Lessons in Leadership

Lesson Content

• Lesson Plan Template:

  CTE Lesson Plan

• CTE Course Info and Benchmark Notes

  
  

  Program Title (as applicable):

  N/A

  Course Title:

  Introduction to Finance and Career Planning

  Course Number:

  8540360

  Career Cluster:

  Finance

  CIP Number:

  148540360M

  Course Type:

  Orientation/Exploratory and Career Planning

  CTE Standard(s) and Benchmark(s):

  05.02 Identify the characteristics and responsibilities of organizational leaders.

• Unit Outline

  
  

  This lesson is designed to be used with the case study, “What Makes a Good Leader.” See CPALMS resource ID# 210696.

• Career Connection

  
  

  This lesson helps students develop the career building skill of identifying characteristics and responsibilities of leaders and how someone in a leadership position (or wanting a leadership position) can build the trust of others.

• Learning Objectives

  
  

  Students will be able to:

  • Discuss ways a leader can build the trust of others, whether individuals or a group of people
  • Discuss characteristics of effective leaders
  • Conduct research to answer a question using reliable and valid sources

• Prior Knowledge

  
  

  Students should be familiar with/able to:

  • An understanding of what a leader is
  • Basic knowledge of using word processing computer programs

• Guiding Questions

  
  
  • What characteristics do you think someone in a leadership position should have?
  • How do you build trust with other people? How could someone in a leadership role build trust in similar ways?

• Procedure

  
  
  1. To introduce the lesson, activate students’ prior knowledge by having them identify a person they acknowledge as a leader. In addition, they should list characteristics of that person (see teacher notes for a suggestion for this activity).
  2. Set the purpose for the lesson by introducing the case study. Provide the case study “What Makes a Leader” CPALMS resource ID# 210696 for students. Allow students to read the case study individually react to the questions in partners.
     • Encourage students to notate key details, important vocabulary, and any thoughts they have while reading.
  3. Provide the Lessons in Leadership handout (see attachmens) to students. The first page of the document is for students to note their responses to questions pertaining to the case study.
  4. Next, students will research characteristics of effective leaders and ways for leaders to build trust in others. Research will be tracked on the recording sheet (page two of the handout). See the teacher notes for suggestions.
  5. To bring the lesson to a close, provide an opportunity for students to show their understanding by having them type up a paragraph to explain what they feel Cori should do in the months leading up to the elections of officers. This paragraph should reflect ideas on characteristics of a good leader and/or how leaders build trust in others students within the program
     • Consider having students submit this digitally via an online application.

• Teacher Notes

  
  
  • For the introduction, the teacher could provide students with post-it notes for them to jot down names of people and their characteristics. It is suggested to give students think time to do jot their ideas individually before bringing them to the board to share. The teacher can then share out student responses noting similar people and/or common characteristics listed.
  • For the research activity to the case study, it is suggested that the class be split in half to do their research. Half of the class would research characteristics of a good leader and the other half would research how leaders can build trust. It’s suggested that the teacher would have students draw specific ideas to research as to not overlap too many of the same ideas. This can be done for example with writing ideas down and having students draw one from a cup. For example, with the characteristics of a good leader: being confident, a good communicator, being a problem solver, being creative, etc. For how to build trust: being dependable and/or consistent, being authentic, being empathetic, being approachable and friendly. Students would then partner off and share their research with one partner sharing about the characteristics and the other partner sharing about building trust.

• Optional

  
  

  Extension Ideas:

  • Students can write a letter or an email to Cori giving advice on their claim(s) to the best actions for Cori to take to obtain the treasurer role. They would need to provide support for why their claims, or actions Cori should take, would lead to building trust in others or showing characteristics that effective leaders have.