Name of Lesson ___The Leadership Game________________________________ i

Counselor_______Christina Pucci____________________________________
UNIT/TOPIC:
(If unit, note how
many lessons in unit):

The Leadership Game

DOMAIN:
(academic, career,
personal/social)

Personal/social

GRADE LEVEL(S):

GUIDANCE
STANDARD(S):
ASCA Standards
Addressed:

PS:A1.11 Identify and discuss changing personal and social roles

PS:A2.1 Recognize that everyone has rights and responsibilities

INDIANA
STANDARDS
ADDRESSED:
*If this lesson is
crosswalked with other
academic areas, please
list here.

6-8.3.10 Identify their current strengths and weaknesses in the areas of selfmanagements (responsibility, integrity, effort)

DIFFERENTIATED
INSTRUCTION
STRATEGIES:

Students will be called on to write the rules of the game on the board so students can
use them as a visual during the game. During the game, if the counselor notices
someone who has trouble squatting because of physical limitations, the counselor will
tap that persons shoulder first. During the discussion, a student may choose to write
down their responses instead of speaking them aloud. During the discussion, the
counselor will write the key points of the lesson on the board (three critical attributes of
a leader).

DEVELOPMENTAL
ASSET(S)
ADDRESSED: This
section only needs
completed if you have
taken ED 671

Responsibility
Sense of Purpose
Youth as Resources
Positive Peer Influence

COLLABORATIVE
PARTNERS: e.g.,
advisory teachers,
other teachers,
community resource
people

Site supervisor

LEARNING
OBJECTIVES

1. Students will recognize three important qualities for their leadership potential,
which are:
a. feeling responsible and empowered to take action for the common
good of other people in the real world.
b. learning to empathize with other people by trying to understand and
feel for others and their situations.
c. positively modeling service to others by example.

TIME REQUIRED

45 minutes

MATERIALS NEEDED

Pencils
Paper
Chalkboard, dry erase board, or easel board

Chalk, dry erase markers, or regular markers

ACTIVITY SUMMARY

Introduction, pre-test, leadership game, discussion, closing, post-test

Introduction/Pre-Test (5 minutes)
PROCEDURE

1. Introduce self as counselor and counseling intern and each professionals role
in schools for students.
2. Pass out the pre-test and ask each student to complete it before raising their
hand to give it to their instructor.
3. Explain to students that during this lesson they are going to play a game and
have discussion afterwards regarding the meaning of the game.
Leadership Game (20 minutes)
1. Tell students they all will need to get out of their seats and meet together in an
open area of the classroom. Have students push the desks back, if necessary.
When the students are standing around in a circle, explain the rules.
2. Read the rules aloud:
a. Tell the students that for the purposes of the game, they are all middle
school students--sixth graders, seventh graders, and eighth graders.
Inform them that all of them start out as sixth graderssixth graders
have no rights. Tell them they have to squat (not sit or kneel) with their
eyes closed and they may not speak unless they are spoken to.
Inform them that seventh graders have the right to stand up, but they
still may not open their eyes, move around, or talk unless someone
speaks to them first. Tell them that eighth graders have freedom to
open their eyes, walk around the room, and talk without permission.
b. Let students know that when they are tapped on the shoulder, they
move to the next grade level and earn their new rights. So if they are
sixth graders, they may stand up when they feel a tap. If they are
seventh graders, they may open their eyes and move around and talk
when they feel a tap. Tell students it is important to not choose the
same person more than once between the different rounds of the
game.
3. Get a promise from the students to follow these rules for the sake of the game.
Tell them it is important that they play fair so the game isnt ruined for anyone
else.
4. Review the rules a few times by asking volunteer students to repeat them
allowed to the class. Have some student volunteers write the rules on the
board to have as a visual.
5. [Counselor Note: Do not give away the point of the game by calling it a
leadership exercise or telling the eighth graders they can tap other students.]
6. Start the first round of the game by having all the students squat down and
close their eyes. Tell students that the counselor gets to be the eighth grader
starting out the game. Walk around the sixth graders, repeating the rules of
what each grade level can do. Remind them that when they feel a tap on the
shoulder, they may move up to the next grade level.
7. Tap the shoulder once of about one-third of the people. Allow some time to
pass so students have a chance to get uncomfortable. Try to choose students
who are NOT likely to quickly to solve the game.
8. Continue to repeat the rules while slowly tapping the shoulders of about half of
the standing people (seventh graders). Allow some time to pass so the
students in sixth grade are growing more uncomfortable. Once some
students are placed in eighth grade, avoid eye contact with them as they may

