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Ready for the Real World?

Lesson Plan

Real World Readiness Plan

Students will explore and organize their daily routines while assessing and building self-care skills to enhance independence. By the end, students will have mapped an ideal schedule, completed a self-care checklist, and set a personal habit goal.

Developing self-care and routine management is crucial for students’ transition to independence. This lesson empowers 9th graders to take ownership of daily tasks, boosting confidence and readiness for real-world challenges.

Audience

9th Grade Class

Time

60 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussions and hands-on activities to explore and plan routines.

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials & Slides

15 minutes

Step 1

Introduction

10 minutes

  • Welcome students and explain objectives: building independence through daily routines and self-care.
  • Outline the session structure.
  • Facilitate a think–pair–share: “What is one daily task you handle yourself?”

Step 2

Slide Exploration

15 minutes

  • Display Daily Routine Explorer.
  • Guide students through morning, afternoon, and evening routine examples.
  • Invite volunteers to share their routines and discuss time-management tips.

Step 3

Hands-On Timeline Activity

15 minutes

  • Distribute Morning-to-Evening Timeline.
  • In pairs, students map out their ideal daily schedules.
  • Encourage inclusion of self-care breaks: meals, hygiene, rest.

Step 4

Self-Care Checklist Review

10 minutes

  • Hand out Self-Care Checklist.
  • Students mark tasks they already perform vs. tasks they need to develop.
  • Discuss strategies and supports to master new self-care skills.

Step 5

Reflection & Cool-Down

10 minutes

  • Provide One New Habit Reflection.
  • Students write about one self-care habit they want to adopt and outline steps to achieve it.
  • Invite a few students to share their reflections if comfortable.
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Slide Deck

Daily Routine Explorer

Exploring Morning, Afternoon, and Evening Routines to Build Independence

Welcome students to the Daily Routine Explorer. Introduce the purpose: understanding how morning, afternoon, and evening routines support independence and time management.

Why Routines Matter

• Provide structure and predictability
• Help manage time and reduce overwhelm
• Build confidence in self-care tasks
• Prepare you for responsibilities beyond school

Explain why routines are important for managing time, reducing stress, and developing self-care habits.

Morning Routine Examples

6:30 AM – Wake up & make your bed
6:45 AM – Hygiene: brush teeth, wash face
7:00 AM – Breakfast & pack lunch
7:30 AM – Check schedule & gather materials

Walk through a sample morning routine. Encourage students to note which steps they already do and which they’d like to add.

Afternoon Routine Examples

3:00 PM – Snack & decompress
3:30 PM – Homework or study session
4:30 PM – Chores or extracurriculars
5:30 PM – Prepare dinner or help in kitchen

Highlight key afternoon activities and ask for student volunteers to share their own after-school routines.

Evening Routine Examples

6:30 PM – Dinner & family time
7:30 PM – Personal hygiene and self-care
8:00 PM – Pack bag & set out clothes
8:30 PM – Relaxation (reading, stretching)
9:30 PM – Lights out

Discuss the evening routine’s role in winding down and preparing for the next day.

Reflect on Your Own Routine

  1. List three steps you already do independently.
  2. Identify one step you’d like to add or improve.
  3. Turn to a partner and share your list.

Guide students through a quick think–pair–share. Instruct them to reflect on their current routine segments and note one strength and one area to improve.

Next: Map Your Ideal Day

Prepare for the Morning-to-Evening Timeline activity:
• Consider what you saw today
• Think about key self-care moments
• Get ready to draw your perfect routine

Introduce the upcoming Hands-On Timeline Activity. Explain that students will map an ideal daily schedule including self-care breaks.

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Activity

Morning-to-Evening Timeline Activity

Objective: Map out your ideal daily schedule, including key self-care moments, to build time-management skills.

Instructions

  1. Work with a partner to complete the chart below.
  2. For each time block (Morning, Afternoon, Evening), list three activities you’d like to include in your ideal day.
  3. Check the “Self-Care” box if the activity helps you care for yourself (meals, hygiene, rest, exercise).
  4. Feel free to draw small icons or use colors to highlight self-care moments.
Time BlockActivitySelf-Care?
Morning
1. ___________________________________[ ]
2. ___________________________________[ ]
3. ___________________________________[ ]
Afternoon
1. ___________________________________[ ]
2. ___________________________________[ ]
3. ___________________________________[ ]
Evening
1. ___________________________________[ ]
2. ___________________________________[ ]
3. ___________________________________[ ]








Use this space to add any notes or sketches of how you’ll incorporate breaks and self-care throughout the day.

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Worksheet

Self-Care Checklist

Instructions: For each task below, check whether you currently do it regularly or if you’d like to develop this skill.

Self-Care TaskI do this
regularly		I want to
develop this
Morning hygiene (brush teeth, wash face)[ ][ ]
Make my bed[ ][ ]
Eat a healthy breakfast[ ][ ]
Pack my bag for school/day[ ][ ]
Stay hydrated (drink water throughout the day)[ ][ ]
Take short breaks when feeling tired or stressed[ ][ ]
Complete a focused homework/study session[ ][ ]
Help with a chore at home[ ][ ]
Personal hygiene (shower, hair care)[ ][ ]
Prepare a healthy snack or lunch[ ][ ]
Evening wind-down routine (reading, stretching)[ ][ ]
Get 7–9 hours of sleep each night[ ][ ]

Reflection

  1. Which tasks felt easiest for you, and why?




  2. Which tasks do you most want to improve, and what challenges do you face?




  3. Choose one new self-care skill to develop this week. Outline three steps you will take to build this habit:
    a. ____________________________
    b. ____________________________
    c. ____________________________






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Cool Down

One New Habit Reflection

Instructions: Think about one self-care habit you’d like to adopt. Use the prompts below to plan how you will build this habit over the next week.

  1. What is the one new habit I want to develop?





2. Why is this habit important to my daily routine and well-being?





3. Outline three specific steps I will take to build this habit:
a. _____________________________________________________________


b. _____________________________________________________________


c. _____________________________________________________________




4. What challenges might I face, and how will I overcome them?





5. Who can support me in this goal, and how will they help?





6. When and how will I check in on my progress?







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