Summary
In Leadership Club, students will explore aspects of leadership and event management through designing, planning, and executing a variety of engaging student and family events. Students will improve leadership skills such as teamwork, communication, problem-solving, decision-making, and creativity as they take on various roles and responsibilities. By working with diverse resources, they will learn how to manage tasks, effectively delegate responsibilities, and create memorable experiences for the school community.
Essential Questions
Why are leadership skills important when planning an event?
Learning Goals
Examine the leadership skills involved in organizing an event.
Reflect on personal leadership skills, strengths, and areas for development.
Snapshot
Engage
Students create an initial list of steps that should be taken to organize an event.
Explore
Students analyze scenarios and discuss details that should be considered when organizing an event.
Explain
Students connect different leadership skills with the stages of event planning.
Extend
Students begin organizing an event by brainstorming the details of an event, completing an event planning timeline, and delegating tasks.
Evaluate
Students reflect on leadership skills they currently possess and leadership skills they want to further develop.
Materials List
Activity Slides (attached)
Analyzing the Scenario handout (attached; one per group)
Scenario Cards (attached; one card per group)
Leadership Skills Card Sort handout (attached; one set per group)
Cornell Notes Template handout (attached; one per student)
Brainstorming Document handout (attached; one per student)
Event Timeline handout (attached; one per student)
Optional Materials List
Portable PA system(s) (optional)
Stage and studio equipment case (optional)
Wireless microphone system (optional)
Wired Cardioid Handheld Dynamic Lead Vocal Stage Microphones (optional)
Mic Cables (optional)
Utility Cart/ Push cart (optional)
Project Pattern Pack: Toys and Games (optional)
Classroom set of Atomic Habits (optional)
Guillotine Paper Cutter (optional)
Chomp Cutter Bundle (optional)
Atlas Obscura (optional)
Backdrop stand/ Poster boards for displays (optional)
Cardstock/ bulletin board letters and borders (optional)
Variety of indoor/outdoor games (Blokus, giant Jenga, giant chess, escape room kits, giant checkers, sudoku kits, pickle ball sets, dominoes) (optional)
Projector screens (optional)
Portable projectors (optional)
Variety of arts and crafts/ building materials (popsicle sticks, glitter, glue gun, straws, gift bags, toothpicks, pipe cleaners, Legos, K’nex sets, dowl rods) (optional)
Robotic kits (optional)
Polaroid now instant camera and film (optional)
Podcast set (optional)
Decorative lights (optional)
Engage
15 Minute(s)
Using the attached Activity Slides, display slide 3 and slide 4 to review the essential question and lesson objectives with students.
Transition to slide 5. Show students the pictures of different events taking place. Facilitate a whole-class conversation over the following questions: What is happening in each of these photos? Where are these photos taking place? Who is there?
Move to slide 6 and have students take out a piece of paper. Have students participate in a Collective Brain Dump and respond to the question on the slide, “What are the steps you need to take to organize an event?”
Begin the four-minute timer and have students individually write as many responses to the question as possible.
Display slide 7 and arrange students into small groups of three or four. Have group members share their responses with each other and add new ideas to their lists.
Invite each group to share a few responses from their lists. As groups share, record their responses on the board to create a collective list of steps that must be taken to organize an event. Fill in any gaps in student knowledge or add any important information that students have not yet stated.
Explore
15 Minute(s)
Organize students into four groups and distribute one of the attached Scenario Cards sets and one copy of the attached Analyzing the Scenario handout to each group. Ensure that each group receives a different Scenario Card.
Move to slide 8 and introduce the modified version of the 5W Cube instructional strategy. Tell students that they must determine what is necessary to organize their given scenario. Have students work in groups to respond to the following questions on the Analyzing the Scenario handout:
Who is needed to organize this event?
What materials and supplies are needed for this event?
When should this event take place?
Where should this event take place?
Why is this event being organized?
How will you measure success for this event?
