Mentor Binder · Source pages 128–144
APPENDICES
Appendices A–C + mentor reference
Appendix A
THE FORGE · MENTOR GUIDE
U1 Hook Artifacts & Mock Topic
PRINT MASTERS · PROJECT HAIL MARY · UNIT 1 · PHOTOCOPY ONE PER STUDENT
Hook 1 of 3: the Mission Briefing. Print one per student for the Week 2 Arms Room (question Q2).
CLASSIFIED, MISSION BRIEFINGPROJECT HAIL MARY
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY · DECLASSIFIED FOR ACADEMIC REVIEW
| OPERATIVE | Dr. Ryland Grace |
| DESIGNATION | Solo scientific reconnaissance |
| TARGET SYSTEM | Tau Ceti |
| MANDATE | Identify cause of solar dimming. Collect data. Return to Earth with findings. |
What NASA Expected
Dr. Grace was selected for expertise, not sentiment. The mission architecture assumes a lone operative with no emotional dependencies. Return is non-negotiable. Data without return is failure.
What Happened
Grace made contact with Rocky, an alien engineer also grappling with the same stellar threat. Rocky contributed the critical scientific method that solved the problem. Rocky could not survive the return journey.
The Choice
Grace chose to remain with Rocky rather than return to Earth alone. He transmitted the solution. He did not come back.
The QuestionDid Grace follow his mission, or betray it?
APPENDIX A · mission briefing
THE FORGE · MENTOR GUIDE
Appendix A
Volunteer Agreement
U1 HOOK · Q4 · PRINT ONE PER STUDENT (WEEK 2 OR 3)
Volunteer Agreement: Project Hail Mary
I understand I am being considered for a solo scientific mission to another star system. The survival of Earth may depend on the data I collect.
☐I AGREE TO VOLUNTEER
I understand the following:
▪The trip takes longer than a human lifetime.
▪I may not return to Earth.
▪Due to the nature of long-duration space travel, I may not retain memory of this agreement upon arrival.
▪No one on Earth will know what I chose.
One sentence: I am choosing this because
Signature
Date
APPENDIX A · volunteer form
Appendix A
THE FORGE · MENTOR GUIDE
Trial Forge: Mock Topic
WEEK 1 PRACTICE DEBATE · LEARN THE FORMAT, NOT THE RESEARCH
Use this 600-word topic for the student practice debate in Week 1. Students already have opinions, so the goal is learning the format, not doing research.
ResolvedHomeschooling fails to socialize students.
Affirmative
Homeschoolers miss the daily friction of a classroom: the peer conflicts and group projects that build social skill. A co-op once a week is not 30 hours a week in a room of strangers.
Negative
Homeschoolers get real-world socialization: multi-age groups, co-ops, community involvement, time with adults. The same-age classroom bubble is the artificial socialization.
Keep it brief: a 5-minute, abbreviated practice round is enough. Pre-vote → openings → one rebuttal → closing → post-vote.
APPENDIX A · mock topic
Appendix A
THE FORGE · MENTOR GUIDE
Worked Example: What Good Looks Like
ON THE MOCK TOPIC · HOLD THIS UP AT THE TRIAL FORGE DEBRIEF
One complete set filled in on the mock topic. First-generation students have only ever seen these forms blank. This is the pattern: a real claim, real evidence, a real reflection. Teach format from it, not perfection.
ResolvedHomeschooling fails to socialize students.Aff = it fails · Neg = it succeeds
1 · Evidence Map (Jury)
| # | Quote / claim | Source | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | "I didn't sit in a room with 30 strangers my age until I was 16." | Student quote, Trial Forge | Specific. A real gap, named. |
| A2 | Co-op meets once a week; a classroom is 30 hours. | Program schedule | Quantified. Hard to hand-wave. |
| N1 | "I talk to adults every day, not just peers." | Student quote, Trial Forge | Flips "socialization" to a strength. |
| N2 | A classroom is the artificial bubble: 30 same-age peers is not the real world. | Mentor briefing | Reframes. Hardest kind of counter. |
Note: Trial Forge evidence is lived experience and the briefing positions, not mined text. That's honest for Week 1. From U1 on, "Quote / claim" means a real line from the book.
