Summary
This activity is designed to introduce the parents and caregivers of GEAR UP cohort students to the definition and benefits of postsecondary education and provide them with a brief overview of GEAR UP for LIFE services.
Essential Question
How does GEAR UP for LIFE help to prepare my student and me for learning about postsecondary education options?
Snapshot
Engage
Participants take part in a Lotería game and recognize images related to postsecondary education.
Explore
Participants take part in a Family Feud activity to identify the top 10 benefits of postsecondary education.
Explain
Participants gain an understanding of the different types of postsecondary education and the many services provided by GEAR UP.
Extend
Participants review the five roles families play in accelerating student learning. Then they discuss with a partner the role they plan to play in the coming year to support their student.
Evaluate
Participants reflect individually by completing the I Used to Think…But Now I Know handout.
Materials List
Family Kickoff Fillable Flyer (attached, editable PDF)
Presentation Slides (attached)
Lotería Deck (Caller Cards) (attached, one set per session, print two-sided, laminate)
Lotería Board handout (attached, one per participant, laminate)
Flamboyan Five Roles Families Play handout (attached, one per participant, print two-sided)
Top 10 Benefits of Postsecondary Education handout (attached, one per participant, print two-sided)
I Used to Think…But Now I Know handout (attached, one half sheet per participant, print two-sided)
Dry erase markers or bingo chips (optional)
Magnetic wand (optional, one per participant)
Buzzer
Prizes (optional)
Engage
Welcome participants and briefly introduce yourself and the family kickoff session using the attached Activity Slides. At the registration table, ask participants to pick up one or more Lotería cards. As participants enter the room for the GEAR UP for LIFE Family Kickoff, welcome them and provide them with the following instructions for the Lotería game.
Ask the participants:
How many of you have played Lotería before, either in person or on your phone? (pause for response/raised hands and acknowledge the response)
How many of you have played bingo before? (pause for response/raised hands and acknowledge the response)
Inform participants that this will be a little different from bingo but very similar.
Display slide 2 and read the instructions. Ask participants to hold up their boards to ensure everyone has received one. Explain that the board contains multiple images related to postsecondary education or careers. Clarify that postsecondary education refers to any education after high school that prepares students for a career. Tell participants that you will display a card with an image like the one shown on the slide. Highlight that the card features a graduation cap, representing one of the primary goals of GEAR UP for LIFE: helping students graduate from high school prepared for their chosen postsecondary pathway. This includes college, career tech, military, apprenticeships, or any training for a career. Instruct participants who have this graduation cap on their Lotería board to place a bingo chip on the cap.
Inform participants that there will be ten winners, and they need to get four chips in a row (vertically, horizontally, or diagonally) to win. When someone achieves four in a row, they should call out “GEAR UP” and move to one of the seats at the front. Start the game and continue to call out different images. Hold up the card for the image as you call out each one. Use the information on the back of each Lotería Caller Card to explain its connection to postsecondary education and GEAR UP. Once all ten seats are occupied, inform the winners that they will now participate in Family Feud.
Explore
Introduce "Family Feud." Congratulate your participants on joining the game. Ask how many have heard of or watched "Family Feud." Divide the 10 participants into two "families" and allow each family time to choose a leader who will respond first.
Once each family has a leader, display slide 3 to begin the countdown. After the countdown, move to slide 4 to display the title slide for the game.
Invite the two leaders to face each other at the front of the room, placing the buzzer between them. Welcome the leaders by name and inform them that you will be asking a question with 10 possible answers. The first participant to press the buzzer gets to answer first; if the answer is incorrect or not on the board, the other family gets a turn. If they answer correctly, their family continues guessing until they answer incorrectly or all answers are revealed.
Once everyone understands the rules, display slide 5 to begin the game. Say to the participants:
"Research shows that there are many benefits to postsecondary education. We’ve compiled the top ten benefits of a postsecondary degree or credentials found by researchers. Please tell us, what is one of the top ten benefits of earning a postsecondary degree?" (Pause for the buzzer, then ask for the response from the participant who buzzed first.)
