Leadership Skills: Middle School Manual: Violence Prevention Program

By The Leadership Program

Today’s educators face a critical challenge that goes beyond the curriculum: they must nurture appropriate social and emotional behaviors by providing youth with the conflict-resolution and leadership skills necessary for modern life. The Leadership Program’s Violence Prevention Project delivers on that need with an approach that engages, informs, and empowers its early adolescent audience. 

The Violence Prevention Project Leadership Skills curriculum has been implemented in over 5,000 classrooms for over 150,000 Title 1 students—and has earned distinction from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention as the country’s top program of its kind. This guidebook includes thirty-seven lessons complete with step by-step instructions that make facilitation easy and accessible. Help your students get to the core of conflict and transform into leaders in your classroom and community.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Girl Friday Books
• Release date: Aug 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9781736357972

The Leadership Program

The Leadership Program’s curriculum is steeped in leadership development from an SEL perspective, taking participants through self-discovery, group awareness, and community impact. The program can be used in classrooms, after-school settings, and at home. It includes project-based activities designed to support positive change in schools, homes, and communities. 

Book preview

Part One

Introduction to Leadership

Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live.

—Dorothy Thompson

We learn to do something by doing it. There is no other way.

—John Holt

Introduction to Leadership

Day one—option one

How Am I a Leader?

Objective

Students will identify leaders and qualities of leaders.

Summary

Students will participate in a brainstorm activity and create personalized name tags.

Aim

How am I a leader?

Standards

CCSS – RI.7, W.4, SL.1, SL.2, SL.4, L.6

SEL – Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness

Materials

chalkboard or chart paper, chalk or colored markers, crayons, white paper

Lesson Vocabulary

brainstorming n., a method of problem solving by rapidly generating a variety of possible solutions

leader n., someone who leads or guides others

quality n., a special characteristic of someone or something

Facilitator Note

Save the Qualities brainstorm chart paper for reference in future lesson plans. Tell students in advance that they will be receiving The Leadership Program in their class for twelve visits.

Introduction

Ask students to stand in a circle.

Introduce yourself and explain why you are there. Include an overview of the classroom structure (e.g., days and times you will be meeting) and any personal classroom management methods that you will be using.

Explain that when you are here with them the format of the class will often begin with standing in a circle to do a quick Warm-Up followed by a Main Activity and Closing. Explain that the most important part of the day is when the group processes the activities, or talks about their feelings about the activities and what they learned by doing them.

Explain that each day you are in the room you will be working with them for the whole period on a specific skill that will help them become better leaders.

Tell students that each day you come you hope you will be able to see them becoming better leaders than they were in the last visit. Tell them you will know they are being leaders when you see that they are:

Following directions

Respecting each other

Listening

Participating

Tell students that today’s lesson will be about learning what a leader is and how they are already leaders. Let them know that the Warm-Ups today will focus on getting to know each other better.

Warm-Up 1 :: Name Games

Do several Whip-Arounds with the following formats. Model each sentence first.

My name is __________, and one of my favorite things to do when I am not in school is __________.

My name is __________, and my favorite food is __________.

My name is __________, and my favorite color is __________.

My name is __________, and my favorite subject in school is __________.

Warm-Up 2 :: Rubbing Elbows with Leaders

Ask students to mill around the center of the circle.

Explain that when you call out a form of greeting, students are to turn to the person closest to them and perform the greeting. From then on, whenever they hear that form of greeting, students must find the same partner and perform that greeting.

Call out: Find a partner and shake hands with him or her. Remember who you shook hands with.

Have students mill around again.

Call out: Find a new partner and touch elbows. Remember who your elbow partner is.

Tell students: Now find that handshake partner and shake hands.

Other greetings to call out: bow, wink, high-five, etcetera.

Continue to call out new greetings and repeat greetings randomly. Speed up your greetings as students get the hang of it to create a fun frenzy.

Processing Questions

What happened?

How did it feel?

How did you feel greeting others?

Main Activity :: How Am I a Leader?

