Purpose
Students use this week to rewrite their post-graduation identity by crafting an origin story that answers how their current skills, experiences, and values connect to the person they are becoming. Through partner interviews, mentor texts, milestone timelines, alumni and college staff conversations, and repeated critique, they build a clear narrative with a beginning, turning point, and future direction grounded in real next-step plans. The work develops communication, critical thinking, self-direction, content expertise, and academic mindset as students revise for publication and performance. The week leads to a live showcase where they present their polished story, respond to audience questions, and share a narrative booklet that shows growth from draft to final version.
Learning goals
Students will craft and present a polished origin story that explains how their current skills, experiences, and values connect to a clear next chapter after graduation. They will analyze mentor texts and use narrative structure, voice, sequencing, and concise language to write, revise, and perform a personal narrative with a beginning, turning point, and future direction. Through interviews with peers, alumni, and college or financial aid staff, students will gather insight, ask purposeful questions, and integrate real postsecondary options and action steps into their work. Students will use gallery feedback, audience questions, and written reflection to strengthen their draft, monitor their growth, and name how their confidence, habits, and goals are changing.
Products
Students will create a launch piece from the Remix Lab, a shared graduation-transition timeline, annotated mentor texts, and a draft script that maps a beginning, turning point, and future direction. Throughout the week, they will also produce interview notes from alumni and college or financial aid story-conferences, peer feedback gallery comments, revision notes, and a near-final performance draft with updated delivery goals. By the end, each student will publish a rewritten personal narrative booklet that includes their polished origin story, milestone timeline, next-step action plan, and evidence of revision from draft to final. Students will also deliver a live origin-story performance at Next Chapter Night and respond to audience questions about how their skills, experiences, and values connect to life after graduation.
Launch
Open with an Origin Story Remix Lab: students interview a partner about their strengths, values, support people, and post-graduation goals, then turn that conversation into a short spoken or written “chapter one” piece. Follow this with a Chapter One Countdown timeline wall where students add key milestones, fears, hopes, and next steps after high school, making the room a shared map of possible futures. Invite a few alumni or local college admissions and financial aid staff to circulate for brief story-conference conversations so students can gather real details about life after graduation. Close the launch with a quick share-out and a personal entry point to the week’s guiding question about who they are becoming next.
Exhibition
Host a Next Chapter Night where students perform their polished origin stories for peers, families, alumni, and local college admissions or financial aid staff, then answer audience questions about how their skills, values, and experiences connect to their plans after graduation. Display each student’s narrative booklet around the room with milestone timelines and revision notes so guests can see the growth from draft to final publication. Build in a gallery walk before or after performances so attendees can leave written affirmations, advice, and next-step encouragement. Close with a brief student reflection wall where students name one way their confidence, habits, or goals changed during the week.