If the first leader provides an incorrect answer (see Facilitator's Notes), ask the other leader to respond. Continue alternating until a correct or nearly correct answer is given. Display the correct answer on the slide and have the leaders return to their "families." The "family" whose leader guessed the first correct answer gets the first turn. Each member of that family continues to answer as long as they answer correctly. If they answer incorrectly or cannot respond before the timer buzzes (about ten seconds), the other "family" takes their turn.
Use the list below to click on the corresponding number that matches a correct answer from a participant:
Earn $1 million more in your lifetime
Connect with peers and mentors
Increase your job options
Be happier in your job
More likely to be employed
Be prepared for success in a technology-driven world
Understand the world better
Make a difference in your community
Live longer and healthier
Have a more satisfying family life
Once all answers are revealed or time has run out, congratulate the winning team and, if applicable, provide prizes. Then, ask the audience to contribute any answers that were not shared or display the remaining answers one by one.
Display slide 6 to review the ten benefits and distribute the Top 10 Benefits of Postsecondary Education handout to each participant.
Explain
Display slide 7 and introduce the section of the session where you will discuss the GEAR UP overview.
Move to slide 8 and describe the GEAR UP partnership between OU’s K20 Center and the GEAR UP cohort schools. Emphasize the specific grade levels that GEAR UP serves, as families may have students in the school who are not part of the cohort. Provide the following definition of postsecondary education:
Postsecondary education: Any education a student receives after high school to prepare for a career.
Use examples such as college, career tech, military, and apprenticeships to illustrate that "postsecondary" encompasses more than just college.
Display slide 9 to outline the GEAR UP timeline. Explain some activities that will occur at specific grade levels, such as taking the PreACT for 8th and 9th grades, applying for Oklahoma’s Promise, or completing the FAFSA.
Move to slide 10 to display the four GEAR UP goals for the project and provide a brief discussion of each goal.
Move to slide 11 to display and discuss the GEAR UP services available to students and their families briefly.
If time permits, unhide slide 12 to present the GEAR UP Overview video from stakeholders describing their experience with GEAR UP. The video is three minutes long.
Extend
Display slide 13 and distribute the Flamboyan Five Roles Families Play handout to each participant. Explain that research shows that families can support their students’ learning in various ways, regardless of their work schedule or other responsibilities. Ask participants to review the handout individually and select one role they feel they can play this year to support their student(s) in learning about possible careers and postsecondary education options. While participants may engage in more than one role or even all five, encourage them to choose one that is most significant to them.
Provide an example: One way families might support their students is by guiding their education. This could include learning about the activities GEAR UP will offer to students, ensuring their participation by signing permission slips for campus visits, and asking students about their experiences afterward.
After participants have had time to read the handout, ask them to turn to an elbow partner or someone nearby and share which role they plan to play this year in supporting their student(s) with learning about postsecondary education options. If time permits, invite a few volunteers to share with the large group what they plan to commit to.
Evaluate
Display slide 14. Introduce the participants to the I Used to Think…But Now I Know instructional strategy. Distribute the I Used to Think…But Now I Know handout to each participant. Ask them to record their answers on the provided handout:
"I used to think postsecondary education was..., but now I know it is...."
After participants have completed the handout, thank the families for attending and conclude the activity.
Sources
Bingo (American version). (2024, August 2). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bingo_(American_version)
Game of chance. (2024, August 2). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_of_chance
K20 Center. (n.d.). GEAR UP overview. [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaDO99ncRrk
K20 Center. (n.d.). I used to think…but now I know. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/137
Real family engagement. (2024, April 9). Flamboyan. https://flamboyanfoundation.org/real/#:~:text=At%20Flamboyan%2C%20we%20have%20seen,5)%20advocate%20for%20their%20needs