look to their counselors for clues on what they should do.

9. You may ask a couple eighth graders to review the rules since they are allowed
to talk. Don't hint that they now have the power to tap others.
10. Very slowly move around, repeating the rules and tapping a few more
shoulders. Take your time so students have time to reflect in their situations. By
now, the sixth graders are probably thinking they'd like the eighth graders to
help them, but they can't say anything. Remind everyone that they promised to
follow the rules. If no eighth graders get it, tap some more shoulders until
someone figures out that they have the power to free everyone and they walk
around and turn all the sixth and seventh graders into free eighth graders.
11. When they figure it out, have students go back to their seats.
12. Repeat this exercise with one to two more rounds of the game to give other
students an opportunity to be eighth graders, seventh graders, and sixth
graders.
Discussion (15 minutes)
13. Raise your hand if you were in sixth grade for most of the game. What was it
like for you?
14. Raise your hand if you were in seventh grade for most of the game. What was
it like for you?
15. Raise your hand if you were in eighth grade for most of the game. What was it
like for you? How did you feel when you realized that you had the power to tap
others? Why do you think it took you a while to figure that out? Imagine that
being in sixth grade is like being a homeless person in your community and
being in eighth grade is like being a person with the biggest house in the
neighborhood.
a. Emphasize that this is one way of empathizing with others [write this
on the board].
16. What does this game tell you about your power to do things in the world?
a. Point out that students can empower themselves to take action for the
common good of others in the real world [write this on the board].
17. You have the power to tap shoulders in the world. What do you think you can
do next time you see or read about someone in an unfair situation?
a. Emphasize that the students can lead by examplespecifically they
can demonstrate positive modeling of service to others by their own
actions [write this on the board].
18. Whose role is it to speak up when there is unfairness in the world?
19. Point out at the end of discussion that the three points on the board are three
important attributes/characteristics/traits of an upperclassmen, such as the
students who are 7th graders and are in the highest grade in the room.
Reiterate to students that this makes them leaders in their building and they
can use that power for the good of others.
Closing/Post-test (5 minutes)
20. Pass out the post-test to each student and have them each turn in their
completed test to the instructor.
EVALUATION:
What data will you
collect and How will
you collect data to
show:
1. impact on K12 students
2. feedback on
lesson

1. The pre-test data collected at the beginning of the lesson and the post-test
data collected at the end of the lesson will show the degree to which students
recognition of important qualities for their leadership potential for helping others
has improved (or not) as a result of the lesson.
2. The pre-test data collected at the beginning of the lesson and the post-test
data collected at the end of the lesson will be used to determine if the lesson
was helpful to the students.

FOLLOW-UP
PLAN:

3. Students will be challenged to demonstrate their leadership potential for

helping others in and outside of school over the next two weeks. Counselors
will do a 10 minute check in with students after the two weeks to discuss if the
students were able to accomplish this and how it is different from their normal
behavior before the lesson.

CITATION(S)
References/Resources
Used:
Cite copyrighted materials,
but do not reproduce
copyrighted materials in your
lesson plan. Non-copyrighted
materials must be reproduced
and included in your lesson
plan.

Lesson ideas found at cite below:

http://learningtogive.org/lessons/unit517/lesson4.html#lesson

Updated June 2012