My Starting Checklist Adventure

Lindsey Le Vie

Tier 1

Lesson Plan

Checklist Champions Lesson

Students will learn to use a starting checklist to break down multi-step tasks and initiate them independently, improving their organization and self-monitoring skills.

Learning to start tasks independently and stay organized is a vital life skill that helps students succeed in school and beyond. This lesson provides a practical tool to build confidence and reduce frustration.

Audience

2nd Grade

Time

45 minutes

Approach

Interactive lesson, game, reading, and checklist application.

Materials

Your Adventure Start List (slide-deck), My Task Initiation Checklist (worksheet), Checklist Challenge Race (game), and The Little Engine Who Started (reading)

Prep

Prepare Materials

15 minutes

Review the Checklist Champions Lesson plan.
- Load the Your Adventure Start List slide deck.
- Print copies of the My Task Initiation Checklist worksheet for each student.
- Prepare materials for the Checklist Challenge Race game (e.g., small, multi-step tasks like sorting shapes, building a simple Lego model, or drawing a picture with specific steps).
- Have the The Little Engine Who Started reading ready to share with the class.

Step 1

Warm-Up: Brainstorming Tasks

5 minutes

Ask students: "What's a task that sometimes feels tricky to start?" (e.g., cleaning your room, starting homework, getting ready for school).
- Introduce the idea that we sometimes need a plan to get started.

Step 2

Introduction to Checklists

10 minutes

Use the Your Adventure Start List slide deck to introduce the concept of a checklist.
- Explain how checklists help us remember steps and get tasks done.
- Show examples of simple checklists (e.g., packing a lunch, morning routine).

Step 3

Modeling a Starting Checklist

10 minutes

Distribute the My Task Initiation Checklist worksheet.
- Model how to create a simple checklist for a familiar multi-step task (e.g., drawing a specific animal, tidying a desk).
- Emphasize breaking tasks into small, manageable steps.

Step 4

Checklist Challenge Race Game

10 minutes

Divide students into small groups.
- Introduce the Checklist Challenge Race game.
- Each group gets a multi-step task and uses their checklists to complete it.
- Observe and provide support as students use their checklists.

Step 5

Reading & Reflection

5 minutes

Read The Little Engine Who Started to the class.
- Discuss how the characters used perseverance and planning (like a checklist!) to achieve their goals.

Step 6

Cool Down: Share Your Strategy

5 minutes

Ask students to share one task they think a starting checklist could help them with this week.
- Briefly review the benefits of using a checklist.

Slide Deck

Your Adventure Start List

Ready to conquer any task?

Welcome students and get them ready for a fun lesson on getting started with tasks. Ask them what kinds of adventures they like.

Big Tasks, Small Steps

Do you ever have a task that feels HUGE?
Like cleaning your room or starting homework?
Sometimes, it's tricky to know where to begin!

Ask students to share tasks that sometimes feel big or hard to begin. Encourage a few different examples.

Meet Your Secret Weapon: The Checklist!

What if there was a way to make big tasks feel smaller and easier to start?
Meet the STARTING CHECKLIST!
It's like a map for your brain.

Introduce the idea of a checklist. Explain it as a 'secret weapon' for starting things.

How Does a Checklist Work?

A checklist breaks down a big task into tiny, easy steps.
You do one step, then you check it off!
Then you do the next step, and check it off!
Soon, the whole task is DONE!

Show a simple, relatable example of a checklist. Maybe a morning routine or packing a backpack.

Why Use a Checklist?

Helps you remember all the steps
2. Keeps you organized
3. Makes starting easier
4. Shows you how much you've accomplished!

Explain the benefits of using a checklist: it helps you remember, stay organized, and feel good when you check things off.

Your Turn: Create Your Own Adventure Start List!

Today, we're going to create our own "Adventure Start Lists"!
We'll pick a task and break it down into steps.
Then, we'll become Checklist Champions!

Introduce the worksheet and explain that they will practice making their own. Connect it to an "adventure."

You Are a Task Initiator!

With your starting checklist, you can tackle any adventure!
"I think I can, I think I can, I KNOW I can!"

Conclude by reiterating the power of checklists for starting tasks and empowering them to be task initiators.

Worksheet

My Task Initiation Checklist

Name: _________________________

Date: _________________________

My Adventure Today:

(What is the big task you want to start?)