2 · Debater Prep (Affirmative, Seat 1)
Claim (first sentence, under 10 words): Homeschoolers miss the friction that builds social skill.
Opening — first & last sentence: First: "A co-op once a week is not a classroom." … Last: "You cannot learn to navigate 30 strangers by avoiding them."
Their counter I attack first: "Homeschoolers get real-world socialization." → "Name the 30 hours. Once a week is not 30 hours."
3 · Forge Reflection (after the debate)
What shifted: The Aff's "30 hours" framing held until Neg named the classroom as the artificial bubble. Two jurors moved Neg.
Strongest counter: Neg's reframe: the classroom, not homeschooling, is the bubble. It made Aff's "30 hours" sound like a weakness, not a strength.
Anvil fuel: "The strongest move was not more evidence; it was renaming the other side's evidence as a flaw."
What to teach from this: a claim you can say in one breath, evidence that is specific and named (not "studies show"), attacking their strongest point first, and a reflection about the argument. That is the bar. Blank forms teach format; this teaches quality.
APPENDIX A · worked example
Appendix B
THE FORGE · MENTOR GUIDE
Moderator Whisper-Card
FORGE COACH'S RESCUE CARD · PRINT ON CARDSTOCK · LAMINATE · CLIP BESIDE THE MODERATOR
Forge Coach: sit beside the moderator. Use this card only when needed. The moderator runs the room; you whisper the next move or hold up the card for a visual cue. Do not hand it to the moderator: it is your card.
The 35-Minute Flow: memorize the shape
01Pre-vote (silent), jury writes starting position.
02Moderator reads question + stakes, ~60 seconds.
03Openings (8 min): Aff1 → Neg1 → Aff2 → Neg2, 2 minutes each.
04Rebuttals (4 min): Neg2 → Aff2, 2 minutes each.
05Closings (2 min): Neg1 → Aff1, 1 minute each.
06Jury questions (5 min): moderator calls jurors until time runs out. Expected: 2–3 questions, one per side, then a follow-up if time allows.
07Post-vote (silent).
08Announcement: "X minds changed. That is the point."
APPENDIX B · whisper-card front
THE FORGE · MENTOR GUIDE
Appendix B
If the Moderator Gets Stuck
| Problem | Whisper this |
|---|---|
| Debate runs long | Stand up silently. No words. |
| Timer fails | Raise hand and say: "Time. Next speaker." |
| Jury silent | "[Name], what do you want to know?" |
| Gets personal | Re-read the exact question aloud, then resume. |
| Opening has no text evidence | Note it; address at the next Arms Room, not in the moment. |
| Student refuses a role | "There are no passengers. Everyone has a job." Bench them for this session. |
You ran it right if…
☐Pre-vote and post-vote both happened in silence, no discussion.
☐Every debater spoke exactly twice.
☐The only number announced was minds changed, no public scoreboard.
☐You whispered fewer times at the end than at the start.
APPENDIX B · whisper-card back
Appendix C · Sealed
THE FORGE · MENTOR GUIDE
U8 Sealed Mentor-Only Insert
⚠Spoiler embargo — do not read aloud or distribute to students before March 16. Keep this insert sealed in the back of the mentor binder. Open only for your own preview and U8 Arms Room / Tavern prep.
U8 Book & Format
Anchor texts: the U8 trio (D9, locked; not the full O'Connor collection):
1 A Good Man Is Hard to Find: O'Connor. Anchor story and Forge debate text (the single story, not the collection). Rights cleared for classroom use; full text in the Document Study Reader.
2 God Sees the Truth But Waits: Tolstoy. Second literary text; full text in the Document Study Reader.
3 After Ten Years excerpt: Bonhoeffer. The document study: pre-read at home from the Document Study Reader, then discussed at the Arms Room.
Reading guide: see 02-Units/Reading-Guide-A-Good-Man-Is-Hard-to-Find.md. The student binder intentionally does not reveal the grandmother's death or The Misfit's final line.
