Lesson Plans, Volume 1

Written by Joshua Steely on April 15th, 2026. Revised on May 3rd, 2026. 

These past couple months I've had the privilege of time. With that time I had the privilege of job shadowing four amazing teachers. With my notes from those job shadows, I wrote up a 9 page document with the conclusion that I do not find the job of a public school teacher to be appealing to me at this point in time. I have a deeper respect for what teachers do, and a greater understanding of what goes on behind the scenes. What convinced me it wasn't for me, however, was the lack of freedom and flexibility. With my Crate workshops, I can write up an entirely unique curriculum that doesn't have to adhere to any government standards. I can travel with that curriculum to any number of locations, certainly not limited to schools, retirement communities, offices, libraries, and churches. I can change the plans on a whim, as long as I follow the contracts I write up with clients. The freedom I want abounds in entrepreneurship, so why wouldn't I pursue it?

That being said, I have had SO many ideas for how to run a classroom. I'm also afraid that my creativity may someday dwindle and the flurries of ideas may fade. To try and combat that possibility, I've decided to start writing down the ideas for the sake of memory. Whether they will be adapted to Crate curriculum, shared with real teachers, or go unused is up to the future. Here are a few I've had thus far.

The Word of the Day

This would be a way to structure each class around that ideal "one-word takeaway" the odd class tries to hit home. But this one would be every day. It could function as a "bell-ringer" assignment, and/or be the guide for entire classes. Students could be expected to write the word–and perhaps a short summary of the class discussion–in a journal, compiling the entire class in a unique notes format: a long list of words that represent each and every day. 

Each word could also be printed out, and placed around the room throughout the year as a visual representation of each completed lesson. (This could be trickier if a room teaches multiple classes, but solvable with organization such as "Period 1-3" and "Period 5-7" separate bulletin boards)

Below are two lessons based on this "Word of the Day" approach:

"Judgement"

This has the potential to be an immensely powerful lesson, based on the phrase "Don't judge a book by a cover" and the fact that "we do exactly that". Ideally, it would be the first class of the year, because that first day is full of snap-judgements and assumptions that I would love to bring to the front of the students' minds. 

First on the docket would be their assumptions about me, which I would manipulate by dressing up as a complete nerd, detective, delinquent, vampire, etc. and speaking in a weird accent, all for a dramatic reveal the next day when I come back completely average (my normal self). They would be invited to share their assumptions aloud as a group, modeling a mob vs. outsider mentality. Keep this in mind.

Second, would be anonymous judgements of people on a screen. I would show mugshots and vacation pictures, celebrities and headlines. All of these would elicit responses that could be shared aloud without the worry of the photographed person hearing it. (Some pranks do this with the celebrity in earshot, popping out to shock the fan or bypasser. Jennifer Lawrence has asked questions about herself to strangers, and to her disappointment, comically few recognized her!)

Third would be anonymous chat rooms, like reddit or twitter, where people can sit in the comfort of their own homes and directly comment on people. How easy is it to criticize when there is a blanket of anonymity behind it? How does it feel to be criticized by people you don't know?

Fourth–and this is the risky one–would be face-to-face peer judgements. I would turn the desks into groups of two, facing each other, and then instruct the classmates to judge the person in front of them, and say those comments out loud. This would have to be done very carefully, as I don't actually want them to get hurt. I want it to be done safely. But I also want them to experience how much harder it is to criticize someone to their face, looking into their humanity, one-on-one, as opposed to over a text or at a screen or as part of a group. 

I would assign a reflection paper (1-2 pages) over how judgements have impacted the student's life.

One word: judgement, but an object lesson based on it that wholly spotlights a cruel pattern that may arise at this time in their life if they engage in online discussions or anonymous gossip.

Interpretation

The IDOE standard for grades 9-10, RC.1 (and 11-12.RC.1) states:

"Analyze what a text says both explicitly and implicitly (e.g., inferences and interpretations) by citing strong and thorough textual evidence. (E)" What I find most interesting is the word "text" which surely is meant to mean "book" or "article" or other well-known academic sources of literature. 

But what if it was interpreted explicitly–inferred implicitly, if you will–to mean "text message". Well then, that could make for an interesting class indeed.

I imagine I texted my classmates FAR below average during my time in high school, and yet I still have dozens of examples that could be used in a class such as this:

A text message thread is shared on the board, with the last message being unnecessarily ambiguous. The class then discusses what that message could possibly mean, using the context of the conversation, some minimal background of the sender, and their own personal understanding of the words/phrases/acronyms/emojis used. 

