My Leadership Story Showcase

Overview

In this lesson, students share a personal leadership experience using a format they choose (poster, skit, video, or speech). Peers participate in interactive viewing/presenting, ask questions, give feedback, and reflect on how individual stories connect to shared leadership themes.

Learning intentions

• Students will be able to choose and use an appropriate presentation format to convey a leadership story clearly.
• Students will be able to plan and deliver an organized narrative with relevant details and strong word choice.
• Students will be able to ask and answer questions to deepen understanding during presentations.
• Students will be able to provide kind, specific peer feedback and reflect on how leadership themes appear across stories.

Success criteria

• I can share my leadership story with a clear beginning, middle, and end and details that support my message.
• I can present in a way that others can follow, using appropriate voice, pace, and eye contact (or clear audio/visuals for video).
• I can ask a question or respond to a question that connects to what the speaker said.
• I can give feedback that names something I appreciated and one suggestion to improve.

Curriculum links

• Speaking and listening: presenting information clearly and engaging in collaborative discussions
• Writing (supporting work products): using narrative structure and adding meaningful details
• Language: using precise words and varied sentence types for clarity
• Reading (connection): interpreting themes across multiple texts or presentations

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 5 — Warm-up: Leadership theme prompt Display or read a short leadership theme statement (examples: “Leadership means listening,” “Leadership is helping others,” “Leadership includes taking responsibility”). Students do a quick 30–45 second think-write: “One time I led by ______ was ______.”

2. 10 — Mini-lesson: Presentation plan + feedback moves Teacher reviews the success criteria and models “feedback moves” students can use:

• “I noticed…” (specific detail)
• “It helped me understand…” (impact)
• “A next step could be…” (one improvement) Briefly remind students about organizing their story (beginning/middle/end) and including relevant details that show leadership actions.

3. 5 — Set up groups and roles Arrange students into small presenting circles or teams so multiple formats can run smoothly. Assign each student a role for one presentation cycle: Listener/Questioner, Feedback Giver, Timekeeper/Group Support.

4. 20 — Showcase Presentations (Round 1) Half the class presents while the rest complete a simple response organizer with: one question to ask and two pieces of feedback (one “I noticed,” one “One next step”). After each presentation, allocate quick Q&A (about 2 minutes per speaker) to keep momentum.

5. 10 — Share-out and teacher connection to leadership themes Teacher leads a short discussion: “What leadership theme showed up across different stories?” Students contribute one idea using evidence from a story they heard (not just an opinion). Teacher reinforces patterns such as perseverance, teamwork, problem-solving, and empathy.

6. 15 — Showcase Presentations (Round 2) + peer reflection Switch roles: the remaining students present; others ask questions and give feedback. End with 3 minutes of silent reflection: “My leadership story teaches others that leadership is… because…” Students may record one sentence.

7. 5 — Exit ticket: Next-step goal Students submit a final goal for improving their communication or leadership message next time (example: “Next time I will add one more detail about what I did” or “Next time I will ask a deeper question”). Teacher collects for formative use.

Resources

• Student leadership story planning sheets or notes from prior lessons
• Presentation materials (poster paper, markers, props list)
• Speech planning prompts (opening hook, key actions, closing message)
• Video device or tablet option and audio/recording checklist (if available)
• Skit prompt cards (characters, conflict, leadership choice, resolution)
• Peer feedback organizer (I noticed / It helped me understand / Next step)
• Timer for presenting and Q&A
• Theme anchor chart with sample leadership ideas
• Rubric-like checklist for students’ self-assessment (clarity, organization, details, audience engagement)

Assessment

• Peer feedback quality: checks whether students give specific, supportive comments and one actionable suggestion.
• Teacher observation: uses a simple notes form to track organization (beginning/middle/end), clarity, and engagement during Q&A.
• Exit ticket: evaluates students’ reflection and ability to connect their story to a leadership theme.

Differentiation

• Support: Provide sentence starters for narratives and responses (“First, I…”, “This showed leadership because…”, “My question is…”).
• Support: Offer optional mini-story frames for students who need structure (problem, leadership action, result).
• Extension: Challenge advanced students to include an additional perspective (how others felt, how teamwork changed the outcome) and to ask follow-up questions that require reasoning.
• EAL/SEN: Allow nonverbal supports (gestures, visual cues), reduce reading demands on organizers, and permit oral-only or paired rehearsal before presenting to build confidence.