coach: Executive Functioning!

These are the skills that help you plan, focus, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks.

• Planning: Setting goals and outlining steps.
• Organizing: Structuring materials and information.
• Time Management: Allocating time effectively.
• Self-Monitoring: Checking your progress and adjusting strategies.

Introduce executive functioning. Explain it as the 'manager' or 'coach' of your brain. Emphasize that these are skills they can develop. Give simple examples of each: planning (making a to-do list), organizing (keeping notes tidy), time management (setting a schedule).

Cubs vs. Sox: Who Wins with a Better Game Plan?

Think about a sports rivalry, like the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox.

• Does a team win by just showing up?
• What do good teams do to prepare?
• How do they scout their 'opponents' (e.g., test material, project requirements)?
• How do they practice their 'plays' (e.g., study methods, time allocation)?

Just like sports, academic success requires a strategy!

Now bring in the sports analogy. Ask students (especially those familiar with baseball or Chicago culture) what makes a good team strategy. How do the Cubs or Sox (or any team) prepare? Connect their answers to academic preparation. For example, knowing the 'opponent' (test material), practicing (studying), having a 'lineup' (study schedule).

Build Your Academic Playbook!

It's time to create your own winning strategy for school.

• Think about a specific class or assignment that challenges you.
• Use the Worksheet: My Academic Playbook to brainstorm and plan some new study 'plays.'
• Focus on applying the executive functioning skills we just discussed: planning, organizing, time management, and self-monitoring.

Explain the activity and the worksheet. Tell them they will be creating their own 'academic playbook' with actionable strategies. Encourage them to think about what they can actually do starting today.

One Play Promise: What's Your Next Move?

Before you leave, reflect on:

• What ONE study skill or executive functioning strategy will you try to implement this week?
• How do you think this 'play' will help you win your academic season?

"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will." – Vince Lombardi

Explain the Cool Down as an exit ticket. Emphasize that even one small, actionable step can make a big difference. Collect these as they leave to check for understanding and commitment.

lenny

Warm Up

Study Showdown: What's Your Biggest Foe?

Instructions: Take a moment to think about your current study habits. What's the one thing that consistently makes studying feel like a struggle or a 'tragedy'? Is it a lack of time, disorganization, getting easily distracted, or something else?

Briefly describe your biggest study challenge below.







Bonus Question (Think Romeo & Juliet!): If your study plan were a character in a play, would it be the well-prepared hero, the tragic figure who acts without thinking, or something else? Explain briefly.




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lenny

Discussion

Strategy Talk: Winning the Academic Game

Introduction: In sports, a strong game plan is essential for success. Whether it's the Chicago Cubs planning against the White Sox, or any team preparing for a big game, they don't just show up and hope for the best. They have strategies!

Let's discuss how this applies to our academic lives. We're going to think like coaches and strategists for our own learning.

Discussion Prompts:

  1. Game Day Prep: Think about a major test or project. What's one thing you do to prepare before you even start studying or working on it? (For example, gathering materials, making a schedule, understanding the requirements.)





  2. Scouting the Opponent: How do successful sports teams learn about their opponents? How can you 'scout' your academic 'opponents' (like a complex reading assignment, a challenging math problem set, or a big research paper)? What information do you look for?











  3. Halftime Adjustments: In a game, coaches often make adjustments at halftime if their original strategy isn't working. When you're studying or working on an assignment, how do you know if your current approach isn't working? What kind of 'adjustments' can you make?












  5. Avoiding the Tragedy: We talked about Romeo and Juliet's tragic lack of planning. Can you think of a time when a lack of planning or organization led to a 'mini-tragedy' (a bad grade, missed deadline, high stress) in your academic life? What could have been done differently with a better 'game plan'?











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lenny

Activity

Build Your Playbook: Designing Your Winning Strategy

Objective: To take the executive functioning skills we discussed and apply them to your own academic challenges, creating a personal 'playbook' for success.

Instructions:

  1. Identify Your 'Opponent': Think of ONE specific academic challenge you are currently facing or anticipate facing soon. This could be a difficult subject, a big upcoming project, managing multiple assignments, or even just feeling overwhelmed by homework.

    • Example Opponent: "My history research paper feels too big to start." or "I always forget what I read in science class."

  2. Choose Your 'Plays': Refer to the executive functioning skills (Planning, Organizing, Time Management, Self-Monitoring) and the strategies we discussed (like those used by the Cubs or Sox).

  3. Draft Your Playbook Entries: On your Worksheet: My Academic Playbook, you will:

    • Clearly define your 'opponent' (academic challenge).
    • Select at least TWO 'plays' (strategies) from the executive functioning skills that you will use to tackle this challenge.
    • Describe how you will use each 'play' in detail. Be specific!
    • Example Play: If your opponent is a big research paper, a 'planning' play might be "Break the paper into 5 smaller steps with mini-deadlines." An 'organizing' play might be "Create a digital folder for all research articles and notes."

  4. Review and Refine: As you work, think about whether your 'plays' are realistic and actionable. Can you truly implement them?

  5. Be Ready to Share: We will briefly share some of our 'plays' with the class, just like coaches sharing their winning strategies!

lenny
lenny

Worksheet

My Academic Playbook: Strategies for Success

Name: _________________________ Date: _____________

Instructions: Use this playbook to design your winning strategies for academic challenges. Think like a coach building a game plan!

Section 1: Identify Your Opponent (Academic Challenge)

What is ONE specific academic challenge you are currently facing or anticipate facing soon? Be specific (e.g., a challenging subject, a big project, managing multiple assignments).

My Opponent:











Section 2: Draft Your Plays (Strategies)

Based on our discussion of executive functioning skills (Planning, Organizing, Time Management, Self-Monitoring), choose at least TWO strategies (plays) you will use to tackle your identified challenge. Describe how you will implement each play in detail.

Play 1:

Skill Focus (e.g., Planning, Organizing, Time Management, Self-Monitoring): _________________________

My Strategy (How I will use this skill to beat my opponent):











Play 2:

Skill Focus (e.g., Planning, Organizing, Time Management, Self-Monitoring): _________________________

My Strategy (How I will use this skill to beat my opponent):











(Optional) Play 3:

Skill Focus (e.g., Planning, Organizing, Time Management, Self-Monitoring): _________________________

My Strategy (How I will use this skill to beat my opponent):











Section 3: One Play Promise (Cool Down)

What ONE study skill or executive functioning strategy from your playbook will you commit to trying this week? How do you think this 'play' will help you win your academic season? (This can be the same as one of your plays above or a new one you just thought of!)

My One Play Promise:





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lenny

Cool Down

One Play Promise: What's Your Next Move?

Instructions: Before you leave, take a moment to reflect on what we discussed and the strategies you explored in your Worksheet: My Academic Playbook.

What ONE study skill or executive functioning strategy will you commit to trying to implement this week? How do you think this 'play' will help you win your academic season?

Write your 'One Play Promise' in the dedicated section at the bottom of your Worksheet: My Academic Playbook and be prepared to share if called upon!






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lenny