WEEKS 1–4 · The Forge

WEEKS

Tab 04 / 11 · Facilitation Notes

WEEKS

1–4

Trial Forge through Unit 1 Tavern: minute-by-minute facilitation for your first month.

11 Tabs

START WHY MENTORS WEEKS CYCLE UNITS WORKSHOPS FINALE PROTOCOLS FADE DICT

WEEKS 1–4 · opener

Weeks 1–4

WEEK 1 · TRIAL FORGE

Week 1: Trial Forge

SESSION TYPE: TRIAL FORGE  ·  MENTOR VISIBILITY: ALL 3 ACTIVE, FULL DEMONSTRATION

What it is: Students watch mentors debate each other, then are thrown into a mock debate with roles assigned on the spot. The goal is not mastery. It is orientation: they see what the room feels like when it is alive.

Pre-class setup → Appendix

Print 8 Role Cards + 8 Scholar Agreements (signature pages) → Student Handbook

Print 8 Evidence Map templates (Jury use) → Student Binder §9 · Jury Worksheet

Prepare a 600-word mock topic students already know (e.g. “Should high school start later?”)

Bring a timer. Test it. Bring a backup timer.

Arrange chairs in two semicircles facing each other

Prepare 8 blank ballots (scrap paper is fine)

Hand out on arrival

1Role Card (assigned at door, do not let them choose)

2Scholar Agreement (sign after the session, before leaving)

3Evidence Map (jurors only; debaters/researchers get blank paper)

Minute by minute2 MENTORS? A = FORGE COACH + WEAVER · B = TEXT COACH

Time	What happens	Your job
0:00–0:05	Introduction: “You are not here to learn about debate. You are here to debate.” Set the single rule.	Weaver speaks. Forge Coach sets energy.
0:05–0:20	Mentor demonstration: Two mentors run the mock topic for 7 minutes, pre-vote, openings, rebuttal, questions, closing, post-vote. Narrate aloud: “I am calling the pre-vote now.”	Forge Coach moderates. Weaver narrates what is happening and why.
0:20–0:25	Debrief: “What did you notice?” Call on 3 students. Do not explain. Just listen.	Weaver asks. Text Coach notes noticed vs. missed.
0:25–0:30	Role assignment: Hand out Role Cards randomly. 3 minutes to study. Spot-check: “Moderator, what is your first job?”	Forge Coach assigns. Text Coach circulates.
0:30–0:35	Mock debate: Students run the same topic. 5 min, abbreviated. Chaotic is fine.	Forge Coach beside moderator w/ whisper-card. Text Coach beside researcher. Weaver watches.
0:35–0:50	Debrief: “What was harder than it looked?” Call on the student who said the least.	Weaver facilitates. Forge Coach notes confusion. Text Coach notes evidence mistakes.
0:50–0:55	Scholar Agreement: Hand out, read aloud, students sign. Parents sign before next week.	Weaver reads. Forge Coach collects.
0:55–1:00	Next-week preview: “You should be through Block 4 of Project Hail Mary. Finish by next week’s Arms Room (Sept 22).” Check that everyone has the reading guide.	Text Coach hands out guide. Forge Coach states deadline.

WEEKS 1–4 · 10

WEEK 1 · TRIAL FORGE

Weeks 1–4

What to listen for

1Did the moderator call votes without prompting?

2Did jurors ask questions or just sit?

3Did debaters open with claims or with stories?

4Did researchers have anything to pass?

Common failure — a student refuses their assigned roleThe single rule applies. “There are no passengers. Everyone has a job.” If they refuse, bench them for this session but explain that bench prep is still required for Week 2. Do not negotiate roles. The random assignment is part of the design.

Homework to check

Finish Project Hail Mary by next week’s Arms Room (Sept 22). Blocks 1–4 should be done.

Scholar Agreement signed by parent and returned before Week 2.

