Launch Lesson

Do not use this skill if the lesson is mainly about:

• teaching a formal accounting procedure
• repeated algorithmic practice for fluency
• Excel feature training or workbook building
• multi-step project production

Non-Negotiable Launch Rule

Lesson 1 Phase 1 must begin with Sarah Chen's interview video using the TechStart narrative arc.

Requirements:

• Use the shared VideoPlayer component.
• The video must introduce the founder problem through Sarah's voice.
• Include title, description, YouTube ID, duration, and full transcript data.
• The video should create business tension and credibility, not teach formal procedures.
• Follow the video immediately with one short processing move such as risk triage, prediction, quick comprehension, or turn-and-talk.

Launch-Lesson Phase Contract

Phase 1: Hook

Purpose: Create tension and make the founder problem feel real.

Requirements:

• Start with Sarah's interview video.
• Show what Sarah cannot yet explain or defend.
• Include one short prediction, triage, or discussion move.
• End with clear pressure, not resolution.

Avoid:

• definitions dump
• long vocabulary instruction
• procedural math practice
• replacing Sarah's interview with static exposition

Phase 2: Introduction

Purpose: Set up the month, business system, scoreboard, or unit formula.

Requirements:

• name the scoreboard explicitly
• show the main moving parts of the system
• explain what students will track across the unit
• use one bounded interactive to help students scan the system

Avoid:

• formal rules that belong in Lessons 2-4
• too many new terms at once

Phase 3: Guided Practice

Purpose: Train students to notice what moves when business events happen.

Requirements:

• use a shared dataset or simulation
• ask students to predict before reveal
• show before/after changes clearly
• focus on noticing business effects, not full formal calculation

Avoid:

• open-ended simulation with too many degrees of freedom
• workbook-like tasks

Phase 4: Independent Practice

Purpose: Let students make bounded business decisions inside the launch scenario.

Requirements:

• keep the task constrained
• allow 1-2 meaningful choices
• show consequences in a visible way
• reinforce the difference between surface activity and the deeper accounting problem

Avoid:

• algorithmic drill
• Excel build tasks
• broad sandbox gameplay unless tightly bounded

Phase 5: Assessment

Purpose: Check launch understanding only.

Requirements:

• short MCQ exit ticket
• assess the founder problem, scoreboard, and core distinction(s)
• keep it narrow and aligned to the launch lesson

Avoid:

• procedural mastery checks that belong in later lessons
• bloated assessment wrappers

Phase 6: Closing

Purpose: Lock in the unit frame and point forward.

Requirements:

• restate the enduring formula, scoreboard, or key unit question
• summarize what students should now understand
• preview the first formal rule or principle coming next
• include reflection

Avoid:

• introducing major new content
• excessive recap repetition

Component Rules For Launch Lessons

Prefer components that:

• support prediction before reveal
• show before/after state changes
• keep one shared simulation alive across phases
• make business pressure visible

Avoid components that:

• feel like workbook construction
• require long procedural setup
• test fluency before concepts exist
• introduce too many controls at once

Writing Rules Specific To Launch Lessons

• Keep the founder problem concrete and specific.
• Return to the same problem across all 6 phases.
• Use narrative pressure, not generic exposition.
• Keep formal terminology light and purposeful.
• Make students feel the need for the rules before teaching the rules.
• Keep Sarah and TechStart visible as the narrative spine of the lesson.

Success Test

A strong launch lesson should leave students able to answer:

• What is Sarah's actual business problem?
• Why does this problem matter to profit, planning, lenders, or investors?
• What is the scoreboard or formula for this unit?
• What will later lessons teach that Sarah still does not know yet?