Lesson 1 — Launch and Goal Setting

Example Unit — Opening Stories · pp. 1-4 · 45 minutes
Dashboard← Portfolio

Print for this lesson — 24 students

SheetsWhat to printNotes
24Goal-setting index cardspre-cut if possible
24Total

Extra cards live in the front tray for latecomers.

Open before class

Today's Slide Deck
First day of the unit — most of this period is norms and expectations, not content.
Objectives
  • Students will state one personal goal for the unit.
  • Students will locate the unit's key vocabulary list.
At a glance
TimeBeatLinks
0:00Warm-up
0:10Unit overview
0:25Goal setting
Before students arrive
  • Print goal-setting handout
  • Queue slide deck

On the board before they walk in: Warm-up: What story from your own life would you tell a stranger?

Teacher's Edition guidance for this lesson

The Teacher's Edition suggests modeling one goal aloud before students write their own.

Opening

0:00–0:10 · Warm-up

Students respond to the board prompt in their notebooks.

You don't need a dramatic story — an ordinary one told well is still a story.
Circulate but don't call on anyone yet.

0:10–0:25 · Unit overview

Walk through the unit's essential question and the texts it covers.

0:25–0:45 · Goal setting

Each student writes one goal for the unit on an index card.

This card is just for you — I'm collecting them, but I'm not grading the goal itself.
Assessment
TypeEvidence
FormativeCompleted goal card
If you run short
  1. Skip the unit overview walkthrough and post it as a handout instead.

Do not cut: Goal setting — later lessons reference these cards directly.

Reference

Next lesson: Lesson 2 introduces the first text with a close-reading protocol.