U8 Priority Questions
| Use | Question |
|---|---|
| Formal debate (Q1) | "The grandmother's last act was moral courage. Was her moment of grace real, or just the panic of a dying woman who finally said the right thing?" |
| Emotional anchor (Q3) | "In the grandmother's position, family dead, murderer in front of you, would you reach out and touch him? Not to save yourself. Just because he looked like he was going to cry." |
| Warm-up (Q2, optional) | "The Misfit is more honest about morality than the grandmother. Despite being a murderer, he is the story's real moral thinker." |
APPENDIX C · sealed insert (1 of 2)
THE FORGE · MENTOR GUIDE
Appendix C · Sealed
The U8 Tavern Script
FOR THE WEAVER · DELIVER LIVE · STILL EMBARGOED UNTIL MARCH 16
At the U8 Tavern, after the Story Layer is drafted, say this aloud:
"O'Connor wrote that the grandmother's final reach was a moment of grace. The Story Layer you just wrote inverted the ending: you wrote the version where recognition comes early enough to act. That is not how the story goes. But the Forge asks: Does moral courage have to arrive on time to be real? Hold both versions. Your answer is your Anvil."
Content Advisory for Mentors
O'Connor's A Good Man Is Hard to Find contains sudden violence, moral ambiguity, racial slurs in period-accurate dialogue, and religious imagery used provocatively. Read all three trio texts before the unit begins (Tolstoy and Bonhoeffer are gentler, but preview them too). If a student is clearly distressed, assign Researcher or Jury for that week. Do not water down the text; do make sure the room is safe.
APPENDIX C · sealed insert (2 of 2)
Skill Bank
THE FORGE · MENTOR GUIDE
The Skill Bank
ONE EXPLICIT SKILL PER TAVERN · TEACH IN 5 MINUTES · DRAWN FROM THE LIVE DEBATE
Every Tavern teaches one explicit skill, drawn from what just happened in the Forge. Do not improvise which skill to teach. Use the unit's assigned skill and teach it in 5 minutes using the live debate as context.
U1 · DISCIPLINE
Answer the strongest counter first
"Affirmative lost the strongest counter because they treated it as a side note. Your rebuttal is not the place to list everything you disagree with. Name the other side's best point, answer it first, then sit down. Weak-first looks scared."▸ Live model with one quote from the Forge.
U2 · PERSEVERANCE
Use plot as evidence, not as the argument
"Plot summaries lose. Specific choices win. Don't say 'Jo went to New York.' Say 'Jo chose New York over home and paid for it when she returned too late.' Name the choice and the cost."▸ Pull one student's opening that got this right.
U3 · INTERDEPENDENCE
Name the specific dependency
"Interdependence debates collapse into 'teamwork is good' because no one names who actually carried whom. Every claim about the boat must name the person and the moment: 'Pocock carried Joe when he told him to trust the oar.'"▸ Practice one choral rewrite of a generic claim.
U4 · RESILIENCE
Track the timeline or lose the argument
"Pride and Prejudice arguments collapse because students remember feelings, not order. Darcy proposed twice, once refused, once accepted. If your claim depends on the second proposal, make sure it does not sound like the first."▸ Put the order on the board: Collins → Darcy refused → Lady Catherine → Darcy accepted.
U5 · ACCEPTANCE
Strategic silence is still an argument
"More's silence in the trial is not passivity. It is the argument. He refuses to say the words the state wants because saying them at all would make them true. What can you not say, and what does it prove by staying unsaid?"▸ Model one sentence More might have said and one he could not.
U6 · COURAGE
Anchor every claim to the timeline marker
"All the Light has two timelines and 130 short chapters. A quote from Saint-Malo 1944 is not the same as a quote from the lead-up. Begin every claim: 'In the 1944 timeline...' or 'Before the invasion...' If you cannot place it in time, you do not own it."
U7 · HOPE
Argue a position you find distasteful
"Moralizing is easy. Arguing is hard. If you cannot state Lord Henry's side in terms he would accept, you do not understand it. Your job is not to endorse it. Your job is to make the jury believe the text supports it."▸ Model one Lord-Henry-style sentence.
U8 · MORAL COURAGE
Late courage vs. false courage
"The grandmother's reach cost her nothing, she had nothing left. Does that mean it was not courage? Your job is to separate timing from intention. If someone does the right thing only when forced, is the act less real?"▸ Use one anonymous example from the Forge.