WEEKS 1–4 · 11

Weeks 1–4

WEEK 2 · ARMS ROOM

Week 2: Unit 1 — Arms Room

SESSION TYPE: ARMS ROOM (INVESTIGATE)  ·  MENTOR VISIBILITY: ALL 3 ACTIVE

Pre-class setup → Appendix

Print the U1 debate questions (Q2 & Q4 priority; Q1 warm-up) → unit materials

Print 8 Evidence Map templates → Student Binder §9 · Jury Worksheet

Have spare reading guides on hand

Prepare the Q2 hook: “Mission Briefing” (1-page declassified brief)

Prepare the Q4 hook: “Volunteer Form” (1-page agreement)

Reading-compliance check: did 6+ students read the assigned chapters? (crisis is fewer than 4, see Protocols)

Minute by minute2 MENTORS? A = FORGE COACH + WEAVER · B = TEXT COACH

Time	What happens	Your job
0:00–0:05	Reading check: “Stand if you've read through Chapter [X] and the unit's document study.” Count. If <6 stand, assign researcher roles to those current; late readers get jury or bench. A signal, not a penalty.	Forge Coach calls. Text Coach notes who stood. Weaver observes.
0:05–0:25	Document Study discussion: Mentor leads the U1 close-read questions. Students arrive having pre-read from the Document Study Reader.	Weaver facilitates; Forge Coach times. Keep it inside 20 minutes.
0:25–0:35	Hook: Run the Q2 or Q4 hook. Students write one sentence. Collect. Read 3 aloud. No discussion yet.	Weaver runs the anchor (Q4) or hook (Q2). Forge Coach times.
0:35–0:55	Evidence Forge: Quote mining, argument construction. Language is martial: “your blade” (opening), “your shield” (counter), “your range” (gaps).	Text Coach circulates; spot-checks one pair live. Forge Coach manages energy.
0:55–1:00	Break
1:00–1:10	Argument Sharpen: Pair check. “Does your impact follow from your evidence, or are you just restating your claim?”	Text Coach spot-checks. Weaver listens for quality.
1:10–1:20	Role assignment for the Forge. Moderator tests timer.	Forge Coach assigns. No reference to prior history. Fresh start.
1:20–1:25	Role preview: What does this role require? Announce upcoming debate roles.	Forge Coach narrates. Students ask procedural questions.
1:25–1:30	Prep deadline stated in days and hours. No exceptions.	Forge Coach: “Your evidence packet is due [day] at [time].”

WEEKS 1–4 · 12

WEEK 2 · ARMS ROOM

Weeks 1–4

What to listen for

1Are students mining quotes from the text, or making them up?

2Are they identifying counterarguments, or just restating their own claim louder?

3Is anyone pairing with the same person every time? (Mix them next unit.)

Common failure — the evidence forge is quiet, students are stuckText Coach intervenes with one pair: “Show me the strongest quote you found. Now show me why the other side would disagree.” Do this once, out loud, for the room to overhear. Then circulate. Do not intervene with every pair.

Homework to check

Reading: Day 2–3 of Project Hail Mary (see reading guide).

Researchers: evidence packet due 48 hours before the Forge.

Jurors: Evidence Map due 48 hours before the Forge.

Bench: backup opening arguments due 48 hours before the Forge.

WEEKS 1–4 · 13

Weeks 1–4

WEEK 3 · THE FORGE

Week 3: Unit 1 — The Forge

SESSION TYPE: FORGE (DEBATE)  ·  FORGE COACH MODERATES AND NARRATES EVERY MOVE

Pre-class setup

Confirm prep deadline was met. Forge Coach checks packets.

Moderator has timer. Test it.

Jurors have ballots.

Weaver has logbook for the Forge Record.

Print extra Evidence Maps for absent jurors. → Student Binder §9 · Jury Worksheet