Break It Down!

Now, let's break your big task into smaller, easier steps. What do you need to do FIRST? Then next?

Use this checklist to plan your adventure! When you finish a step, put a checkmark (✔️) in the box.

Step 1:

[ ] Done!
Step 2:

[ ] Done!
Step 3:

[ ] Done!
Step 4:

[ ] Done!
Step 5:

[ ] Done!
Step 6:

[ ] Done!

Reflection Time!

Was it easier to start your task with a checklist? Why or why not?
What was one step on your checklist that felt good to check off?
When else could you use a starting checklist at school or at home?

Game

Checklist Challenge Race!

Goal: To be the first team to successfully complete a multi-step task using a starting checklist!

Materials Needed Per Group:

One My Task Initiation Checklist worksheet
Pencil
A pre-prepared multi-step task (e.g., building a simple Lego model, drawing a picture with 4-5 specific steps, sorting a mixed pile of classroom items into labeled containers).

Instructions:

Divide into Teams: The teacher will divide the class into small teams (2-4 students per team).
Receive Your Challenge: Each team will receive a mystery multi-step task and one My Task Initiation Checklist worksheet. Do NOT start the task yet!
Plan Your Strategy (5 minutes): As a team, look at your challenge. Together, fill out your My Task Initiation Checklist. Break down the big task into small, clear steps. Make sure everyone on your team agrees on the steps.
The Race Begins! Once the teacher says "Go!", your team can start working on the task.
Check It Off! As soon as your team completes a step, one member should check it off on your team's My Task Initiation Checklist.
Teamwork: Everyone on the team should help with the steps. You can assign different steps to different people, or work together on each one.
Finish Line: The first team to complete all the steps on their checklist and finish the task yells "Checklist Champions!"
Review: The teacher will check the winning team's completed task and their checklist to make sure all steps were followed and checked off.

Discussion after the Race:

Which steps were the easiest to break down?
Did your checklist help you stay organized?
What would have happened if you didn't make a checklist first?

Reading

The Little Engine Who Started

Once upon a time, in a bright, busy station, lived a little blue engine named Sparky. Sparky loved watching the big, shiny engines zoom off with their long trains. But whenever it was his turn to pull a train, a tiny worry cloud would appear above his smokestack.

"Oh dear," he would sigh, looking at the long line of cars. "This train is so long! Where do I even begin?" He had to connect the cars, fill his water tank, check his coal, and make sure the brakes were all set. It felt like a hundred things!

One sunny morning, the Station Master, a kind old woman with a wise smile, saw Sparky looking overwhelmed.

"What's the matter, Sparky?" she asked softly.

"It's just so much, Station Master!" Sparky puffed. "How do the big engines know where to start?"

The Station Master chuckled. "They don't just know, Sparky. They have a plan! It's like a special list in their minds, or sometimes even on a clipboard. They break the big job into small, tiny steps."

She pulled out a small notepad. "Let's make one for your train!"

"First, you need to connect the engine to the first car," she wrote. "Then, check the water tank."

Sparky watched, his eyes wide. "And then fill the coal bin!" he added, feeling a spark of an idea.

"Exactly!" said the Station Master, writing it down. "And after that, check all the brakes on the cars."

Soon, they had a short, clear list. Sparky looked at it. It didn't look so scary anymore. It looked like... an adventure map!

"I think I can, I think I can!" Sparky whispered, and for the first time, he felt it.

He chugged over to his train, looking at his new list.

Connect the engine to the first car. Chug-a-chug! Done! He gave a little whistle of triumph as he checked it off in his mind.
Check the water tank. He carefully inspected it. Done! Another mental check.
Fill the coal bin. He worked hard, shoveling the coal until it was full. Done! He was really doing it!
Check all the brakes on the cars. He went down the line, making sure each brake was ready. Done! He almost shouted with joy.

Now, all his cars were connected, his fuel was ready, and his brakes were safe. The big, scary train was no longer a big, scary train. It was a series of easy, done steps.

"All aboard!" called the Station Master.

Sparky took a deep breath, released his brakes, and with a mighty puff, started to pull the train out of the station. "I knew I could! I knew I could!" he chuffed, carrying his passengers happily down the tracks. From that day on, Sparky always made his starting list, and every adventure began with confidence and a clear plan.