OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION

Leadership Road Trip for Middle School Enrichment

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OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION

Introduction

Target Audience: 8th Graders at Van Wert Middle School.

Duration: School Year (August-May)

Lesson Time: 30-45mins, conducted a total of 12 times.

4-H Book Used: Leadership Road Trip: Where are you going?

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OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION

Demographics of Van WertTotal Population: 10,768 people

Median Household Income: $37,030

Race is 91.8% White

Most common industry is Manufacturing.

http://www.city-data.com/city/Van-Wert-Ohio.html

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OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION

Driving QuestionsHow can we, as Cougar Leaders, grow our leadership

skills so that we can positively impact Van Wert

Middle School and the Van Wert Community?

Final Product: Portfolio containing resources and

handouts, as well as 4-H book.

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OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION

Objectives• Define the qualities of a good leader.• Identify the qualities of a good friend.• Identify their own values and beliefs. • Explain leadership roles in effective teams. • Classify their prominent role when working with a

team.• Locate their digital footprint and explain its

importance to how others view them.

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OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION

Objectives• Practice body language cues in non-verbal communication. • Separate a goal from a wish.• Plan the steps to achieve a goal. • Recognize emphasis on words in verbal communications.• Organize tasks into more manageable steps. • Demonstrate new leadership skills at an one-on-one

interview with a business leader. • Evaluate what you have learned, and how that will affect you

as you go into High School.

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OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION

Project Book Areas

1. Me, My Friends, and Others

2. Which Way Do I Go?

3. Communication Station

4. Hitting the Road

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OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION

Me, My Friends, and Others You’re the Driver: Created a collage of magazine clippings

of things they feel describe them. This includes Values, joys, and talents.

Choosing Your Passengers: Identified ten qualities of a good friend.

Tuning up Your Car: Defined what they bring to a team effort. Also integrated colors activities in this portion.

Meeting Others on the Road: Defined good and bad behaviors when meeting someone for the first time.

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OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION

Which Way Do I Go? Recalculating: Defined leadership traits and how

they will achieve them. Programming Your Goals: Short Term, Medium

Term, and Long Term. Planning Your Route: Defined Objectives and

how to make steps to achieve objectives.

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OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION

Communication Station Clear Directions are Best:

Used emphasis on words to show how it changed what someone said.

Reading the Road Signs: Body Language

Is this a One-Way Street?: Clear directions and drawing pictures.

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OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION

Hitting the Road1. Forks in the Road: Wrote steps to solve a

problem.2. Finding Your Path: Defined opportunities and how

to keep learning leadership skills for the future.

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OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION

Project Judging for Youth

1. One on One Judging, with adults who are leaders in the community. 2. Setup in media center with 4 judges, assigned times for each youth (15

minutes).3. Youth wrote thank you notes to the judges, and reflections once they

finished. 4. Pizza Party following week to celebrate success.

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OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION

Interview Questions1. What is your definition of leadership?2. Tell me about one leadership quality you

have, and one that you are working to develop.

3. Tell me 3 qualities of a good friend. 4. Who is your role model and why?5. What do you feel that you bring to a

team? (page 20)6. What was the goal that you identified in

your project book? (page 21)7. How can you make a good first

impression?8. As you go into High School how are you

preparing for success?

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OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION

Notes for Replication1. This past year we had 40 youth – would suggest closer to

20 for success!2. 2 times a month is better than once – otherwise you don’t

get quite the same relationships with the youth. 3. Ask administration about their Vision, goals, and focus!

Make it fit and show them how you can help them achieve what they want to do.

4. Since this group is not all traditional 4-H membership- we often changed the wording or added in things to make it more comfortable.