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The Great Juggling Act

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Lesson Plan

The Great Juggling Act Lesson Plan

Students will be able to prioritize a list of tasks based on urgency and importance.

Learning to prioritize helps students manage their time effectively, reduce stress, and successfully complete assignments, fostering essential life skills for academic and personal success.

Audience

7th Grade Students

Time

15 minutes

Approach

Through discussion and an interactive activity, students will learn and apply task prioritization strategies.

Materials

The Great Juggling Act Slide Deck, and What to Do First? Matrix Activity

Prep

Prepare Materials

5 minutes

Step 1

Connect to Prior Knowledge: What's on Your Plate?

3 minutes

  • Display the first slide of the The Great Juggling Act Slide Deck.
    - Ask students: "How many of you ever feel like you have too much to do? Raise your hand if you've ever had homework, chores, sports, and friends all demanding your attention at the same time!"
    - Facilitate a brief discussion, allowing a few students to share their experiences with feeling overwhelmed by multiple tasks.

Step 2

Introduce New Concept: The Urgency/Importance Matrix

4 minutes

  • Transition to the next slides in the The Great Juggling Act Slide Deck to introduce the concept of prioritization.
    - Explain the Urgency/Importance Matrix as a tool for deciding what to do first. Define 'Urgent' (needs immediate attention) and 'Important' (matters significantly for goals/values).
    - Walk through examples of tasks for each quadrant (e.g., Q1: urgent & important - studying for a test tomorrow; Q2: important but not urgent - planning a long-term project; Q3: urgent but not important - answering a non-critical text message; Q4: neither urgent nor important - mindless scrolling on social media).

Step 3

Guided Practice: Classify Together

3 minutes

  • Display the next slide with a few example tasks. As a class, decide where each task would fit on the Urgency/Importance Matrix.
    - Encourage students to justify their reasoning. Guide them through the thought process of assessing both urgency and importance for each task.

Step 4

Independent Application: Your Own Juggling Act

4 minutes

  • Distribute the What to Do First? Matrix Activity worksheet.
    - Instruct students to list 3-5 tasks they currently have (school, home, personal) and then place them into the appropriate quadrants on their worksheet.
    - Circulate the room to provide support and answer questions as students work independently.

Step 5

Reflect and Share: Quick Check-in

1 minute

  • Ask students to briefly share one task they identified as 'Urgent & Important' and why.
    - Conclude by emphasizing that practicing prioritization can help them feel more in control and less stressed. "This tool is here to help you tame your juggling act!"
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Slide Deck

The Great Juggling Act

What to Do When Everything Is Due at Once!

Welcome students and set an engaging tone. Ask a rhetorical question about feeling overwhelmed with tasks to connect with their experiences.

Feeling Overwhelmed?

Ever feel like you have too much on your plate?
Homework, chores, sports, friends... all at once?

Prompt students to think about their own busy schedules. Allow a few to share examples of when they felt overwhelmed by multiple demands.

Taming the Chaos: Prioritization!

When you have lots to do, how do you decide what comes first?
Today, we'll learn a super helpful trick to manage your tasks!

Introduce the main concept: Prioritization. Explain that it's about deciding what needs to be done first.

The Super-Solver Matrix!

Meet the Urgency/Importance Matrix.
It helps you decide what to tackle first!

Urgent: Needs attention NOW (deadlines, immediate issues)
Important: Matters a lot for your goals (grades, well-being, future plans)

Introduce the Urgency/Importance Matrix. Clearly define 'Urgent' and 'Important' for the students.

Quadrant 1: Do It NOW!

Urgent & Important
These are your top priorities!

Example: Studying for a test tomorrow, finishing a project due today.

Explain Quadrant 1 with examples. Emphasize that these are the tasks to focus on immediately.

Quadrant 2: Plan for LATER

Important, Not Urgent
These are big goals you need to schedule.

Example: Planning your science fair project, practicing an instrument for a recital next month.

Explain Quadrant 2 with examples. Highlight that these are crucial for long-term success but don't require immediate action.

Quadrant 3: Delegate or Do QUICKLY

Urgent, Not Important
These often feel pressing, but might not matter much in the long run.

Example: Responding to a non-critical text, helping a friend with a small, quick task.

Explain Quadrant 3 with examples. Point out that these can often be delegated or done quickly if truly necessary.

Quadrant 4: Ditch or Delay

Not Urgent, Not Important
These are often distractions. Limit your time here!

Example: Endless scrolling on social media, watching too many random videos.

Explain Quadrant 4 with examples. Suggest minimizing time spent on these activities.

Let's Practice! Where Does This Go?

You have a math homework assignment due next week.

Is it Urgent? Is it Important?
Which Quadrant would you put it in? Why?

Engage students in a guided practice. Present a task and ask them to discuss which quadrant it belongs to and why.

Your Own Juggling Act!

Now it's your turn!
On your worksheet, write down 3-5 tasks you have coming up.
Then, decide where each task fits in the Urgency/Importance Matrix.

Explain the independent activity and introduce the worksheet. Remind them to think about their own tasks.

You've Got This!

Using this matrix can help you feel:
✅ More organized
✅ Less stressed
✅ In control of your tasks

What's one thing you'll put in the 'Do It NOW!' box today?

Conclude the lesson by reinforcing the main idea and empowering students to use the tool. Ask for a brief share out.

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Activity

What to Do First? Your Personal Prioritization Matrix

Sometimes it feels like you have a million things to do, and it's hard to know where to start! This activity will help you sort through your tasks using the Urgency/Importance Matrix we just discussed.

Part 1: List Your Tasks

Think about all the things you need to do in the next few days or weeks. These could be school assignments, chores, club activities, or personal goals. List 3-5 tasks below.

  1. ___________________________________________________________



  2. ___________________________________________________________



  3. ___________________________________________________________



  4. ___________________________________________________________



  5. ___________________________________________________________



Part 2: Place Your Tasks in the Matrix

Now, for each task you listed above, decide if it's Urgent (needs to happen soon) and Important (really matters for your goals). Then, write each task in the correct box of the matrix below.

The Urgency/Importance Matrix

UrgentNot Urgent
ImportantQuadrant 1: Do It NOW!Quadrant 2: Plan for LATER
(Tasks that are due soon AND really matter)(Tasks that really matter, but aren't due soon)
























Not ImportantQuadrant 3: Delegate or Do QUICKLYQuadrant 4: Ditch or Delay
(Tasks that need attention soon, but don't matter much)(Tasks that don't matter much and aren't due soon)
























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