Minute by minute2 MENTORS? A = FORGE COACH + WEAVER · B = TEXT COACH

Time	What happens	Your job
0:00–0:05	Arrival. Evidence packets out. Prep deadline confirmed.	Forge Coach: nod or stare. Text Coach reviews packets quickly.
0:05–0:15	Hook: Q2 or Q4 (the one not used in the Arms Room). Students write. Collect.	Weaver runs. Forge Coach observes student energy.
0:15–0:25	Pre-debate. Moderator checks timer, reads stakes.	Forge Coach beside moderator. Whisper-card ready. Narrates aloud for the room.
0:25–0:30	Break
0:30–1:05	Oxford Debate: Pre-vote → Openings → Rebuttals → Closings → Jury questions → Post-vote. 35 minutes, each debater speaks twice. This is the canonical Role-Cards flow, run it exactly. Ballots pass to the moderator at post-vote.	Forge Coach monitors clock, not content. Text Coach fact-checks only if a source is clearly fabricated. Weaver watches room dynamics.
1:05–1:20	Forge Reflection: Moderator tallies and announces once: “X minds changed. That is the point.” No public scoreboard. Then every role writes a short analytical reflection (Mod: turning point? Debater: what argument stuck? Jury: what moved me?). Goes in the Forge Journal: Anvil fuel. Distinct from the Story Layer. Moderator + jurors hand the tally sheet and reflections to the Weaver before this block ends.	Forge Coach or moderator announces once. Weaver reminds students to keep their reflection; Text Coach circulates if stuck. Weaver collects tally sheet + reflections.
1:20–1:30	The Reveal: Weaver reads one anonymized line from the written reflections aloud. “Someone changed their mind. That is the point.”	Weaver reads. No commentary. Let the room sit with it.
1:30–1:40	“Hold the Tension” minute: Weaver asks: “What did the winning side leave out?” One minute. Noted in the Forge Journal, not the Record.	Weaver asks. 60 seconds. No scoring. Just noticing.

WEEKS 1–4 · 14

WEEK 3 · THE FORGE

Weeks 1–4

What to listen for

1Did the moderator manage time, or lose control?

2Did debaters address the strongest counterargument first?

3Did jurors ask text-based questions, or emotional ones?

4Did the room shift? If not, why not?

Common failure — the debate dies at minute 12Check in this order: timer (does the moderator know where they are?), stakes (did the hook make the question feel real?), moderator confidence (calling jurors by name?), debater prep (do they have text evidence?). Fix the nearest problem. If all four are fine, let the room die for 30 seconds. Silence is teaching.

Common failure — the room gets personal or angryForge Coach pauses, re-reads the exact question aloud. Precision cools emotion. If it continues, call a 2-minute break. Do not mediate the argument, the format mediates it.

Homework to check

Forge Reflection kept in the Forge Journal (analytical, about the argument).

Reading: Day 4–5 of Project Hail Mary.

WEEKS 1–4 · 15

Weeks 1–4

WEEK 4 · THE TAVERN

Week 4: Unit 1 — The Tavern

SESSION TYPE: TAVERN (BRIDGE)  ·  WEAVER RUNS · FORGE COACH OBSERVES · TEXT COACH TEACHES SKILL

Pre-class setup

Forge Record updated with U1 roles, votes, shifts

Skill Layer prepared: one explicit skill to teach

U1 Story Layer prompt ready (Weaver's prompt)

Celebration prepared: which name, which reason

U2 reading guide (Little Women) ready to distribute

Minute by minute2 MENTORS? A = FORGE COACH + WEAVER · B = TEXT COACH

Time	What happens	Your job
0:00–0:10	Arrival & Retro: “What worked? What faltered?” Call on the student who spoke least during the Forge.	Weaver facilitates. Forge Coach notes wins/failures. Text Coach notes evidence mistakes.
0:10–0:30	Skill Layer: Text Coach teaches one skill using the debate as context, e.g. “Here's how to answer a counterargument: [technique].”	Text Coach teaches. Weaver and Forge Coach observe.
0:30–0:35	Break
0:35–1:00	Story Forge: Weaver runs the Story Layer prompt, “It's 5 years from now, who have you become because of what you argued?” Identity, not argument. Do not let it echo the Forge Reflection.	Weaver runs. Do not write for them.
1:00–1:15	Reading Pipeline: “Where is everyone in the next book? You need to be [X]% done by Friday.”	Forge Coach holds the line. Text Coach answers reading-guide questions.
1:15–1:20	Celebration: One public recognition. Name + reason. No grades, just names.	Forge Coach or Weaver announces. Specific, not generic.

