Lesson Plan
Skills Snapshot
Students will explore key career-ready skills through a quick quiz, an interactive teamwork challenge, and a personal reflection to identify their strengths and areas for growth.
Understanding and practicing essential work skills—like communication, collaboration, and problem-solving—prepares students for future academic and career success, boosts self-awareness, and fosters teamwork.
Audience
8th Grade
Time
50 minutes
Approach
Interactive quiz, team-building game, and personal reflection.
Materials
Got Skills? Presentation, Quick Skill Quiz, Teamwork Tower Challenge, Skill Self-Check, and Building Blocks or Plastic Cups
Prep
Prepare Materials
10 minutes
- Review Got Skills? Presentation
- Print one copy of Quick Skill Quiz for each student
- Gather enough Building Blocks or Plastic Cups for student teams for the Teamwork Tower Challenge
- Print one copy of Skill Self-Check for each student
Step 1
Warm-Up Quiz
5 minutes
- Distribute the Quick Skill Quiz to each student
- Instruct students to complete the 5-question quiz independently
- Collect quizzes for a quick class summary of common strengths/challenges
Step 2
Skills Overview
5 minutes
- Project the Got Skills? Presentation
- Define and discuss 4–5 key work skills (e.g., communication, teamwork, problem-solving)
- Ask for student examples of when they’ve used these skills
Step 3
Teamwork Tower Challenge
20 minutes
- Divide students into teams of 4–5
- Explain the goal: build the tallest free-standing tower using only blocks or cups
- Encourage teams to assign roles (designer, builder, communicator)
- Circulate to observe and prompt reflection on teamwork and communication strategies
Step 4
Self-Check Reflection
10 minutes
- Hand out the Skill Self-Check
- Students rate their performance on each skill observed during the challenge
- Prompt them to write one action they can take to strengthen a weaker skill
Step 5
Class Debrief
10 minutes
- Facilitate group sharing: each team highlights one success and one challenge
- Discuss how different skills contributed to outcomes
- Summarize and encourage students to set a personal goal for skill development
Slide Deck
Got Skills?
Identifying and Practicing Career-Ready Skills
Grade 8 • 50 minutes
Welcome students! Today we’ll explore important skills you already use every day and practice them through a fun team challenge. Get ready to discover your strengths and set goals for growth.
Objectives
• Explore four key work skills
• Practice teamwork in a hands-on challenge
• Reflect on personal strengths and areas to improve
• Set a goal for your next steps
Read each objective aloud and connect them to what they already know. Emphasize that these skills help in school, sports, hobbies, and future jobs.
Agenda
- Warm-Up Quiz (5 min)
- Skills Overview (5 min)
- Teamwork Tower Challenge (20 min)
- Self-Check Reflection (10 min)
- Class Debrief & Goal-Setting (10 min)
Quickly walk through today’s agenda and keep an eye on the timer. Students should know what’s coming next.
Key Work Skills
Communication
• Sharing ideas clearly & listening actively
Teamwork
• Collaborating, sharing roles, helping each other
Problem-Solving
• Finding solutions when obstacles arise
Time Management
• Planning and using time wisely
Introduce each skill with a real-life example. Ask volunteers to share times they've used these skills.
Teamwork Tower Challenge
• Build the tallest free-standing tower using only blocks or cups
• You have 20 minutes
• Assign roles: Designer, Builder, Communicator
• Observe and adjust your teamwork strategies
Explain the challenge rules and encourage teams to assign roles (designer, builder, communicator). Circulate and prompt them to reflect on how they’re using each skill.
Self-Check Reflection
• Hand out the Skill Self-Check
• Rate yourself on each skill from the challenge
• Write one action you’ll take to improve your weakest skill
Distribute the Skill Self-Check sheet. Model how to rate one skill and write an action step.
Class Debrief & Goal-Setting
• Each team shares:
– One success
– One challenge
• Discuss which skills mattered most
• Set a personal goal for skill development
Lead a whole-class discussion. Ask one representative per team to share a success and a challenge. Then help students turn insights into personal goals.
Warm Up
Quick Skill Quiz
Test your understanding of key work skills! Choose the best answer for each question.
- Which skill involves sharing ideas clearly and listening to others?
A. Problem-Solving
B. Communication
C. Time Management
D. Teamwork - When you work well with classmates, share roles evenly, and support one another, which skill are you using?
A. Leadership
B. Teamwork
C. Organization
D. Creativity - Finding different ways to fix a problem, like trying new strategies when a solution doesn’t work, demonstrates which skill?
A. Problem-Solving
B. Communication
C. Time Management
D. Adaptability - Prioritizing your tasks and planning how to use your time to meet a deadline shows which skill?
A. Time Management
B. Teamwork
C. Problem-Solving
D. Critical Thinking - Which of the following scenarios is NOT an example of teamwork?
A. Dividing tasks among group members
B. Brainstorming ideas together
C. Completing a project entirely on your own
D. Helping teammates when they struggle
Answer Key: 1. B 2. B 3. A 4. A 5. C
Game
Teamwork Tower Challenge
Objective:
Students will collaborate to build the tallest free-standing tower using limited materials, practicing key work skills: teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and time management.
Materials:
- Building blocks, plastic cups, or similar stackable items (20–30 per team)
- Timer or stopwatch
- Ruler or measuring tape (for tower height)
Setup:
- Divide the class into teams of 4–5 students.
- Provide each team with an equal set of materials and a workspace.
- Assign timekeeper to each group (or use a central timer).
Roles (suggested):
- Designer: Sketchs or visualizes the tower structure and makes design decisions.
- Builder: Assembles the tower according to the plan.
- Communicator: Shares ideas, checks group understanding, and negotiates any changes.
- Timekeeper: Monitors the countdown and reminds the team of remaining time.
Game Rules:
- You have 20 minutes to build a free-standing tower—no tape, glue, or outside supports.
- The tower must stand on its own for at least 10 seconds to count.
- Teams may reorganize roles at any time, but everyone should stay engaged.
- If the tower collapses, you can rebuild, but time continues to run.
- At the end of 20 minutes, measure each tower’s height. The tallest valid tower wins.
Reflection Prompts (post-challenge):
- What communication strategies helped your team work effectively?
- Describe one problem your team faced and how you solved it.
- How did time management impact your final design?
- Which role did you play, and what skills did you practice most?
- One action our team could take next time to improve collaboration is:
Cool Down
Skill Self-Check
Use this sheet to rate your performance on each skill during the Teamwork Tower Challenge and to set a goal for improvement.
Part 1: Rate Your Skills
Rate yourself on each skill from 1 (Needs Improvement) to 5 (Excellent).
| Skill | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Communication | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
| Teamwork | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
| Problem-Solving | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
| Time Management | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
| Adaptability | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
Part 2: Reflection Questions
- Which skill did you rate highest and why?
- Which skill do you want to improve and why?
- What is one specific action you will take to strengthen this skill before our next challenge?
- How will you track your progress and remind yourself to practice this skill?
- Additional Notes or Insights: