Preparing Your First Session

Preparation isn’t difficult, but it’s easy to miss something important! With several moving pieces, it’s helpful to be working ahead.

Three Weeks Before: Initial Meetings

Separately coordinate and have initial meetings with your high school and middle school teachers to sort out key logistics – time, location, frequency – as in “Starting a School Branch”.

Decide also if any other high school leaders will be joining you! Coordinate accordingly with both teachers.

Two Weeks Before: Topic Preparation

The most important thing you’ll do will be to choose and to understand your topic. This should be done BEFORE you meet with students. Make sure you’re able to engage with your topic of choosing through the lens of each sustainable development goal and have given thoughtful consideration to a couple different angles that committee could take.

If this is your first simulation, choose something accessible to students and possible to debate without extensive prior knowledge.

Should dogs be required to wear leashes in public areas?
Should human cloning be illegal?
Should we ban plastic water bottles?
Does social media do more harm or good?
Should scientists develop a way for everyone to live forever?

If students are more advanced, or your team has worked with them several times prior, feel free to breach into more advanced topics! In respect for the sensitivity of current events, avoid points of mass political controversy.

How can artificial intelligence be expanded for the good of humanity?
How can schools improve the mental health of students?
What should individuals and city governments be doing to address climate change?
Is it ethical to keep animals in zoos and aquariums?
Should governments require their citizens to vote?

Of course, feel free to differ from these topics. These are only starting places and kind recommendations!

One Week Before: Lesson Plans

Once you have your topic, write up a “lesson plan” detailing your complete session. Following the Little League of Nations Lesson Plan Template, this should be simple!

Five Days Before: Final Meetings

Meet again with your teacher contacts, starting with your high school advisor! If you’re working with other high school student leaders, invite them to attend as well for the sake of involvement and cohesion. This way, there will be no surprises on the day of.

Using your lesson plan, start by reviewing your key logistics — time, location, and frequency — before discussing your chosen topic. Walk through the central question, guiding sub-questions, and 3 to 5 potential directions for the committee to take.

Your second meeting should be with your middle school teacher. Once more, review your key logistics and chosen topic! Answer any questions, and clarify any points of confusion.

Two Days Before: Resource Review

Make sure you’ve prepared/printed and set up any resources you intend to use! Take a moment to read through each to make sure it’s ready to go. Some resources to consider using and/or reviewing:

Ask any questions you may have ahead of time, and get ready for an awesome session.

One Day Before: You Made it!!

First off, congratulations. You’re about to run your Little League of Nations session! If you have any issues at any point throughout the day, contact any member of Little League of Nations leadership for support. Be in close contact with your teacher throughout the day, and come in 5 to 10 minutes early to your session to set-up and put your teacher at ease. Otherwise, have a great session, and get ready to kill it!

Finally, Session Follow-Up

After you finish your session, you’ll be required to fill out a (super quick) form on session details. To do so effectively, keep track of:

How many middle school students are present at your session?
How many high school student leaders are present at your session?
How many high school student leaders were involved in planning your session?
What topic did your committee cover?

Equally important will be remembering to thank the teachers who supported you along the way. Whether it’s a quick email or a lovely hand-written note, a small piece of gratitude goes a long way. In the week following the session, touch base with both teachers to separately reflect on how it went. Were students engaged? Would you be interested in running another Little League of Nations session in the upcoming future? Are there ways you may be interested in expanding the program? Let these conversations be open spaces to reflect on the past and look to the future.

Finally, touch base with leadership here at the Little League of Nations. We’re excited to hear how it went! Find a time to chat, even if only for a short ten minutes 🙂