Watch for

· Are students citing themselves (“I argued…”) or the text? The Story Layer is about them.

· Is anyone following a template (“I became more disciplined”)? Ask what it looked like in their actual life.

Homework to check

U2 reading begins tonight: Little Women, Day 1

Story Layer paragraph submitted (1 paragraph, Unit 1)

Common failure — the Story Layer is genericWeaver interrupts: “Stop. Go back to the debate. What did you actually say? What quote did you use? Now: what did that make you think about yourself?” Anchor every abstract claim to a specific debate moment.

WEEKS 1–4 · 16

CYCLE

Tab 05 / 11 · Unit Cycle Template

CYCLE

The repeating three-week shape. What never changes, what changes by unit, and the fade map.

11 Tabs

START WHY MENTORS WEEKS CYCLE UNITS WORKSHOPS FINALE PROTOCOLS FADE DICT

CYCLE · opener

Unit Cycle

THE FORGE · MENTOR GUIDE

Weeks 1–4 are the fully-worked Unit 1 example, with mentors at full demonstration. Units 2–8 run the same three-week rhythm: Arms Room → Forge → Tavern. Do not re-learn the room each unit. Run this template, then layer in the unit-specific content from the Per-Unit Card that follows.

What never changes

01The single rule: every student has a job, every unit. No passengers.

02The 35-minute, speak-twice Forge (the Role Cards one-pager is canonical).

03A Forge Reflection after every debate (analytical; kept in the Forge Journal).

04A Story Layer at every Tavern (identity, 5 years out; never the debate question).

05A reading check at the top of every Arms Room.

06A document-study discussion at the Arms Room, every unit, built on a pre-read done at home from the Document Study Reader.

07The Reveal after every Forge: one anonymized reflection line, read aloud, no commentary.

What changes by unit — the fade map

The book, the trait and its lens, the priority questions, the signature failure, and how much the mentors do, because the fade advances. Use this to know how present to be:

Unit	Fade phase	Forge Coach	Text Coach	Weaver
U2	Handoff	Beside moderator, whisper-card	Juries + spot-checks	Runs Bridge
U3–U4	Warm Fade	Outside circle, crisis only	Juries; steps in if researcher absent	Visible in Bridge only
U5–U6	Independent	Outside circle, emergency only	Juries like a student	1:1 conferences in Bridge
U7–U8	Emergency Only	In corner or absent	Fact-checks only if a source is fabricated	Workshop + conferences only

NoteFade is responsive, not automatic, and the phase above is the calendar default, not the gate. The real gate is rotation completion: do not fade a role until every student has played it once (see FADE · 35 for the per-role rotation map). If a room wobbles, step back in for that role only (Section 3). Document-study discussion follows the same fade: mentor-led through U4, student-led from U5 onward. A room that is ready earlier may hand the discussion to a student moderator earlier; a room that wobbles keeps the mentor in the circle.

CYCLE · 37

THE FORGE · MENTOR GUIDE

Unit Cycle

The three-week shape (generic)

Arms Room → Forge → Tavern

WEEK A — ARMS ROOM (Investigate)

Reading check → Document Study discussion (15–20 min; students arrive having pre-read from the Document Study Reader) → Hook (one debate question's opener) → Evidence Forge (quote-mining; blade / shield / range) → Argument Sharpen (pair check) → Role assignment → Prep deadline stated. Mentor job scales down per the fade map.

WEEK B — THE FORGE (Debate)

Arrival + deadline confirmed → Hook (the other priority question) → Pre-debate → Break → 35-min Oxford debate, speak-twice, ballots to moderator at post-vote → Forge Reflection (15 min: moderator tallies + announces once, roles write reflections, kept) → the Reveal (Weaver reads a reflection line) → the “Hold the Tension” minute.

WEEK C — THE TAVERN (Bridge)

Arrival + Retro → Skill Layer (one skill, taught from what actually happened) → Break → Story Forge (the Story Layer prompt, 5 years out) → Reading Pipeline (next book) → Celebration. On workshop weeks, the Story Forge block is replaced: see The Forge Workshops.

CYCLE · 38