Skills for Secondary School Success

Directing My Learning and Working Well with Others

Program Materials

Free Tools and Resources Available for all Educators

Teacher Resources Include:

  • Teacher’s Manual: Full curriculum and by-unit guides
    • 5 units, 40 lessons
  • Teacher Materials: PowerPoints for every lesson
  • Student Materials: Printable & electronic resources
    • Student Materials available in English & Spanish
  • Professional Development
    • Asynchronous series with narrated PowerPoints for each unit

Customize to Your Needs and Opportunities

  • Use as a semester-long course or as part of one
  • Use in advisory
  • Use individual units or lessons to meet specific needs
  • Teachers have successfully used the learning materials in grades 5 to 10 across all types of schools

Unit 1: Learning with a Purpose

 Watch the Unit Introduction Video

This video provides an overview of Unit 1, including an explanation of the standard structure for all lessons in the curriculum and a review of each of the seven lessons in Unit 1.

Unit 1 Contains Seven Lessons
  • Introduction to Skills for Secondary School Success
  • You Are the Author of Your Life Story
  • Expressing My Identity Creatively
  • Career Exploration I
  • Career Exploration II
  • My Future Self Part I
  • My Future Self Part II

This unit is designed for students to answer the questions, What gives you purpose in learning right now? How is school helping you prepare for your life after you finish your education?

Professional Development

In this module, you will learn about Unit 1 and the key activities included in each lesson within the unit. To complete the module, please do the following:

  1. Watch the curriculum overview video below titled “4S Unit1 PD video.”
  2. Throughout the video, you will be asked to reflect on your answers to several questions. It will be helpful to have a pencil/pen and paper handy for this purpose.

Alternately or in addition, you can view and read the script for each slide individually by downloading the file titled 4S Unit1 PD PPT 

Unit 2: Confronting Challenges and Having a Growth Mindset

 Watch the Unit Introduction Video

This video provides an overview of Unit 2, including an explanation of the standard structure for all lessons in the curriculum and a review of each of the eight lessons in Unit 2.

Unit 2 Contains Eight Lessons
  • Managing Stress
  • Identifying Signs of Stress
  • Managing Difficult Emotions
  • Problem Solving
  • Mindfulness
  • Having a Growth Mindset: Using Facts from Brain Science to Change Your Life
  • The Real Difference Having a Growth Mindset Makes
  • Famous Failures

This unit is designed for students to answer the questions, What strategies do you use now when you confront challenges? What do you think it might mean to have a “growth mindset”?

Classroom Materials

Click on the link to view/download.

Lesson 1: Posters for Gallery Walk

Professional Development

2n this module, you will learn about Unit 2 and the key activities included in each lesson within the unit. To complete the module, please do the following:

  1. Watch the curriculum overview video below titled “4S Unit2 PD video.”
  2. Throughout the video, you will be asked to reflect on your answers to several questions. It will be helpful to have a pencil/pen and paper handy for this purpose.

Alternately or in addition, you can view and read the script for each slide individually by downloading the file titled 4S Unit2 PD PPT 

Unit 3: Managing My Learning

 Watch the Unit Introduction Video

This video provides an overview of Unit 3, including an explanation of the standard structure for all lessons in the curriculum and a review of each of the eight lessons in Unit 1.

Unit 3 Contains Eight Lessons
  • Getting and Staying Organized
  • Managing Time and Setting Priorities
  • Planning for Effective Studying: Maintaining a Study Space and Minimizing Distractions
  • Attentive Reading
  • Learning How to Learn
  • Taking Useful Notes
  • Measuring My Learning
  • Setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals

This unit is designed for students to answer the questions, How are you managing your learning now? What do you think it would be useful to know to help you manage your learning in high school?

Classroom Materials
Professional Development

In this module, you will learn about Unit 3 and the key activities included in each lesson within the unit. To complete the module, please do the following:

  1. Watch the curriculum overview video below titled “4S Unit3 PD video.”
  2. Throughout the video, you will be asked to reflect on your answers to several questions. It will be helpful to have a pencil/pen and paper handy for this purpose.

Alternately or in addition, you can view and read the script for each slide individually by downloading this file titled 4S Unit3 PD PPT 

Unit 4: Interacting with Others as We Learn Together

 Watch the Unit Introduction Video

This video provides an overview of Unit 4, including an explanation of the standard structure for all lessons in the curriculum and a review of each of the eight lessons in Unit 4.

Unit 4 Contains Eight Lessons
  • Connection Circles to Build Community and Deepen Relationships
  • Building Community through Gratitude
  • Friendship
  • Effective Communication
  • Working Together
  • Strengthening Emotional Health
  • Co-Creating a Caring Community I
  • Co-Creating a Caring Community II

This unit is designed for students to answer the questions, What does the word “community” mean to you? Why would we want to connect with others in our communities?

Professional Development

In this module, you will learn about Unit 1 and the key activities included in each lesson within the unit. To complete the module, please do the following:

  1. Watch the curriculum overview video below titled “4S Unit4 PD video.”
  2. Throughout the video, you will be asked to reflect on your answers to several questions. It will be helpful to have a pencil/pen and paper handy for this purpose.

Alternately or in addition, you can view and read the script for each slide individually by downloading this file titled 4S Unit4 PD PPT

Unit 5: Making a Difference in My Community and World

 Watch the Unit Introduction Video

This video provides an overview of Unit 5, including an explanation of the standard structure for all lessons in the curriculum and a review of each of the nine lessons in Unit 5.

Unit 5 Contains Nine Lessons
  • Expanding Our Circles of Concern
  • Exploring Needs in My Neighborhood Community
  • Addressing School or Neighborhood Community Needs
  • Choosing a Project to Make a Difference
  • Using Project Management Skills for Your Volunteer Project
  • Working on Project Proposals
  • Completing a Project Proposal
  • Presentation of Project Proposals
  • Course Wrap-Up

This unit is designed for students to answer the questions, How would you like to make a difference in your community or in the world? What do you need to help prepare you to do this?

Classroom Materials

Click on the link to view/download.

Professional Development

In this module, you will learn about Unit 1 and the key activities included in e ach lesson within the unit. To complete the module, please do the following:

  1. Watch the curriculum overview video below titled “4S Unit 5 PD video.”
  2. Throughout the video, you will be asked to reflect on your answers to several questions. It will be helpful to have a pencil/pen and paper handy for this purpose.

Alternately or in addition, you can view and read the script for each slide individually by downloading this file titled 4S Unit5 PD PPT 

What Educators are Saying

The lessons are clear, organized, and easy to use—everything I need is right there.
 — Middle school teacher, California

It’s well-rounded. Instead of piecing together different programs, everything is in one place.
 — Middle school teacher, Montana

The PD videos were concise, clear, and practical—I knew exactly how to use the material.
 — Middle school teacher, New York

Seeing an Impact on Students

I saw students actually using the stress-management strategies we practiced—in PE, at lunch, even in other classes.
 — Middle school teacher, Illinois

This gives teachers an easy, cohesive way to teach skills outside their content area—something many really struggle with.
 — Middle school counselor, Colorado

Designing Education

A podcast hosted by Robert Balfanz, director of the Everyone Graduates Center.

Conversations with leaders in education from around the country on bold new ideas and research-based strategies for redesigning American education to more effectively engage all students and equip them for the challenges of today’s workplace and world.

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