Lesson Plan

Plan to Succeed Lesson Plan

Students will learn to organize materials, manage time, and effectively use a planner through interactive lessons and practice activities, preparing them for a successful start to high school.

Strong organizational and time-management skills boost academic success, reduce stress, and support executive functioning, especially for students with diverse learning needs.

Audience

Incoming 9th Grade Students

Time

45 minutes

Approach

Interactive mini-lesson with discussions, hands-on activities, and reflection.

Materials

Plan to Succeed Slide Deck, Organization Discussion Prompts, Daily Planner Template, Time-Management Scenario Cards, and Cool-Down Organizer Worksheet

Prep

Review and Prepare Materials

10 minutes

Review Plan to Succeed Slide Deck
Print and cut Time-Management Scenario Cards
Make copies of Daily Planner Template
Prepare sets of Organization Discussion Prompts
Copy Cool-Down Organizer Worksheet
Organize seating to support group work and provide graphic organizers for students with IEPs/ELL needs

Step 1

Introduction

5 minutes

Welcome students and state the session goal
Display agenda on Plan to Succeed Slide Deck slide 1
Ask students about past organization challenges to activate prior knowledge

Step 2

Mini-Lesson: Organizational Tools Overview

10 minutes

Present the three key tools (organization, time management, planner use) using slides 2–6
Use clear visuals and simple language for early 8th grade reading level
Check understanding with quick thumbs-up/thumbs-down prompts

Step 3

Group Discussion

8 minutes

Form groups of 3–4 students
Distribute Organization Discussion Prompts
Provide sentence starters or graphic organizers for students with IEPs/ELL needs
Groups discuss prompts and share one insight with the class

Step 4

Activity & Game: Planner Practice

17 minutes

Hand out Daily Planner Template and sample tasks list
Students fill in their planner with tasks, deadlines, and priorities
Introduce Time-Management Scenario Cards: each group plans a timeline for their card
Rotate cards every 5 minutes; support students by modeling the timeline process

Step 5

Cool-Down Reflection

5 minutes

Distribute Cool-Down Organizer Worksheet
Students write one thing they learned and one personal organization goal
Invite volunteers to share reflections
Reinforce the importance of daily planning and praise students’ efforts

Slide Deck

Plan to Succeed

Back-to-School Organization Tools
45-Minute Session

Agenda:
• Introduction
• Tools Overview
• Video Clip
• Discussion
• Planner Activity
• Reflection

Welcome everyone! Introduce yourself and state today’s goal: learn tools to stay organized, manage time, and use a planner. Point to the agenda. Ask students to share one past organization challenge.

Objectives

By the end of this session, you will be able to:
• Organize school materials effectively
• Manage your time and set priorities
• Use a planner to track tasks and deadlines

Read each objective aloud. Ask students to give a thumbs-up if they understand. Emphasize how these skills help in high school.

Key Organizational Tools

Organization
– Keep materials in labeled folders or binders
Time Management
– Break tasks into steps and set deadlines
Planner Use
– Write down assignments, tests, and reminders

Introduce the three tools one by one. After each, check understanding with a quick thumbs-up/thumbs-down. Use simple examples.

Play this 5-minute video showing real student tips on staying organized. Pause at the halfway point to ask: “Which tip stood out to you?” Then resume and look for additional strategies students can use.

Group Discussion

Discuss these prompts:
• What problems have you had keeping track of homework?
• How do you organize your backpack or locker?
• What is your biggest time-management challenge?

Share one idea with the class.

Divide into groups of 3–4. Hand out discussion prompts and sentence starters. Circulate to support ELL/IEP needs. After 5 minutes, ask one group to share an insight.

Using Your Planner

List today’s classes and assignments
Note due dates and test dates
Prioritize tasks: High, Medium, Low
Add personal reminders (e.g., sports, chores)

Show the blank planner and a sample filled planner. Model entering today’s tasks, deadlines, and priorities. Emphasize legible writing and using colors or symbols.

Time-Management Game

• Group receives a scenario card
• Plan a schedule: start, tasks, breaks, finish
• Rotate cards every 5 minutes
• Compare timelines and choose the best plan

Explain the game rules: each group gets a scenario card, plans a timeline on the back, then rotates. Model one example. Remind students to think about start time, durations, and break times.

Reflection & Goal Setting

On your worksheet:

Write one new thing you learned today
Set one personal organization goal

Volunteers: share your goal with the class!

Distribute the reflection worksheet. Ask students to write one thing they learned and one goal they will set. Invite volunteers to share. Praise their ideas and remind them to use these tools daily.

Discussion

Organization Discussion Prompts

Directions for Small Groups (3–4 students)

Assign roles: Reader, Recorder, Timekeeper, Speaker.
Take turns reading each prompt aloud.
Discuss your ideas. The Recorder writes key points.
Use the graphic organizer below to structure your answers.
At the end, the Speaker shares one insight with the class.

Graphic Organizer

Prompt	My Ideas (bullet points)	Question for Classmates
1. What problems have you had keeping track of homework?	•	•
	•	•

2. How do you organize your backpack or locker?	•	•
	•	•

3. What is your biggest time-management challenge?	•	•
	•	•

Sentence Starters

I’ve noticed that…
One challenge for me is…
In the past, I tried…
A strategy that might help is…
I wonder if…

Possible Follow-Up Questions

Why do you think that strategy worked or didn’t work?
How might you change your locker setup to save time?
What small step can you try tomorrow to manage your tasks better?

Adapted for early 8th grade reading level. Provide extra graphic organizer templates as needed for students with IEPs/ELL.

Activity

Daily Planner Template

Instructions

Use this planner to write your tasks for today. In the table below, write the time, the task, circle the priority, and check the box when you are done.

Time	Task	Priority (Circle one)	Done
		H [ ] · M [ ] · L [ ]	[ ]
		H [ ] · M [ ] · L [ ]	[ ]
		H [ ] · M [ ] · L [ ]	[ ]
		H [ ] · M [ ] · L [ ]	[ ]
		H [ ] · M [ ] · L [ ]	[ ]
		H [ ] · M [ ] · L [ ]	[ ]

Notes / Reminders

Use this space for extra notes or reminders:

Game

Time-Management Scenario Cards

Use these scenario cards in your small groups. On each card, read the scenario and the list of tasks with their estimated durations. Then plan a timeline: write start and end times for each task, include at least one break, and make sure you meet the deadline.

Card 1: After-School Tasks

You get home from school at 3:30 PM. You need to:
• Do math homework – 30 minutes
• Read 20 pages of English – 45 minutes
• Practice the violin – 30 minutes
• Help with dishes – 20 minutes
• Take a snack break – 15 minutes

Deadline: You have to leave for soccer practice at 6:00 PM.