← Year
What you're building together
In 8 sessions they fix one real thing for one real person — and write the case for it.
Not a made-up problem out of a textbook. Something already happening to somebody they know. They notice it, ask the person it happens to, dig past the obvious complaint to the gap underneath, and write a short opinion piece: a claim on top, two reasons under it, evidence attached to each. Then they hand it to somebody who can act on it.
- A written page in their own hand — the claim, two reasons, and what backs each one
- Notes from a real conversation with a real person, first names only
- A second version made after feedback, because session 6 is about changing your work without defending it
This is where the year stops being about them. Persuasive writing means something the moment somebody might actually say yes — and a child who has changed one small thing for one real person learns something about their own reach that a grade cannot tell them.
What it looks like finished
What you’ll need, all eight sessions
Gather this once and you never stop a session to go and find something. Each session repeats its own list when you start it.
Their log and a pencilSession 1
A real sign, flyer or note home for the reading repSession 1
About 30 minutesSessions 1, 4, 6
First names only in the log. That rule starts today and holds all expedition.Session 1
Their log, open at the circled problemSession 2
A pencil, and something to lean on if you end up standingSession 2
The person themselves — arranged ahead of time, and you go tooSession 2
About 30 minutes. The asking takes longer than you expect.Session 2
Their log, open at the quotes and the starred lineSession 3
A pencil, and about 25 minutesSessions 3, 7
Nothing else. This one is all talking.Session 3
Their log, open at the real gapSession 4
A pencil, and scrap paper for the brainstormSession 4
Nothing to buy yet — gathering what they need is this week's jobSession 4
Card, paper, markers, tape and scissors — and you as the handsSession 5
Their log, open at the sketch and the claimSession 5
The person available at the end, if you can arrange itSession 5
35-40 minutesSession 5
The helper itself, back from the personSession 6
Their log, with what the person said written in itSession 6
Tape, card and markers — whatever version two needsSession 6
Their log, open at the whole story so farSession 7
Both versions of the helper, if you still have themSession 7
Both versions of the fix, the log, the quotes and the opinion pieceSession 8
Real people — family counts, and the person themselves if they will comeSession 8
About 35 minutes, and something to eat afterwards if you canSession 8
Say the first-names-only rule out loud before anybody arrivesSession 8
The skills behind this build
The build looks like a project — underneath, it trains these exact reading, writing & math reps. Run them in Skills alongside the expedition.
The Quiet NeighborReading · Sometimes the kindest thing you can build is a way to make a neighbor feel less alone.FoundationAdd and Subtract StoriesMath · Every word problem is a tiny story — and you are great at understanding stories.FoundationAn Opinion With a ReasonWriting · Your opinion matters more when you can say why — that is how you help others understand you.On gradeAdd a Describing DetailWriting · Details are how you help a reader see what you saw.Foundation
8
The sessions
1
Notice“What bugs somebody?”
They find a real problem that belongs to a real person outside the family — no fixing yet, just noticing.
2
Listen“Let them talk.”
They interview the real person and bring back their actual words (not their guesses).
3
Find the Gap“What's it really about?”
They find the main idea of the problem — the real gap hiding under the obvious complaint.
4
Smallest Thing“First, not fancy.”
They make the smallest thing that could help — and write their first opinion claim.
5
Light It Up“Real means you gave it.”
They build the real helper and — the whole point — give it to the person who has the problem.
6
Improve“What did they say?”
They make a v2 from real feedback and write a real opinion piece (claim + two reasons).
7
Second Star“Who else could this help?”
They go deeper or wider — make the fix help more people, or solve the next layer.
8
Demo Day“Name your smartest thought.”
They present their fix + the proof it helped, and name their own smartest thinking.