Allow groups time to complete their handouts, then display slide 9. Use the following guiding questions on the slide to facilitate a whole-class discussion:
How far in advance do you think you should start planning an event?
Do you think some of the 5W prompts are more important than others?
Explain
30 Minute(s)
Display slide 10 and discuss the following questions with students:
How do you and your family learn about events at your school?
Do you and your family regularly check emails from your school?
Do you ever notice any flyers around your school or in your classrooms that promote school events?
Do you attend all or most events at your school that you hear about?
Pass out the attached Cornell Notes Template handout to each student and review the Cornell Notes System instructional strategy. Review the questions on the handout and explain to students that they should take notes over the following video.
Move to slide 11 and play the video 10 Step School Event Checklist to Rock Your Next Event. Stop the video at the 6:34 minute marker.
Summarize the main points of the video and stress the importance of setting a goal and purpose for an event. Explain the importance of promoting and advertising to a specific audience. Allow students time to finish their notes.
Display slide 12 and pose the question, “What leadership skills do you think you need to organize an event?”
As students respond, guide them to understand that a variety of people with different skills are necessary to successfully organize an event.
Transition to slide 13 and distribute one set of cards from the attached Leadership Skills Card Sort resource to each group. Review the stages of organizing an event. Explain to students that during each stage of organization those planning the event must possess and practice certain leadership skills.
Have students lay the category cards from their Leadership Skills Card Sort sets in a straight line. Tell students that the sorting cards include twelve different leadership skills with a description of each. Review each leadership skill sorting card with students to ensure that they understand the skill.
Have group members work together to decide which leadership skill sorting cards should be placed under each category card. Circulate the room as students work, offering help or encouragement as needed.
Display slide 14 and have students discuss the following questions in their groups:
Were there any leadership skills that fit under multiple steps? If so, discuss these skills and which steps could use them.
Do you think you have some of these leadership skills?
How could you use what you learned during this activity to help organize an event?
Invite groups to share out their responses and summarize their thoughts.
Extend
35 Minute(s)
Display slide 15 and distribute one copy of both the attached Brainstorming Document and Event Timeline handouts to each student.
Preview each stage of the event planning process on the Brainstorming Document. As a whole class, brainstorm ideas for each stage.
Evaluate
10 Minute(s)
Move to slide 16 and ask students to take out a piece of paper. Review the Two Stars and A Wish instructional strategy with students.
Have students reflect on the leadership skills they discussed during this activity. Ask students to write down two leadership skills they currently use or will use when organizing their event. Next, have them record one leadership skill they would like to improve upon or develop during the process of organizing an event.
Research Rationale
One of the most notable benefits of club participation for high school students is the opportunity these environments afford students to acquire and practice skills that are not purely academic, but are especially relevant to success beyond high school (Solberg et al., 2020). Such skills include research, customer service, project management, persuasion, social-emotional learning (SEL) skills, cognitive strategies, or others under the label of “21st-Century Skills,” which are useful in navigating the social strata of college and the workplace (Solberg et al., 2020; Allen et al., 2019; Levine, 2016; Rutledge et al., 2015; Kronholz, 2012). More specifically, research suggests that an emphasis on skill development in club settings contributes to students’ development of skills that will prepare them for college and careers (Durlak et al., 2010; Hurd & Deutsch, 2017). Students can practice these skills in many types of clubs, but research has shown that clubs with intentional design and explicit curriculum embedded into their programs produce a higher rate of benefits (Durlak et al., 2010; Hurd & Deutsch, 2017). The usual benefits of reduced delinquency, increased academic achievement, and improved mental health persist to a more substantial degree in these conditions as students develop the skill sets of focus in the curriculum (Durlak et al., 2010; Hurd & Deutsch, 2017). Club design should emphasize student-centered activities and build supportive relationships among peers and between youth and faculty members (Afterschool Alliance, 2017; Solberg, 2020). Through a carefully designed curriculum that overlays the traditional club structure, students stand to significantly benefit as they work toward their future.
Resources
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