https://nifa.usda.gov/ 

program/4-h-positive-youthdevelopment 

National Institute 

of Food 

and Agriculture 

United States 

Department of 

Agriculture 

lesson plan: activity 3.10 

lesson details introduction 

mother ship 

A FederAl PArtnershiP For steM educAtion 

expeditionary

skills

for life 

 

National Aeronautics 

and Space 

Administration 

age/grade level 

High School 

learner outcoMes 

Youth will learn what it takes to be a 

leader and to provide leadership to a 

group of peers. Youth will learn how 

to take actions, adapt their behavior 

and make decisions based on the 

ideas and suggestions of the group. 

This includes the ability to work as 

both a leader and a follower. 

success indicators 

Youth will demonstrate their abilities 

to handle being in a lead role, 

including providing guidance and 

direction, while also accepting ideas 

and suggestions. 

life skills 

Adaptability, Contribution to Group 

Effort, Leadership 

national standards 

21st Century Skills/Learning and 

Innovation Skills/COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION/ 

Communicate clearly, collaborate 

with others 

21st Century: Life and Career Skills / 

FLEXBILITY AND ADAPTABILITY / 

Develop thinking skills, content 

knowledge, and social and 

emotional competencies to navigate 

complex life and work environments 

21st Century: Life and Career Skills / 

LEADERSHIP AND RESPONSIBILITY 

/guide and lead others, be 

responsible to others 

prep tiMe 

30 minutes 

activity tiMe 

1 hour, 34 minutes (all activities 

combined) 

Materials list 

•	 Paper 

•	 Pencils, pens 

•	 For each team of 4, collect in a 1 

gallon sealable bag: 

Water to land vehicle building 

supplies: 10 straws, roll of scotch 

tape, a piece of cardboard (8”x8”), 

2 pieces of paper, scissors, 4 milk 

jug caps, 2 rubber bands. 

Land to space vehicle building 

supplies: 1-9” balloon, ball of 

string, 1-16 oz. sour cream or 

cottage cheese container, toilet 

paper roll, 2 jumbo craft sticks. 

•	 Items in the kits can be swapped 

for another item to better meet 

your access to supplies, but it is 

strongly recommended that all 

teams are provided the same 

items in their kits. 

suggested space 

Tables with chairs 

suggested group size 

Multiples of four; youth will work in 


teams of 4 youth per team
 

references 

How Do I Improve Team 


Communication? 


http://smallbusiness.chron.com/ 

improve-team-communication-3077. 

html 

Overcoming 5 Obstacles Cross-


Functional Teams Face 


http://www.quickbase.com/blog/ 

overcoming-5-obstacles-cross-functional-teams-face 

Effective Communication 

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/
 

effective-communication-teamwork-3167.html
 

effective communication determines 

the success or failure of projects 

requiring teamwork. When team 

members communicate with open minds, 

and by asking questions rather than 

making assumptions, they build trust and 

harmony. Communication is a required 

element in working together and creating a 

culture of camaraderie and success. 

Here are some tips for good team 


communication: 


1.	 Determine who the leader is. You may have 

many strong leaders on a team, but one 

person needs to be identified as the one who 

will give instructions and make final decisions. 

If you don’t know who is in charge, then you 

have people competing with each other rather 

than working together. 

2.	 Share information with everyone. It is easy to 

see how one team member holding back a 

piece of equipment or similar resource for 

themselves would hurt the team and be seen 

as unethical, but we often forget that 

information is also a resource. Everyone needs 

to share any relevant information they have, 

and be open to listening to the informa-tion 

that others share. 

3.	 Have clear expectations. When expectations 

are established, it’s much easier to identify 

earlier on when they aren’t being met, and 

what needs to be done to get everyone and 

everything back on track. Each team member 

needs to know what their role is, what tasks 

are their responsibility, when those tasks need 

to be completed, and how those tasks might 

connect to the tasks of others. 

continued next page >> 
page 2

lesson plan: activity 3.10 

mother ship, continued 

expeditionary

skills

for life 

>> continued from previous page

4. Recognize differences. Recognize that all people learn

and communicate differently. Some people are better

verbal communicators, whereas others are better when

they are able to communicate via a written medium.

Allow team members to communicate in the way that

they feel is best for them.

5. Lead by example. If you want team members to

communicate in a more positive manner, be sure that

your own communications are always delivered in a

more positive manner. Don’t preach one thing while

doing the opposite.

Just like a favorite car, no team elevates to finely tuned 

effectiveness without periodic recalibration. And just 

showing up with your amazing set of systems and features 

is never enough. You need to assess the way these 

components work as a team. Tweak as needed. Evolve the 

team. Repeat. 

activity instructions 

activity: Mother ship (60 Minutes) 

Explain: 

Earth’s atmosphere is thinning and is becoming a hostile 

environment in which humans can no longer survive. In 

order to survive, humans must make it to their destination: 

Mother Ship. Mother Ship is due to leave for the new 

habitable planet of Zenur, where the continuation of our 

species is possible. Each team has the task of creating a 

vehicle that will move them from water to land, and then 

from land to space so they can safely travel to the Mother 

Ship. 

