This page contains only the lessons, applications, resources, and evidence expectations for your grade. Each Common Sense Media lesson is designed to reinforce the monthly Leader in Me habit rather than function as an additional initiative.
AI Access & Boundary
Student-directed use within teacher-set boundaries. Require a Student Creation Record, attribution, and reflection.
Teacher Time-Saver
Set the task, boundaries, source/credit expectations, and Student Creation Record before students begin.
2026–2027 • Week-by-week scope and sequence
Common Sense lessons are scheduled as 45-minute anchor experiences with direct habit connections. Recommended cadence: four 10–15 minute leader in me experiences per week, or one 45–60 minute block.
Starting point
Begins with Habit 3: Put First Things First at Level 5 Module 12 / Lesson 45, honoring prior completion through Habit 2.
Design promise
Leadership habits and digital well-being are taught as one coherent set of choices: prioritize, build trust, empathize, collaborate, renew, and contribute.
Pacing
Four 10–15 minute Leader in Me experiences per week, or one 45–60 minute block
First student day
First student day August 20, 2026
Last student day
Last student day June 10, 2027
Total duration
39 instructional weeks
A coherent progression from private victory to contribution, with six Grade 5 Common Sense anchor lessons.
1 • Prioritize self
Weeks 1–10
Leader in Me
Habit 3, goal achievement, accountability
Digital well-being throughline
Media balance, focus, planning, peer pressure, student-owned goals
2 • Build trust
Weeks 11–14
Leader in Me
Emotional Bank Accounts and relationship trust
Digital well-being throughline
Consent, privacy, digital friendship boundaries, help-seeking
3 • Lead with others
Weeks 15–26
Leader in Me
Habits 4–6: win-win, empathy, respectful speech, synergy
Digital well-being throughline
Cyberbullying, clickbait, online communication, stereotypes, collaboration
4 • Renew and contribute
Weeks 27–39
Leader in Me
Habit 7, 8th Habit, service, celebration
Digital well-being throughline
Screen-use reflection, informed voice, news literacy, purposeful creation
Weeks 2 & 29
Primary Leader in Me connection
Habit 3 • Time Matrix / Planning; Habit 7 • renewal
Student transfer
Choose media with attention to what, when, how much, purpose, and impact.
Week 14
Primary Leader in Me connection
Trust • Emotional Bank Accounts
Student transfer
Use boundaries, consent, privacy, and trusted-adult support.
Week 18
Primary Leader in Me connection
Habit 4 • Standing Up for Others
Student transfer
Recognize cyberbullying and respond as an upstander.
Week 22
Primary Leader in Me connection
Habit 5 • Seek First to Understand
Student transfer
Pause before clicking or sharing; examine evidence and intent.
Week 25
Primary Leader in Me connection
Habit 6 • Celebrating Differences
Student transfer
Identify stereotypes and create more inclusive alternatives.
Week 32
Primary Leader in Me connection
Habit 5 + 8th Habit • informed voice
Student transfer
Read beyond a headline and share responsibly.
39 week(s) shown
Short weeks are identified in the date column. Adjust within the week while preserving the sequence.
Leader in Me
M12 • Time Matrix
L45
Learning focus
Sort activities into the four Time Matrix quadrants.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Launch Habit 3 with a class technology-use sort: urgent/important, important/not urgent, distractions, and time-wasters.
Evidence / time
Exit ticket: one digital choice in each quadrant.
30–40 min
Leader in Me
M12 • Time Matrix
L46–48
Learning focus
Name feelings tied to each quadrant; reflect on current patterns; reduce Quadrant 4 time-wasters.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Teach Finding My Media Balance. Students use the What? When? How Much? framework, then connect their media plan to Quadrant 2. Open Finding My Media Balance
Evidence / time
Personal media-balance plan + Time Matrix reflection.
75–90 min
Leader in Me
M13 • Planning Every Week
L49–50
Learning focus
Identify Big Rocks and schedule them before smaller tasks.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Add sleep, movement, family, creative work, and purposeful technology use as possible Big Rocks.
Evidence / time
Completed weekly plan.
40–50 min
Leader in Me
M13 • Planning Every Week
L51–52
Learning focus
Plan priorities for an upcoming assignment; connect Habits 1–3 as the Private Victory.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Students make a distraction-aware project plan with device boundaries and check-in points.
Evidence / time
Project plan + Private Victory connection.
35–45 min
Leader in Me
M14 • Moment of Choice
L53–54
Learning focus
Distinguish comfort and courage zones; respond to peer pressure with integrity.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Analyze digital moments of choice: joining a group chat, continuing a game, reposting, or putting a device away.
Evidence / time
Scenario response using “pause-prioritize-choose.”