SKILL BANK · U1–U8 (1 of 2)
Skill Bank
THE FORGE · MENTOR GUIDE
You Ran It Right If…
SESSION SELF-CHECK · ONE PASS AFTER EACH SESSION TYPE
Arms Room
☐Reading check happened at the top.
☐Hook was short (5–10 min) and every student wrote one sentence.
☐Every student has a role and a prep deadline before leaving.
Forge
☐Pre-vote and post-vote both happened in silence (no discussion).
☐Every debater spoke exactly twice.
☐The only number announced was minds changed (no public scoreboard).
Tavern (Bridge)
☐Every student wrote a Forge Reflection.
☐Every student drafted a Story Layer.
☐One student was named specifically in Celebration.
SKILL BANK · session self-check (2 of 2)
Materials Manifest
THE FORGE · MENTOR GUIDE
Materials Manifest
WHAT TO PRINT · WHEN · HOW MANY
This binder + the print folder = everything you need. A substitute should be able to open this binder and the print folder and run any session without calling for help.
| Artifact | Print for | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mentor Run-Sheets 03-Mentor-Resources/…Mentor-Run-Sheets.md | Laminate, clip at front | 1 set | One page per session; the card you hold live |
| Reading Guides (U1–U8) 02-Units/Reading-Guide-*.md | Distribute at start of each unit | 8 | One per student; chapter-block pacing, not page |
| Document Study Reader 03-Mentor-Resources/The-Forge-Document-Study-Reader.epub | Distribute to all families before Week 1 | 1 per family | Contains all U1–U8 document-study readings plus the full U8 trio texts (O'Connor · Tolstoy · Bonhoeffer); rights resolved for classroom use |
| Debate Questions (U1–U8) 02-Units/ & 06-Print-Ready/Unit-*-Debate-Questions.md | Arms Room of each unit | 8 | Mentor copy; includes hooks and position summaries |
| Role Cards 06-Print-Ready/Milestone-3-Role-Cards.md | Laminate 8 sets | 8 sets | One set per student per unit; roles rotate |
| Evidence Map Templates Student Handbook tear-out | 8 copies | 8 | For jury and bench prep |
| Vote Tally Sheets Student Handbook tear-out | Moderator copies | 8+ | One per Forge |
| U1 Mission Briefing This guide, Appendix A ✓ | Week 2 Arms Room (Q2 hook) | 8 | Declassified one-page brief |
| U1 Volunteer Form This guide, Appendix A ✓ | Week 2 or 3 Arms Room/Forge (Q4 hook) | 8 | One-page volunteer agreement |
| Trial Forge Mock Topic This guide, Appendix A ✓ | Week 1 Trial Forge | 1 | 600-word topic students already know |
| Moderator Whisper-Card This guide, Appendix B ✓ | Laminate, clip beside moderator | 1 | Step-by-step moderator rescue card |
| U8 Sealed Insert This guide, Appendix C ✓ | Sealed envelope, back of binder | 1 | U8 question, anchor, story list, Tavern script |
| Parent Brief The-Forge-Parent-Brief.md | Include in student binder | 1 | Bound after Scholar Agreement |
| Forge Journal Families supply | One per student | 8+ | Composition notebook or folder |
| Timers + Ballots Mentors supply | Every Forge | 2 · 8+ | Test before every session |
MATERIALS MANIFEST · the table (1 of 2)
THE FORGE · MENTOR GUIDE
Materials Manifest
Before Day One
PRINT & CLIP CHECKLIST · DO THIS ONCE, BEFORE WEEK 1
☐Print and laminate mentor run-sheets; clip to front of binder.
☐All 8 reading guides and debate-question files are bound in this binder, nothing to print separately.
☐Print and laminate 8 sets of role cards.
☐Stock evidence maps and vote tally sheets (student handbook tear-outs).
☐Print U1 hook artifacts, Trial Forge mock topic, and moderator whisper-card.
☐Prepare sealed U8 envelope; do not open until March 16.
☐Confirm families have the eight books and a Forge Journal.
☐Distribute the Document Study Reader to every family. It contains all U1–U8 document-study readings plus the full U8 trio texts (O'Connor · Tolstoy · Bonhoeffer); rights are resolved for classroom use.
