https://nifa.usda.gov/ 

program/4-h-positive-youthdevelopment 

National Institute 

of Food 

and Agriculture 

United States 

Department of 

Agriculture 

lesson plan: activity 2.8 

lesson details introduction 

Lunar HoteL 

A FederAl PArtnershiP For steM educAtion 

expeditionary

skiLLs

for life 

 

National Aeronautics 

and Space 

Administration 

age/grade level 

Middle School 

learner outcoMes 

Youth will have a greater 

understanding of working together in 

a team and utilizing resources to 

achieve a goal. Youth will develop life 

skills in teamwork, leadership and 

followership. 

success indicators 

Youth will use problem-solving and 

interpersonal skills to help guide 

each other and utilize each other’s 

strengths and abilities to perform a 

team task. 

life skills 

Teamwork, Communications, Critical 

Thinking, Goal Setting, Problem 

Solving 

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 Skills/Learning and 

Innovation Skills/CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING/ 

Reason effectively, use systems 

thinking, makes judgements and 

decisions, solve problems 

prep tiMe 

15minutes 

activity tiMe 

2 hours (all activities combined) 

Materials list 

•	 Something to simulate a 

Meteorite (heavy book) 

•	 Step stool or short ladder to stand 

on to drop the Meteorite 

•	 Flipchart 

Each team will need a building kit: 

•	 Fifty 4 x 6 index cards 

•	 Ruler 

•	 Scissors 

•	 Roll of scotch tape 

•	 Pack of markers 

safety notes 

A spotter will be needed for the 

person climbing the ladder. 

Scissor safety should be reviewed 

before starting the activity. 

suggested space 

Tables with chairs 

suggested group size 

Suggested total number is 30 youth 

references 

Followership: The Other Side of 

Leadership 

http://iveybusinessjournal.com/ 

publication/followership-the-otherside-of-leadership/ 

Insights into Followership 

http://leadershiptrainingtutorials. 

com/leadershiptraining/leadershipstyles/insight-into-the-followershipstyles/#.WMfkOW_yvX4 

A Healthy Home Checklist 

https://www.surgeongeneral.gov/ 

library/calls/checklist.pdf 

Followers are an essential part of the 

leadership equation. Without good 

followers, becoming a good leader is 

difficult. As the proverb says: “He who 

thinks he leads, but has no followers, is 

only taking a walk.” Everyone aspires to be 

a leader, but the chief ingredient that 

makes a leader effective is the followers. A 

good leader knows the importance of 

followers. 

Followers impact leaders and the leadership 

process. Followers provide the “horsepower” for

tasks. Outstanding followers are people who 

know what to do without being told. They are 

people who act with intelligence, independence, 

courage and a strong sense of ethics. Followership is the ability to take direction well, to get in 

line behind a program, to be part of a team and 

to deliver on what is expected of you. Improving 

your followership skills involves focusing on the 

following traits. 

.Judgement. Followers must take direction, but 

only when the direction is ethical and proper. 

The key is having the judgement to know the 

difference. 

Work Ethic. Good followers are good workers. 

They are diligent (careful), motivated, committed, pay attention to detail and make the effort. 

Competence. The follower cannot follow 

properly unless they are skilled at the task that is 

directed by the leader. It is the responsibility of 

the leader to assure that followers are competent. 

continued next page >> 
page 2

lesson plan: activity 2.8 

Lunar HoteL, continued 

expeditionary

skiLLs

for life 

>> continued from previous page 

Honesty. The follower owes the leader an honest and 

clear assessment of what the leader is trying to achieve 

and how. Respect and politeness are important, but it is 

not acceptable for followers to sit on their hands when 

they can show a flaw in the plan. 

Courage. Followers need to be honest with those who 

lead them. They also need the courage to be honest. It 

takes real courage to confront a leader about concerns 

with the leader’s plan. 

Loyalty. Good followers respect their obligation to be 

loyal to their team. Loyalty is a strong belief in and 

commitment to the team’s success. Followers should 

remember that their responsibility is to the enterprise, not 

a given leader at a given point in time. 

Ego Management. Good followers have their egos under 

control. They are team players in the fullest sense of the 

concept. 

One could argue that any good leader is in turn a good 

follower. In some situations you may be a leader, and in 

others a follower, depending on the task. How well the 

followers follow is just as important to success as how 

well the leaders lead. Who would not benefit from giving 

some thought to how they could be a better follower? 

Such thought may actually improve your ability to get to 

the leadership position you actually want. 

activity instructions 

activity: lunar Hotel (60 Minutes) 

Note: 

Preparing a list of the project rules and the presentation 

points will help the youth stay focused. This list should be 

large enough and posted somewhere where all the teams 

will be able to view it. 

1.	 Divide the group into small teams of 3-6 youth per 

team. 

2.	 Provide each team with a building kit. 

Explain / Directions: 


You are a project team that has the task of designing and 


constructing a model for the first hotel on the moon. 


Because the moon is a dangerous environment, your 


model must meet certain specifications and standards. 


