Leading the Way Lesson Plan
Grade level: 11
Suggested Duration: 1 hour or 1 class period
Target Audience: Students who want to lead and inspire others through their accomplishments
Educator Video: “How I Got Here: Lemnique—Educator-focused Video”
§113.41. United States History Studies Since 1877 (One Credit).
(c) Knowledge and skills.
(24) Citizenship. The student understands the importance of effective leadership in a constitutional republic. The student is expected to:
(A) describe qualities of effective leadership
In the video, students hear Lemnique say that she wanted to be a role model for people with similar backgrounds to hers, and her accomplishments certainly do make her a role model.
Student Objective: Identify leadership qualities of people in the students’ lives.
Lesson Preparation: While preparing for this lesson with your students, make sure to watch the “How I Got Here: Lemnique—Educator-focused Video” available on both Texas Education on iTunes U and Project Share under the “Overcoming College Prep Obstacles with Texas GEAR UP” course. The video will provide guidance on how to navigate the lesson with your students and highlight the key messages for them to take away.
Teacher Direction: Play the “How I Got Here: Lemnique—Student-focused Video” for your class or student. The video is available on both Texas Education on iTunes U and Project Share under the “Overcoming College Prep Obstacles with Texas GEAR UP” course.
Lead a discussion of the passage below. Students may know Emmitt Smith better today as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars. Discussion should focus on the advice he gave students and his determination to be a good role model by finishing college. Students will probably not be aware that Smith went back to school to finish his degree.
Teacher Dialogue (directed to students):
There are many kinds of role models. Many of us look at talented people, such as musicians, actors, and professional athletes, and think we would like to have those careers. Professional football player Emmitt Smith used to tell young people that it was unlikely that the majority of them could be as good a football player as he, but they could be really good doctors, teachers, attorneys, etc. Smith, who left the University of Florida before graduating to play professional football, returned to the university during the NFL off-season to complete his coursework. He graduated with his bachelor's degree in May 1996.
Conduct research and identify someone in a professional field (if possible, the one you are most interested in), and prepare a brief biographical presentation. Identify the qualities you would like to reflect in your own life.
Students can start at http://gentx.org/get-inspired/stories/
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