Project Rehearsal Skill

Do Not Use This Skill When

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

• launching the unit
• teaching a new accounting rule or manual procedure
• introducing a new Excel tool or workbook pattern for the first time
• independent project production, milestones, or revision cycles on student-owned scenarios

Core Writing Rules

• Use one shared teacher-provided dataset or workbook for the whole class.
• Make the lesson feel like guided practice for the project, not a side activity.
• State clearly that this is a rehearsal, not the real project.
• Teach the quality standard explicitly.
• Focus on transfer, audit, and explanation more than new content.
• Make students trace the recommendation back to evidence.
• Keep the upcoming project visible throughout the lesson.
• End with a clear handoff into more independent work.

Non-Negotiable Rehearsal Rule

The lesson must distinguish between:

• what students are rehearsing today with the same teacher-provided data
• what they will do independently in the real project

Students should leave knowing exactly which structures, checks, and communication moves they must carry forward.

Project-Rehearsal Phase Contract

Phase 1: Rehearsal Purpose

Purpose: Explain why the class is pausing for one guided rehearsal before independent project work begins.

Requirements:

• frame the lesson as a final guided rehearsal before the project
• explain that every group is using the same data today on purpose
• explain what students should learn from this guided-practice version of the project
• contrast today's shared practice with the more independent project to come
• include one short comprehension or discussion move about workbook quality or audience expectations

Avoid:

• pretending this is a brand-new content lesson
• dropping students into the workbook without the purpose of rehearsal

Phase 2: Shared Artifact Orientation

Purpose: Orient students to the shared workbook, workbook map, deliverable structure, and success criteria.

Requirements:

• provide the shared workbook or artifact download path
• state that the student workbook uses the same data as the teacher workbook
• name each major sheet, section, or evidence block and what it is supposed to prove
• define what success looks like today
• include a short vocabulary or structure check if needed

Avoid:

• vague workbook overviews
• teaching sheet names without explaining their job in the evidence chain

Phase 3: Guided Audit

Purpose: Model how to inspect the shared artifact and trace the final recommendation back to supporting evidence.

Requirements:

• keep the data set constant across the class so students can compare reasoning and quality directly
• use previews, guided routines, or annotated examples to trace the logic chain
• ask students to identify where the recommendation comes from
• ask students what would make the artifact feel weak, confusing, or untrustworthy
• keep the teacher guidance high

Avoid:

• adding a new tool lesson in the middle of the audit
• turning the phase into passive viewing with no reasoning routine

Phase 4: Polish and Transfer Practice

Purpose: Let students complete or polish the shared artifact and identify what project features they must later recreate independently.

Requirements:

• continue the shared rehearsal workbook or artifact
• keep the work teacher-guided enough that students are practicing the project structure, not inventing a new one
• ask students to complete remaining weak spots, polish clarity, and check alignment
• require at least one recommendation statement and one risk or limitation statement
• ask students to name the features or structures they must transfer into the real project

Avoid:

• introducing major new content
• treating the rehearsal as open-ended project production

Phase 5: Transfer Check and Peer Audit

Purpose: Check that students understand the project standard and can evaluate it in another student's work.

Requirements:

• include a short comprehension or transfer check
• include a peer audit, critique, or review routine tied to the Definition of Done
• make the review focus on logic chain, evidence, and clarity
• require at least one clear strength and one clear improvement

Avoid:

• assessment that ignores the artifact
• peer review with no concrete criteria

Phase 6: Reflection and Project Handoff

Purpose: Lock in the quality standard and preview how students will apply it in their own project scenario.

Requirements:

• reflect on what the rehearsal clarified
• name what must be carried into the project
• explain what changes in the next lesson when students get their own scenario or team task
• keep the handoff concrete and specific

Avoid:

• broad motivational closing with no project transition
• introducing another large standard at the very end

Shared Artifact Rules

Project-rehearsal lessons should include:

• one shared teacher-controlled dataset
• one shared workbook or deliverable structure
• one clear workbook map or artifact map
• one Definition of Done or quality checklist
• one evidence-tracing routine

The shared artifact should model the real project standard closely enough that students can reuse the structure later with a different scenario. The data should be the same for the teacher and for every group during rehearsal so the class can compare the quality of reasoning, evidence, and workbook organization directly.

Component Rules

Prefer components that:

• help students inspect workbook structure
• preview key sheets or evidence blocks
• support workbook map orientation
• support peer critique or audit
• surface recommendation, evidence, and risk together

Use SpreadsheetWrapper for:

• workbook previews
• sheet snapshots
• evidence-chain examples
• dashboard or summary mockups

Do not use this skill to build a new simulator-heavy lesson unless the simulator is directly supporting audit or evidence tracing.

Peer Audit Rules

Peer critique in rehearsal lessons should:

• use explicit criteria
• focus on logic, evidence, clarity, and readiness
• ask for one strength, one confusion point, and one improvement
• feel like preparation for project quality control, not generic peer response

Transfer Rules

Every project-rehearsal lesson should make students answer some version of:

• What must every project workbook or deliverable include?
• Where does the recommendation come from?
• What evidence proves the recommendation is reasonable?
• What would make this artifact feel weak or untrustworthy?
• What parts of today's structure must my team recreate independently?

What Not To Standardize From Weak Rehearsal Lessons

• shared practice with no explicit statement that it is rehearsal
• workbook maps that list sheets without naming what each one proves
• peer critique with vague praise but no concrete evidence standard
• phase 4 tasks that drift into full project production

Success Test

A strong project-rehearsal lesson should leave students able to answer:

• Why are we doing this rehearsal before the real project?
• What does a complete project workbook or deliverable need to contain?
• How do I trace the final recommendation back to evidence?
• What are the most important quality checks before submission?
• What will my group need to recreate or adapt in the real project?