Your group has been provided with a building supply kit 


containing:
 

•	 Fifty index cards 

•	 Ruler 

•	 Scissors 

•	 Roll of scotch tape 

• Pack of markers 

The construction must have visual appeal (beauty) and be 

able to withstand a direct hit from a meteorite. The 

meteorite will be simulated by dropping a book on the 

structure. All buildings must be fully enclosed, and must 

have ceilings that are at least three inches from the floor. 

The only materials that can be part of the actual structure 

are index cards and scotch tape. If any other item is used, 


the team will be disqualified. 


You will have 30 minutes to plan and construct your lunar 


hotel. Then each team will give a 2 minute presentation on 


the features and benefits of their hotel. After the 


presentation, one person will stand on the ladder (with a 


safety spotter). They will drop the meteorite (heavy book) 


from a height of approximately five feet directly onto the 


hotel. This tests the durability of the hotel. 


Time to get to work! 

debrief activity: storyboards 

(60 Minutes) 

Using the same teams from the lunar hotel activity, 

provide each team with four pieces of flip chart paper and 

a set of markers. Explain that the teams will be creating a 

series of four boards (or posters) that will tell the story of 

their lunar hotel building experience. 

continued next page >> 
page 3

lesson plan: activity 2.8 

Lunar HoteL, continued 

expeditionary

skiLLs

for life 

>> continued from previous page 

First Board – Draw what you did as a team when you 

began to plan your Lunar Hotel.

Second Board – Draw the progress of your design as you 


started building.
 

Third Board – Draw what changed during the activity.
 

Fourth Board – Draw what the final product looked like 


and draw how it looked after the meteorite landed on it.
 

Each Team will share their boards (posting the boards for 


all teams to see). Team members will describe the “story” 


on each board. The following questions should be 


answered while describing the story.
 

•	 What were your objectives of this project? 

•	 What plan did you use to achieve your objective? 

•	 How were group members organized to accomplish this 

task? Include any leader or follower strategies that were 

used. 

•	 How did you utilize resources? 

Team members will then ask for feedback from other 

teams on their drawings. 

applied cHallenge: safe HoMes 

Lunar hotels are not the only living spaces that need to be 

kept safe from unexpected hazards. While the chances of 

being hit by a meteorite here on Earth are extremely low, 

there are lots of potential dangers to Earthling homes. The 

Office of the U.S. Surgeon General has put together a 

checklist that you and those you live with can use to make 

sure your home is safe and healthy. Download the checklist (see resource section for link). Working with those you 

live with, use the checklist to conduct an assessment of 

the health and safety of your home (whatever that may 

be). Identify what action steps you can take to address any 

issues found, and identify the person with the best skills to 

complete those action steps. 

fun facts 

•	 Hong Kong is a crowded city and homes are very 

expensive. Many people live on small boats, called 

sampans, which float in the harbor. 

•	 In England and other parts of Europe, you can still see 

cottages built with thatched roofs. The roofs are made 

from water reeds or grasses. Thatched roofs are waterproof, but they burn easily. 

•	 In Mongolia, nomadic tribes live in domed tents called 

gels or yurts. These homes are covered with cloth 

insulated with wool or fur. The homes are open with a 

stove in the center for cooking and heating. 

•	 The Bagobo tribe in the Philippines lived in tree houses, 

which kept them safe from snakes, dangerous animals 

and enemies. Today, the tree houses are mostly used for 

rest and play. 

instructor’s notes 
activity 2.8: learner assessMent 

These questions are about things you learned during this 

activity. Please check the circle that best describes you. 

Q1 

Q2 

Q3 

activity 2.8: learner assessMent 

These questions are about things you learned during this 

activity. Please check the circle that best describes you. 

Q1 

Q2 

Q3 

activity 2.8: learner assessMent 

These questions are about things you learned during this 

activity. Please check the circle that best describes you. 

Q1 

Q2 

Q3 

activity 2.8: learner assessMent 

These questions are about things you learned during this 

activity. Please check the circle that best describes you. 

expeditionary

skiLLs


expeditionary

for life

skiLLs


for life 

I understand the connection between leadership and 

followership. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I am able to listen to the ideas of everyone on my team 

before deciding how to complete a task. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I believe that everyone has the ability to contribute, in a 

positive way, to a team project. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I understand the connection between leadership and 

followership. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I am able to listen to the ideas of everyone on my team 

before deciding how to complete a task. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I believe that everyone has the ability to contribute, in a 

positive way, to a team project. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

expeditionary

skiLLs


for lifefor life

expeditionary

skiLLs


I understand the connection between leadership and 

followership. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I am able to listen to the ideas of everyone on my team 

before deciding how to complete a task. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I believe that everyone has the ability to contribute, in a 

positive way, to a team project. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

Q1 I understand the connection between leadership and 

followership. 

Not at all like me
 

A little like me
 

Somewhat like me
 

A lot like me
 

Q2 I am able to listen to the ideas of everyone on my team 

before deciding how to complete a task. 

Not at all like me
 

A little like me
 

Somewhat like me
 

A lot like me
 

Q3 I believe that everyone has the ability to contribute, in a 

positive way, to a team project. 

Not at all like me
 

A little like me
 

Somewhat like me
 

A lot like me