Part 1: Leadership Brainstorm

Gather students in a circle again or have them seated at desks. For the next activity, they will need to be settled in and focused.

You may want to make this activity more fun by creating a game-show atmosphere where you play the role of the host. (Suggested name of the show: Leadership Live with your host __________!) Break the room into teams, or tell the students they are each individual contestants on the show.

Write the word Leaders as a heading on the board or on chart paper.

Lead students in a group brainstorm asking them to name as many leaders as they can. Take suggestions from each team or contestant. Tell the students that the suggested leaders can be from history, popular culture, or real life. Record their suggestions on the board.

Write the word Qualities on the board or on another sheet of chart paper.

To begin this list, use one of the example leaders from the previous list and ask students to name the qualities that he/she possesses. Example: Martin Luther King Jr. was a strong person. Strong is listed as a quality.

When the two lists have been completed, ask students to reflect on the question How am I a leader?

Begin by encouraging them to review the Qualities list. Which qualities do they also possess? Examples: responsibility, caring.

Have students choose two qualities that they feel describe their personal brand of leadership or to simply choose two qualities they know they possess.

Part 2: I Am a Leader When . . .

Have students sit at their desks.

Give each student a piece of paper.

Ask students to fold their papers in half lengthwise, then fold in half again widthwise to make four squares. Demonstrate while students follow directions.

Ask students to unfold and smooth out their papers.

In the first square, have students write: At home, I am a leader when . . .

In the second square, students write: At school, I am a leader when . . .

In the third square: With my friends, I am a leader when . . .

In the fourth square: My best leadership qualities are . . .

Have students finish the sentences and draw a picture in each box illustrating the statement.

If students finish early, give them crayons and markers to add color to their drawings.

Processing Questions

What did we do?

How did it feel?

What did you learn about leadership today?

Discussion Questions

Why might it be important to learn about leaders?

Did you notice anyone being a leader in class today?

How do you think being a leader outside of our class might be helpful?

Closing :: Whip-Around

What is one thing you enjoyed most about our first day of leadership?

Extension Activity

Hand out a blank sheet of paper to each student.

Instruct him/her to write about and/or draw one way he/she can be a leader this week in school, at home, or with his/her friends.

Have students respond to the My Leadership and How Was Brainstorming? worksheets on pp. 2–3 of their Student Workbooks.

Introduction to Leadership, Day One

Leadership Password

Objective

Students will identify leaders and qualities of leaders.

Summary

Students brainstorm, in the form of a game, leaders and qualities of leaders.

Aim

What are qualities of a leader?

Standards

CCSS – RI.7, W.4, SL.1, SL.2, SL.4, L.6

SEL – Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness

Materials

chart paper, markers, copies of Brainstorming Process handout, stopwatch or wristwatch with a second hand, copies of Real-Life Leaders worksheet (refer to pp. 4–5 in the companion Student Workbook)

Lesson Vocabulary

leadership n., the position or office of a leader; capacity or ability to lead; a group of leaders; guidance or direction

quality n., a special characteristic of someone or something

brainstorming n., a method of problem solving by rapidly generating a variety of possible solutions

Warm-Up :: Three Things in Common

Tell students that you are going to do a short Getting to Know You activity.

Ask students to walk around the room in silence.

After a few moments ask them to begin to make eye contact and exchange smiles with each other.

To help students pair off, ask them to freeze and find a person (not a friend; preferably someone they do not know well) who is wearing a similar color to the one they are.

Ask each pair to come up with three things they have in common.

After a few moments, solicit volunteer pairs to share what they have in common. Create a podium or hot seat where they will present their information.

Demonstrate the model for sharing: This is ________. And this is __________. And the three things we have in common are __________.

Write the model on the board and give students prompts as needed to complete it aloud.

Main Activity :: Brainstorming Leaders and Qualities of Leaders

Part 1: Brainstorm

Tell students: Create a list of famous leaders and positive leadership qualities.

Give students the Brainstorming Process handout and review guidelines for brainstorming with the class.

