Brilliance Lesson Plan Back to Brilliance!
Lesson Plan • 5th-8th Grade Boys
30 MINUTES
WHY THIS LESSON?
This lesson helps students transition back to school by connecting their personal experiences with classroom community and future aspirations. It reinforces valuable life lessons and empowers students to take ownership of their learning journey.
OBJECTIVE
Students will reflect on their holiday experiences, collaboratively revise the class charter, and set personal academic goals for the new year, embodying Sankofa , Ubuntu , and Ganas .
PREPARATION
Review Slide Deck
Print Worksheets & Journals
Prepare Chart Paper/Markers
Review Welcome Script
Gather soft ball/beanbag
Instructional Sequence
8 MIN
Welcome & Icebreaker: Holiday Highlights
• Happy New Year! Greet students warmly using the provided script.
• Icebreaker: Students share one positive memory on their Holiday Highlights Worksheet. Provide sentence starters for speech delay.
• Connect to Ubuntu: Explain Ubuntu (I am because we are) and how sharing builds community.
7 MIN
Revisiting Our Roots: Class Charter & Sankofa
• Sankofa: Explain the value of looking to the past to inform the future. Use the Charter Check-in Activity.
• Discussion: Ask: "What worked well? What could be improved?" Record revisions. Provide visual cues for students with autism.
• Game (Optional): Play the Charter Challenge Game if time allows.
10 MIN
Looking Forward: Ganas Goal Setting
• Ganas: Discuss the power of desire and drive. Distribute the Ganas Goal Setting Journal.
• Goal Setting: Guide students to set 1-2 SMART academic goals. Use sentence frames for support.
• Game: Facilitate the New Year, New Me Game to share intentions.
5 MIN
Wrap-Up & Empowerment
• Share: Quick volunteer share-out of goals.
• Reinforce: Reiterate Sankofa, Ubuntu, and Ganas.
• Closing: End with a positive, encouraging message for the year.
INCLUSION STRATEGIES
Speech Delay: Provide sentence starters, allow visual shares (drawing/pointing), and prioritize listening skills.
Autism: Use clear visual cues, provide concrete examples, and allow written contributions over verbal ones.
Brilliance Slide Deck Welcome Back,
Team!
Happy New Year! 🎉
Let's get ready for an amazing year ahead!
Welcome the boys back warmly! Wish them a Happy New Year. Set a positive tone. Explain we'll be reflecting and setting new goals.
Holiday Highlights!
Share one positive memory from your winter break!
Think: Family, Fun, Food, Relaxation, or Adventure!
Use your Holiday Highlights Worksheet
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🎮
🍕
🧗
Introduce the Holiday Highlights icebreaker. Explain the goal: share one positive memory. Emphasize that it can be anything positive. Provide sentence starters for students with speech delay. For example: 'My favorite part was...', 'I enjoyed...', 'I saw...'. Encourage listening and brief, kind responses from others. Tell them they can use their worksheet.
Ubuntu
"I am because we are."
How does sharing our experiences make our community stronger?
Explain Ubuntu: 'I am because we are.' Connect it to how sharing and listening to each other helps us grow stronger as a classroom community. Ask: 'How does sharing your holiday help us feel more connected?'
Sankofa
Looking Back, Moving Forward
"Go back and get it."
We learn from our past experiences to make our future even better.
Charter Check-In
Thinking about last year:
Introduce Sankofa: 'Go back and get it.' Explain it means learning from our past experiences to improve our future. Apply this to the class charter. Ask: 'What did we learn from last year about how we work together?'
Ganas!
DESIRE
ENTHUSIASM
DRIVE
What do you have the "ganas" to achieve this year?
Introduce Ganas: 'Desire, enthusiasm, drive.' Explain that ganas is having the fire in your belly to achieve something. Connect it to setting goals. Ask: 'What are you excited to achieve this year?'
New Year, New Goals!
1
What do you want to achieve?
2
How will you get there?
Pro-Tip:
Make your goals SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound!
Goal Setting Journal
Time to write your future!
Guide students through setting academic goals. Emphasize making them SMART. Provide examples and encourage them to use their journal. For students with autism, provide very concrete examples and encourage them to write down specific, actionable steps.
Welcome Back Script Welcome Back Script
Back to Brilliance!
TEACHER GUIDE
Entrance & Warm Up
"Good morning, gentlemen! Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful, restful, and fun winter break. I missed seeing all your bright faces! As we step into this new year, we're going to make it truly brilliant. Today, we're going to share some holiday highlights, revisit how we work best together, and set some awesome goals for ourselves."
1. Welcome & Icebreaker: Holiday Highlights (8 min)
"First, let's warm up our brains and hearts with a fun activity called Holiday Highlights! Think of one positive memory from your winter break. It could be anything! Spent time with family, played a new game, tried a delicious food, or went on an adventure."
"You can jot it down on your worksheet or just think about it. We'll go around and share briefly. No need to overthink it!"
Inclusion Prompt (Speech Delay):
"If you need help starting, try: 'My favorite part was...', 'I really enjoyed...', 'Something cool I did was...'"
"This brings us to Ubuntu . It means 'I am because we are.' When we share our experiences, we build a stronger community. It helps us remember that we're all in this together."
2. Revisiting Our Roots: Class Charter & Sankofa (7 min)
"Now, let's look at Sankofa . It means 'go back and get it'—learning from the past to prepare for the future. Remember our Class Charter? Our agreements on how we treat each other?"
