Getting Started with Lessons

If you are just getting started with Open Parachute, please take a look at the Help Article: Introducing Open Parachute to Students. If you have already done that step, then you can move on to the lessons.

Open Parachute offers a variety of different lesson types, that can be found within the Lesson Library:

Within the Dashboard under Classroom Lessons, you will find an option to open the Lesson Library, where our entire standalone curriculum can be found:

You can find out more about navigating standalone lessons in the Help Article: Lesson Library.

You can preview a lesson if you want to get a sense of what’s coming before you start the class. Before beginning a lesson, we recommend downloading the Educator Key or Educator Guide from the Lesson Materials section. These notes provide important information that is required to effectively run the exercises and discussions presented within the lessons.

Please Note - Without referring to the Educator Key/Guide, you may be missing vital information that is not presented on the student slides.

When you have your students in front of you and you’re ready to start, you can click Start Lesson.

For Student Voice Lessons, you can follow along with exactly what is provided on the slides & explained in the Educator Key. The slides can be read aloud to the class, while the discussions and activities can be implemented in a variety of differentiated formats (partners, small groups, or whole group).

You can adapt the exercises in the Open Parachute lessons based on the needs of your students. For example, if your students are hesitant to speak up in class, you can have them complete the activity or discussion in small groups or with a partner. If students struggle to work together or if they are struggling to follow directions, you can use the Student Notes to guide their thinking, and have them write their answers down independently before handing them in.

You know your class best, so while these lessons are designed to be plug & play, it’s important that you know you always have the autonomy to make any adjustments necessary to achieve the learning objectives.

We do not recommend changing the way you show your students the video in the Student Voice lessons (these videos explore a student’s real-life experience), as this will anchor the learning and create a safe space for learning and sharing in the classroom.

If you don't feel comfortable running the student voice lessons as-is, that is completely normal and OKAY. Ask a school counselor or another teacher to run a few of the first lessons with you to familiarize yourself with the content as well as the lesson format. You have all of the skills you need to engage your students in mental health lessons; having someone else there for support when just beginning implementation can help you feel more confident about your role as a facilitator.

If your students are acting out in class, shutting down, or reacting in a way that concerns you or makes it difficult to teach these lessons, please see our Help Article Responding to Challenges in the Classroom for advice on how to handle these situations.

If you have any questions about running the lessons, please feel free to reach out anytime on our Live Chat.