On the board or on chart paper, create two columns. In the left column, write the word Leaders. In the right column, write the word Qualities.

Ask students to name famous leaders. Write the proper names in the Leaders column.

Next ask students what qualities a leader should possess. Write those characteristics in the Qualities column.

After the lists have been compiled, ask students if there is any name or quality they are not familiar with.

Define or explain any unfamiliar leader or quality.

Ask students to name people in their lives they consider to be leaders. Add these names to the lists.

Part 2: Password

Remove the brainstorm lists so that the class cannot see them.

Tell students that they are going to use the information from their brainstorm to play a quick game called Password.

Ask for two volunteers to come to the front of the class.

Tell the volunteers: You are going to write five words on the board that came from the brainstorm exercise you just completed. Explain that the words will be a combination of qualities and leaders.

Explain that one volunteer will stand with his/her back to the board while the other volunteer stands facing the board.

Let them know that the volunteer with his/her back to the board must guess what words are on the board based on the descriptions offered by the volunteer facing the board.

Tell the volunteers they have one minute to guess the words on the board.

Explain to the volunteer describing the words that he/she cannot use any of the words on the board in their description, and they cannot spell any of the words.

Explain that each word guessed is worth one point.

Ask another student to volunteer as timekeeper.

Write five words on the board and begin the game.

If time allows, repeat this process with two more volunteers.

Processing Questions

How easy or difficult was it for you to think of leaders? Why?

What happened during the game?

Why is it important to examine qualities of leaders?

What leadership qualities can you use in your daily life?

Closing :: Whip-Around

What is one leadership quality that describes you?

Extension Activity

Using the Real-Life Leaders worksheet, ask students to write about someone in their lives who they consider to be a leader.

Have students respond to the additional What Qualities Do You Remember? questions for this lesson on p. 6 in their Student Workbooks.

Brainstorming Process Ground Rules

Record all ideas.

Make no critical judgments.

Encourage freethinking. In other words: the wilder the idea, the better.

Focus on quality, not quantity.

Collaborate and expand upon others’ ideas.

Name:

Real-Life Leaders

I, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , consider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . to be a leader in my life because . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Introduction to Leadership

Real Kids Rap on Respect

Objective

Students will define respect and establish a set of criteria for respectful behavior.

Summary

Students define respect and use role play to explore what respectful behavior looks like.

Aim

How can I be a respectful person?

Standards

CCSS – RI.7, W.3, SL.1, SL.2, SL.4, L.6

SEL – Self-Awareness, Relationship Skills

Materials

chalkboard or chart paper, chalk, colored markers, white 8½ ×x 11 paper, Situation List (for reference), copies of Respect Pledge (one per student), copies of Real-Life Respect worksheet (refer to pp. 7–8 in the companion Student Workbook)

Lesson Vocabulary

respect v., to admire or have a high opinion of someone

role-play v., to act out or pretend

situation n., the circumstances that exist at a particular time; what is going on

scenario n., an outline of a series of events that might happen

pledge v., to make a sincere and honest promise

Facilitator Note

Keep the brainstorming lists you make in class for the beginning of the next session. During Part 2: Role-Playing, you should be prepared with a simple, quiet activity for the audience members to work on while the actors are preparing their skit.

Warm-Up 1 :: R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Tell the students that you would like them to try to guess an important word we use a lot when talking about leadership (i.e., respect). You may want to prompt them. Example: Can anyone guess what is absolutely essential for all of us to be strong leaders? Here’s a hint: It’s something we work hard to show one another—our parents, teachers, and friends—but often not hard enough.

If you don’t get respect as a response, give additional hints and turn the brainstorm into a guessing game. Example: Say This word I’m thinking of begins with an ‘R.’ or play a quick game of hangman.

Continue the Warm-Up by leading students through the following cooperative movement game.

Instruct them to use their bodies to make the formations of the seven letters that spell RESPECT.

Note: Have each student in the class make each letter with his/her own body, versus everyone working together to make one R.

Warm-Up 2 :: Whose Shoes

Tell students they’ll be doing an activity where they will walk around the room