Directions/Rules: 

1. Divide the youth into teams of four youth per team.

2. Have each team pick two of their members as the

team leads for the water to land building. The other

two team members will be the team leads for the land

to space building.

3. Hand out a “water to land travel” building supply bag

to each team.

4. Tell the teams that they will have 10 minutes to build a

vehicle that will safely move them from water to land. 

5. After 10 minutes, have everyone put down their

supplies.

6. Have each team present their vehicle and explain why

they built it the way they did.

7. Have each team change their team leads (as

explained in step #2).

8. Hand out a “land to space travel” building supply bag

to each team.

9. Tell the teams that they will have 10 minutes to adapt

their current vehicle so that it can travel from land to

space safely. They can use any of the supplies to

change their vehicle. They can remove any previously

used building items as they adapt their vehicle.

10. Begin the timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, have

everyone put down their supplies.

11. Have each team present their vehicle and explain why

they built it the way they did.

debrief activity: in a Word (15 Minutes) 

1. Participants stand in a circle facing each other

2. As the facilitator, select participants to say the first

word that comes to mind when they think about the 

activity. 

3. If time allows, repeat the one word description but

frame each round for words to relate to: leader challenges, follower challenges, communication strategy, 

design process, use of resources, or other specific 

topics. 

4. As the facilitator, provide a short summary of some of 

the words you heard from the participants’ experience

during the activity today and close with the following 

information. 

Leadership comes in a variety of forms and is not just the 

person that tells everyone else what they should be doing. 

Leaders are people that work as a team and assist others 

in achieving the group’s goal. Leaders want everyone to be 

successful and serve as the support for helping others 

continued next page >> 
page 3

lesson plan: activity 3.10 

mother ship, continued 

expeditionary

skills

for life 

>> continued from previous page

achieve a goal or accomplish a task. You serve as a leader 

when you are playing on a sports team, helping someone 

with their homework, giving your siblings advice or working on a group project. 

applied challenge: My resource 

toolbox (40 Minutes) 

Explain: 

Leadership skills, such as goal-setting, problem-solving 

and sound decision-making, are not just necessary for 

leaders - these skills are needed for success in today’s 

world. Developing your leadership competencies makes 

you better able to solve community problems and enhances your civic participation. Researchers have shown that 

youth who are engaged in community efforts at a young 

age show better problem-solving and decision-making 

skills compared to those youth who are not engaged. 

Directions: 

1. Identify two ways in which you can be involved in

making a difference in your community (including

school or other groups).

2. On a piece of paper, list these two community activities on the top of the paper, forming two columns.

3. Under each of these activities, list both the leadership

and the followership role that you could (or already

do) serve.

4. For any of the roles listed that you are not currently

doing, create the steps and strategies you would need

to take to fulfill these roles. Include those who you

may need to involve, what resources might be needed,

and by when you would like to achieve this.

5. For any of the roles listed that you are already doing,

create the steps and strategies you would need to take

to learn how you can improve your skills in that role.

Include those who you may need to involve, what

resources might be needed, and by when you would

like to achieve this.

6. Identify a partner (adult family member, peer or

mentor) and share your plans with them. 

7. Schedule a check-in with your partner at both the

halfway point of your plan and upon its completion.

Discuss your experiences and ask for any support that

you need.

instructor’s notes 
activity 3.10: learner assessMent 

These questions are about things you learned during this 

activity. Please check the circle that best describes you. 

Q1 

Q2 

Q3 

activity 3.10: learner assessMent 

These questions are about things you learned during this 

activity. Please check the circle that best describes you. 

Q1 

Q2 

Q3 

activity 3.10: learner assessMent 

These questions are about things you learned during this 

activity. Please check the circle that best describes you. 

Q1 

Q2 

Q3 

activity 3.10: learner assessMent 

These questions are about things you learned during this 

activity. Please check the circle that best describes you. 

I c

N

A l

So

A l

I c

Q

Q

2

3

expeditionary

skills


expeditionary

skills


for life for lifefor life for life 

I can work as both a leader and a follower in a team. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I can work to support the leader in a group. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I can adapt and change in order to reach a team’s goal. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

expeditionary

skills


I can work as both a leader and a follower in a team. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I can work to support the leader in a group. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I can adapt and change in order to reach a team’s goal. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

expeditionary

skills


I can work as both a leader and a follower in a team. Q1 I c

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I can work to support the leader in a group. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I can adapt and change in order to reach a team’s goal. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

an work as both a leader and a follower in a team. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

an work to support the leader in a group. 

ot at all like me 

ittle like me 

mewhat like me 

ot like me 

an adapt and change in order to reach a team’s goal. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me