Authentic Lessons for 21st Century Learning

Empowering Students: Pre-Campus and Campus Visit Activities

Lori Kemmet, Rachelle Johnson | Published: September 14th, 2026 by K20 Center

Summary

In this professional development session, participants explore how pre-campus visit and campus visit activities can prepare students for postsecondary opportunities. Participants learn how these activities, designed for high school students, align with the K20 Center's College and Career Preparation Student Standards. This session highlights how these activities guide students to plan for college and career pathways.

Essential Questions

  • What knowledge, skills, and experiences best prepare students for success in college and careers?

  • How can educators use student pre-campus and campus visit activities to engage students in intentional postsecondary planning?

Learning Objectives

  • Understand the CCP standards and their role in college and career readiness.

  • Explore the structure and purpose of pre- and post-campus visit activities for high school students.

  • Plan how to implement activities aligned with the CCP standards to engage in postsecondary planning.

Snapshot

Engage

Participants assess how their school prepares students for postsecondary pathways.

Explore

Participants examine selected portions of the College and Career Preparation Standards for students and identify points of interests and questions they have.

Explain

Participants analyze resources for campus visits and connect each resource to one of the College and Career Preparation Standards.

Extend

Participants construct plans for implementing selected College and Career Preparation Standards and skills in their school.

Evaluate

Participants reflect on their learning by engaging in a discussion about how they can support the development of students’ postsecondary readiness skills.

Materials List

  • Presentation Slides (attached)

  • Selected CCP Student Standards handout (attached; one per participant)

  • Note Catcher handout (attached; one per participant)

  • Markers

  • Chart paper

Preparation

Prepare the Mentimeter Survey

  1. Prior to the session, prepare a Mentimeter survey for use in the Presentation Slides. Navigate to Mentimeter.com and select “Sign up” or “Log in” in the top right corner.

  2. Select the dropdown menu next to “New Menti” and select “New Survey.”

  3. Choose “Blank survey” then “Start from scratch.”

  4. From the pop-up window, select “Multiple choice” from the dropdown list.

  5. Create multiple slides. Enter each of the following prompts in the “Question” field on each one of the slides:

    • The content our students are learning in school will help prepare them for postsecondary education.

    • Our students set goals that will help them get into postsecondary education.

    • Our students are aware of careers that match their interests.

    • I have the resources to teach postsecondary readiness skills.

    • I believe our students can successfully transition from high school to college or the workforce.

  6. Add the following answer choices for each prompt: strongly disagree, disagree, neither agree or disagree, agree, strongly agree.

  7. Add the QR code and a shortened link to slide 2 in place of the highlighted text.

  8. Return to Mentimeter.com and select “Start Presentation” when you are ready to share the prompts with the class.

Engage

10 Minute(s)

Use the attached Presentation Slides to facilitate the session with participants. Use slide 2 to introduce the title and topic of the session. Display slide 3 and have participants navigate to the Mentimeter survey you prepared using either the link or QR code on the slide. Allow participants time to engage with the survey about students’ readiness for postsecondary pathways.

Transition through slides 4–5 to share the essential questions and learning objectives with participants.

Explore

10 Minute(s)

Pass out one copy of the attached Selected CCP Student Standards handout and one copy of the attached Note Catcher handout to each participant.

Show slide 6 and introduce the Exclaim and Question instructional strategy. Share with participants that they should read the Selected CCP Student Standards with the others at their table. Have them take notes about things they find interesting in the “Exclaim” column of their Note Catchers, and have them write questions they have in the “Question” column of their Note Catchers.

When participants are finished taking notes, ask them to share out what they recorded in the “Exclaim” and “Question” columns. Facilitate a discussion about the standards.

Explain

15 Minute(s)

Transition to slide 7 and introduce the Jigsaw instructional strategy. Give each group one sheet of chart paper and markers.

Have each group of participants navigate to one of the following educator resources:

Explain that participants should read their given lesson with others at their tables. As they read, they should use the chart paper and markers to summarize the activity in the lesson, determine the purpose of the lesson, and identify the skills or concepts being taught. Have them also connect one or two of the Selected CCP Student Standards to the lesson and add them to the chart paper.

Display slide 8 and invite one speaker from each group to share out what they wrote about the lesson with the whole group. After each group has shared, facilitate a discussion using the questions on the slide.

Extend

45 Minute(s)

Display slide 9 and introduce the Roots and Routes instructional strategy. Have participants navigate to k20.ou.edu/hh to read the remaining CCP Student Standards and determine which standards would be most beneficial to their schools.

Display slide 10 and draw participants’ attention to the “Roots and Routes” section of their Note Catcher handouts. Explain to participants what they should write in the different sections of the handout.

Move to slide 11 and instruct participants to record skills or standards they would like to implement in their schools in the roots of the flower on the second page of the handout. Ask participants to use resources such as LEARN and their school curriculums to brainstorm action steps, or “routes,” toward implementing the skills or standards with others at their tables. Have them record these action steps in the leaves of the flower diagram on the second page of the Note Catcher handout.

Evaluate

5 Minute(s)

Display slide 12 and ask participants to reflect on what they learned during the session. Facilitate a discussion about how the K20 Center can support the implementation of postsecondary readiness preparation and skills.

Resources