☐Test two timers and confirm ballot supply (index cards work).
If an item is missingCheck the vault paths in the manifest before improvising. The source files exist; the package is incomplete only if something was never printed.
MATERIALS MANIFEST · before Day One (2 of 2)
Operations
THE FORGE · MENTOR GUIDE
If You Are One Adult Today
SINGLE-MENTOR WEEK · THE THREE FUNCTIONS COLLAPSE ONTO ONE BODY
Most weeks you will have two mentors. If a mentor is absent, the remaining adult runs the room as Forge Coach and the three functions collapse onto one body. Here is what changes.
| Function | Drops | Defers (after session) | Compresses (still happens) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forge Coach | — | — | Narrate less; let the moderator run the clock. |
| Text Coach | Live fact-checking; full packet verification before Forge | Detailed Evidence Map review; skill-layer mini-lesson | Spot-check only fabricated sources; narrate "I'm checking that" aloud. |
| Weaver | — | Full Forge Record details; Story Layer written feedback | The Reveal (read one anonymized reflection line); brief after-class notes. |
Your order of priority
1Keep the room safe and on format.
2Make sure every student has a job.
3Collect the Forge Record after class, not during. Assign Story Layer writing as homework if the Tavern is short.
OPERATIONS · single-mentor week
Operations
THE FORGE · MENTOR GUIDE
Class Size & Seats
STATE IT ONCE · EVERY OTHER PAGE READS FROM THIS
The Forge is designed around a baseline of 8 students and runs cleanly from 6 to 12. Fill in your actual enrollment: every seat count and the collapse ladder read from it.
This cohortstudents enrolled
| Seat | Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Moderator | 1 | Runs the room. Never collapses. |
| Affirmative | 2 | Aff1, Aff2. Each speaks exactly twice. |
| Negative | 2 | Neg1, Neg2. Each speaks exactly twice. |
| Researcher | 1 | Evidence packets for both sides. First seat cut when short. |
| Jury | enrolled − 6 | Everyone not holding a named seat. At 8 → 2 · at 10 → 4 · at 12 → 6. |
Bench is universal insuranceEvery student preps both sides, every unit, so any absence is covered. Bench is never a counted seat and never subtracts from the jury. It is not an assigned role.
Why a jury of 2 still worksThe Reveal never depends on jury size. The Weaver reads one anonymized line from the written Forge Reflections, which every student writes, not a named juror's vote shift. The moderator still announces the aggregate "minds changed" count. (See the Reveal, per Forge.)
OPERATIONS · class size & seats (1 of 2)
THE FORGE · MENTOR GUIDE
Operations
Seat Collapse
THE DEBATE NEVER CANCELS · NEVER COLLAPSE THE MODERATOR
When the full roster is not present, collapse seats in this order. Cut from the outside in; the moderator is the last thing to go.
1 · Researcher→
2 · Jury→
3 · Debaters, moderator never
| Who is present | Configuration (shown at the 8-baseline) |
|---|---|
| Full roster | 1 Mod · 2 Aff · 2 Neg · 1 Researcher · Jury (everyone else). Full Oxford debate. |
| One short | Cut the Researcher; Text Coach spot-checks sources. Jury holds. |
| Two short | Researcher cut; reduce the Jury by one. Debate format intact. |
| 5 present | 1 Mod · 1 Aff · 1 Neg · Jury 2. Debaters drop to one per side, minimum viable formal debate. |
| 2+ debaters absent | Socratic fallback: the question is argued through the jury. No formal debate, but it still runs. |
| 4 or fewer | Reschedule. Below minimum viable. |
The floorMinimum viable debate = 1 per side + a jury of 2 + 1 moderator (5 present). Below that, reschedule, never run a debate no one can source. If two or more debaters are missing, use the Socratic fallback rather than cancel.
OPERATIONS · seat collapse (2 of 2)
THE FORGE
Run the room. Guard the fire. Fade on purpose.
Mentor Binder · 11 Tabs · Fall 2026 – Spring 2027
THE FORGE
Run the room. Guard the fire. Fade on purpose.
Mentor Binder · 11 Tabs · Fall 2026 – Spring 2027