"Think about last year. What worked really well? What made our classroom a good place to be?" [Pause for student responses]
"And now, looking forward: What could we improve or add to make our learning environment even more supportive? Any small tweaks?" [Pause for student responses]
3. Looking Forward: Ganas Goal Setting (10 min)
"Our last idea is Ganas . It's a Spanish word for desire, enthusiasm, or drive—that inner fire! Who has the ganas to make this your best academic year yet? Show me with a thumbs up!"
"We use this ganas to set goals. In your Goal Setting Journal , I want you to set one or two academic goals. Make them SMART : Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound."
[Allow time to write. Circulate and support. Use the 'New Year, New Me' game if time allows.]
Closing Empowerment
"Fantastic work today, gentlemen! Remember: Sankofa guides us, Ubuntu connects us, and Ganas drives us. Let's carry that spirit every day. I'm excited to see the brilliant things you'll accomplish. Happy New Year—let's make it count!"
Holiday Highlights Worksheet Holiday Highlights
Welcome Back, Team!
Name
Date
Let's kick off the new year by sharing something positive! Think of one positive memory from your winter break. It could be big or small, silly or serious, relaxing or exciting!
My Holiday Highlight:
Optional: Draw a small picture of your highlight here!
Ubuntu: I am because we are
Back to Brilliance!
Charter Check-in Activity Charter Check-in
Sankofa: Learn From the Past
Team Member Name
Our class charter is like our team's playbook. It guides how we treat each other and how we learn best. Using the idea of Sankofa , let's look back to make our future even better.
1 What Worked Well?
Think about our class last year. Which rules or agreements truly helped our community?
I think...
worked well because...
Another thing that helped was...
2 What Can We Improve?
How can we make our charter even stronger for the new year?
I think we could improve...
by...
Maybe we could add an agreement about...
Facilitation Notes
Discussion: This can be done as a group on chart paper or individually.Autism Support: Provide the existing charter visually. Use specific questions like "Did we always remember to listen?"Speech Support: Encourage sentence starters or pointing to charter aspects. Ganas Goal Setting Journal Ganas Journal
New Year, New Goals!
Goal Getter: ________
🔥
What is Ganas?
Ganas means having a strong desire, enthusiasm, or drive to achieve something. It's that inner fire that pushes you to do your best!
Goal 01
I have the ganas to improve in...
(e.g., Reading, Math Facts, Writing Essays, Science Discussions)
My SMART Goal is:
"I will...
by [date]."
How will I show my ganas?
(What specific steps will you take?)
Goal 02 (Optional)
I also have the ganas to achieve...
My SMART Goal is:
S
Specific
M
Measurable
A
Achievable
R
Relevant
T
Time-bound
New Year New Me Game Guide New Year, New Me!
Energy & Intention Game
Game Guide
How to Play
1 Sit in a circle or stand with enough space for a safe toss.
2 The teacher tosses a soft ball or beanbag to a student.
3 The catcher shares one academic goal or positive intention for the year.
4 The student tosses the ball to another classmate who hasn't shared yet.
5 Play continues until everyone who wishes to share has had a turn.
Game Rules
Listen up while others share!
Keep shares quick (1 sentence).
Respectful reactions only.
Soft, safe tosses only.
Example Shares
"I want to read a new book every month!"
"I intend to ask more questions in class."
"I have the ganas to master fractions!"
Accommodations
Speech Delay:
Allow students to show their Ganas Journal instead of speaking, or use a pre-arranged signal (like a thumbs up) to share their readiness.
Autism:
Prepare the student for the turn-taking aspect in advance. Offer a "pass" option or allow them to point to their goal in the journal.
Charter Challenge Game Guide Charter Challenge
Integrity in Action
Game Guide
How to Play
Step 1: Groups
Divide into small groups of 3-4 students.
Step 2: Scenarios
Teacher reads a classroom scenario involving the charter.
Step 3: Discuss
Groups identify the charter agreement and best response.
Challenge Scenarios
Scenario 1: The Distraction
"During independent work time, you notice a classmate whispering loudly to their friend, distracting others. What charter agreement helps us here?"
Which Agreement? ________________
Best Response? __________________
Scenario 2: The Project
"You are working on a group project, and one team member isn't doing their share of the work. How does our charter guide us?"
Which Agreement? ________________
Best Response? __________________
Scenario 3: The Spill
"Someone accidentally knocks over your pencil case, and everything spills on the floor. What does our charter say about how we react?"
Which Agreement? ________________
Best Response? __________________
Game Rules
Work together in your groups!
Respectful sharing when presenting.
Always refer back to the Charter.
Inclusion Tips
Provide written copies of scenarios. For students with speech delay, allow pointing to the poster. For students with autism, provide concrete examples of "best responses."
Values Discussion Prompts Resource Values Prompts
Deeper Reflection Guide
Use these prompts to deepen student understanding and encourage discussion around the core values of Ubuntu, Sankofa, and Ganas. They can be used as whole-class discussion starters, small-group prompts, or individual reflection points.
Ubuntu
"I am because we are."
What does "I am because we are" mean to you in our classroom?
How can we show Ubuntu to each other when we work on group projects?
Can you think of a time when someone showed Ubuntu to you? How did it feel?
Sankofa
"Learn from the past."
Why is it important to think about the past, even if it's over?
What's one thing you learned last year that helps you feel more confident about this year?
Ganas
"Desire, enthusiasm, drive!"
What does it feel like to have "ganas" for something?
How can having ganas help you when you face a challenging assignment?
Inclusion Strategies: For students with speech delay, provide sentence starters (e.g., "Ubuntu means..."). For students with autism, provide concrete examples for each question and ensure questions are phrased directly. Allow for written reflection if verbal sharing is challenging.
