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Life After High School: Skills Checklist

Lesson Plan

Life After High School: Skills Checklist

Students and their families will collaboratively identify and prioritize essential life skills for successful independent living at home or in the community post-high school, developing a personalized action plan.

Planning for life after high school can be overwhelming, especially for students with special needs. This lesson helps families proactively identify and address critical life skills, empowering students for greater independence and success in their chosen living arrangement.

Audience

12th Grade Special Education Student & Parents

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion and collaborative checklist creation.

Materials

Life After High School: Skills Checklist Slide Deck, and Parent-Teacher Conference Life Skills Checklist

Prep

Review Materials

10 minutes

Review the Life After High School: Skills Checklist Slide Deck and the Parent-Teacher Conference Life Skills Checklist to familiarize yourself with the content and discussion points. Make copies of the checklist for the student and parents.

Step 1

Welcome and Introduction (5 minutes)

5 minutes

Welcome the student and parents. Briefly introduce the purpose of the conference: to collaboratively plan for life after high school by identifying key life skills. Use the Life After High School: Skills Checklist Slide Deck for a visual introduction.

Step 2

Understanding Post-High School Goals (5 minutes)

5 minutes

Facilitate a discussion about the student's current thoughts and dreams for after high school, specifically regarding living arrangements (at home or in the community). Ask open-ended questions about what they envision their daily life looking like.

Step 3

Introducing the Life Skills Checklist (10 minutes)

10 minutes

Distribute the Parent-Teacher Conference Life Skills Checklist. Explain that this checklist will help identify important skills for successful living. Go through each section, prompting discussion and encouraging the student and parents to mark skills they feel are strong, developing, or need support. Emphasize that this is a collaborative process, not a test.

Step 4

Prioritizing and Planning (8 minutes)

8 minutes

Based on the completed checklist, guide the family in identifying 2-3 top priority life skills to focus on in the coming months. Brainstorm initial ideas for how these skills can be developed (e.g., specific tasks at home, community programs, school resources).

Step 5

Next Steps and Support (2 minutes)

2 minutes

Summarize the prioritized skills and agreed-upon next steps. Reassure the family of ongoing support from the school. Provide contact information for any follow-up questions.

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Slide Deck

Welcome! Planning for the Future

Today we will:

  • Discuss dreams for after high school
  • Identify important life skills
  • Create a personalized plan for success!

Welcome parents and student. Briefly introduce the purpose of the conference: to collaboratively plan for life after high school by identifying key life skills. Emphasize it's a supportive discussion.

Your Future, Your Way

Let's talk about:

  • What do you want to do after high school?
  • Where do you want to live? (At home or in the community)
  • What does a successful day look like to you?

Prompt discussion: "What are your dreams for after high school? Where do you see yourself living? What does a typical day look like?" Encourage the student to share first.

What Skills Do We Need?

Living independently means having lots of different skills!

  • Daily Living Skills
  • Community Skills
  • Social & Emotional Skills
  • Health & Safety Skills

We'll use a checklist to explore these together!

Introduce the idea of life skills for independence. Explain that the checklist is a tool to help, not a test. "We're going to use a special checklist to help us think about all the amazing skills you already have and some new ones you might want to learn for living independently."

Prioritizing & Planning for Success

Based on our discussion, we will:

  • Choose 2-3 important life skills to focus on.
  • Brainstorm ways to practice these skills.
  • Discuss resources and support available.

Explain that after completing the checklist (which will be a separate document), the focus is on choosing a few key areas to work on. "We'll look at the checklist and pick 2-3 skills that feel most important to focus on right now. Then we'll brainstorm some ideas for how to practice them."

Next Steps & Support

We'll continue to support your student!

  • Review our plan together.
  • Connect you with resources.
  • Answer any questions.

Let's make a great future happen!

Thank the family for their participation. Reiterate school support. Provide contact info for follow-up. "Thank you for this valuable conversation. We're here to support you every step of the way. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions."

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