My leading example could be my Dad sending me a random T-Rex emoji with no context. "WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?" I could ask the class. And there could be any number of responses: "He's just letting you know he's thinking of you" "He's calling you old" "He clicked the wrong button" "He's wondering if you want to go mini-golfing" "It's an inside joke that you forgot"

and what is the right answer? Nobody knows…

And yet, it is a fantastic way to explain "interpretation" and how meaning is also derived from different literature passages, poems, and articles. Everything can be interpreted in any number of ways. Is that helpful when it comes to figuring out if your crush likes you or you're about to get friendzoned (again)? Absolutely not. But when writing your analyses papers, knowing there is no right answer could give you so much more freedom in your approach. You can really choose what it means to you and share that with your reader.

The Progressive Bookshelf

No, I don't mean the company, or the social implication, I mean that the bookshelf progressively becomes more full.

Y'know those shelves that most teachers have in their rooms? Absolutely packed with books? It's almost overwhelming, if not jealousy-inducing (to book lovers such as myself). 

I think a fantastic solution would be to start off every year with an empty shelf at the front of the room. Nothing there. Maybe even a rubber spider and faux cobwebs to emphasize its emptiness. But every time I reference a book, I put it on the shelf. Each new book we read as a class, a copy goes on the shelf. If I reference an article, a printed copy goes in a three-ring binder on the shelf. Slowly, but surely, all of the materials we use and reference throughout a year fill the shelf. The shelf will only hold relevant, referenced content. If a student is thinking back to a particular lesson wondering "what book did we use for that…?" then they can go to the shelf, peruse, and quickly locate the book in question, amid nonexistent obscurity. Everything will be relevant.

If teaching multiple classes, there would be the option of multiple shelving units, or just dividing it on different shelves in a single unit, or even mixing them all together. Perhaps the English 9 student is intrigued by the English 10 book, and wants to read ahead. Or perhaps the English 10 student who loved English 9 notices a book they didn't have in their class the previous year, and goes to read it.

It would be up to you, of course, to allow lending of the books/materials outside of class time or not. I personally would not allow the materials to leave the room, but would be happy to lend them out during work time if a student is ahead, etc. But mostly, I just think it would be satisfying to watch the shelf slowly fill, reminding students of how much they've read/seen/learned so far that year. 

Mr. Disagreeable

There are, of course, IDOE standards regarding argumentative writing and application. Such as

9-10.W.1 Write arguments in a variety of forms that: a. Introduce claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence. b. Use rhetorical strategies to enhance the effectiveness of the claim. c. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns. d. Use effective transitions to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims. e. Establish and maintain a consistent style and tone appropriate for the purpose and audience. f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented. (E) 

Of course, what draws me to the phrasing of this standard in particular is, "...a variety of forms…" that introduce and identify claims, use rhetorical strategies to enhance the effectiveness, develop claims and counterclaims fairly, effectively transition between claims and reasons, establish a consistent style, and conclude with a supported statement. So basically, all of it piques my interest, but the most interesting part is the potential interpretations of "a variety of forms". What kinds of forms? Surely, these are not limited to essays as they so often are.

Introducing: the plea.

This is a form of writing that I am quite familiar with, as my Mother is a big fan of receiving essays of reasoning. What better way to implement persuasion than to ask a parent for something in the form of written reasoning?

But instructing my students to write an essay for their parents asking for something isn't necessarily something I want to deal with the aftermath of. So instead, I propose a sort of gameshow, featuring: "Mr. Disagreeable" played by, of course, at least to start, me. Contestants (the students) would choose from a number of topics (or propose one themselves, via another form of short essay) to submit as potential arguments. I will select several, and then in front of the class, two comfortable chairs, sidetables, and microphones will be positioned and discussions will commence. There will be a determined format of, say, introduction > claim > rebuttal > response > counterpoint > rebuttal > response > conclusion, through which the student will try to change my mind. But the idea is that they won't. My job as Mr. Disagreeable will be to always consider myself right, as they will surely encounter someone similar at some point in their life. The real goal will be to come to some sort of mutual understanding without "changing my mind". I can still disagree, and we can still move forward. Winners of the show would successfully identify a common goal that can be worked towards while both parties maintain their opinions.

That is a valid application of argumentative writing. Preparing a debate with the understanding that changing people's mind is not the goal–is sometimes impossible. Instead, students should understand that real argumentative writing should fairly present both sides, explain why they believe their side is right, but then share a goal that both sides can work towards while maintaining their position. The best arguments take a lot of creativity, and vice versa (the worst arguments involve no creativity: just screaming the same things back and forth indefinitely). 

Mr. Disagreeable could expand into an even bigger school-wide event, involving a stage show and a debate team… or it may not. But having those ideas with so much room for growth is a good thing. Stale ideas have nowhere to go, but Mr. Disagreeable could make it to the stratosphere. I can imagine myself getting a monocle and going viral for the quality discussions–but the greater likelihood is me cackling to myself and my peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich alone over my lunch break. Either is fine by me.

This post is titled "Volume 1" because I can only imagine how many more lesson plans I will brainstorm over the years to come. 

Here's to Volume 2!