40–50 min
Leader in Me
M14 • Moment of Choice
L55–56
Learning focus
Ask for help and persevere while staying committed to goals.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Create a personal help-seeking plan for online pressure, distraction, or uncomfortable content.
Evidence / time
Trusted-adult/help pathway.
35–45 min
Leader in Me
M15 • Goal Achievement
L57–60
Learning focus
Understand the 4 Disciplines of Execution and brainstorm a WIG.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Class models a shared digital well-being WIG, such as protecting focus time or improving device transitions.
Evidence / time
Draft WIG topic and rationale.
60–75 min
Leader in Me
M16 • Achieving My Goals
L61–62
Learning focus
Write a From X to Y by When goal and select predictive, influenceable lead measures.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Students may choose a balanced-media, learning, wellness, or leadership goal; avoid competitive screen-time comparisons.
Evidence / time
WIG + two lead measures.
40–50 min
Leader in Me
M16 • Achieving My Goals
L63–64
Learning focus
Design a motivating scoreboard and establish a cadence of accountability.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Create a private or small-team progress tracker; focus on habits and reflection rather than surveillance.
Evidence / time
Scoreboard + weekly check-in routine.
35–45 min
Leader in Me
M17 • Accountability Partners
L65–68
Learning focus
Build an accountability system and practice supportive partner behaviors.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Practice nonjudgmental language for discussing missed goals, distractions, and fresh starts.
Evidence / time
Partner protocol + role-play.
50–60 min
Short weeks are identified in the date column. Adjust within the week while preserving the sequence.
Leader in Me
M18 • Emotional Bank Accounts
L69–72
Learning focus
Define trust; recognize deposits and withdrawals; call out the gold in others.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Map how likes, comments, private messages, screenshots, and exclusion can become digital deposits or withdrawals.
Evidence / time
Digital EBA scenario sort.
50–60 min
Leader in Me
M19 • Relationship Trust
L73–76
Learning focus
Explore high-trust behaviors, self-assess, and choose trust-building actions.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Translate trust behaviors to online spaces: talk straight, show respect, clarify expectations, keep commitments, and right wrongs.
Evidence / time
Personal digital trust action step.
50–60 min
Leader in Me
M20 • Extending Trust
L77–80
Learning focus
Practice trust; define character and competence; demonstrate trustworthiness.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Discuss privacy and consent before sharing a friend’s photo, message, work, or personal information.
Evidence / time
Consent-and-trust mini case.
40–50 min
Leader in Me
Trust Application Week
Learning focus
Apply trust, boundaries, and help-seeking to friendships that include digital communication.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Teach Digital Friendships. Connect safe online friendship choices to Emotional Bank Accounts and character/competence. Open Digital Friendships
Evidence / time
Friendship boundary plan or advice response.
45–55 min
Leader in Me
M21 • Thinking Win-Win
L81–84
Learning focus
Use an Abundance Mentality, solve conflict, and choose cooperation.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Resolve a realistic shared-device, gaming, messaging, or collaborative-document conflict with a win-win plan.
Evidence / time
Win-win agreement.
50–60 min
Leader in Me
M22 • Showing Consideration
L85–88
Learning focus
Balance courage and consideration and consistently choose considerate behavior.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Develop class norms for comments, chats, collaborative documents, and giving feedback online.
Evidence / time
Student-authored digital communication norms.
50–60 min
Leader in Me
M23 • Standing Up for Others
L89–90
Learning focus
Define bullying and identify what is within one’s Circle of Control.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Compare conflict, meanness, bullying, and cyberbullying; identify actions a target, bystander, and upstander can control.
Evidence / time
Four-corners scenario classification.
40–50 min
Leader in Me
M23 • Standing Up for Others
L91–92
Learning focus
Choose appropriate responses to bullying and demonstrate courage to ask for help.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Teach Is It Cyberbullying?. Students practice save evidence, block/report, support the target, and tell a trusted adult. Open Is It Cyberbullying?
Evidence / time
Upstander response plan.
60–75 min
Short weeks are identified in the date column. Adjust within the week while preserving the sequence.
Leader in Me
M24 • Leading With Empathy
L93–96
Learning focus
Define empathy, notice emotions, and choose empathic responses.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Interpret tone carefully online; distinguish facts from assumptions when facial expression and voice are absent.
Evidence / time
Rewrite an online response with empathy.
50–60 min
Leader in Me
M25 • Empathic Listening
L97–100
Learning focus
Use eyes, ears, body, and heart; distinguish empathic from autobiographical listening.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Practice moving a sensitive digital conversation to the right setting: in person, adult-supported, or paused.
Evidence / time
Listening barrier + strategy reflection.
45–55 min
Leader in Me
M26 • Speaking Respectfully
L101–104
Learning focus
Use self-regulation and I-messages to communicate respectfully.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Draft, pause, reread, and revise a message before sending; practice I-messages for digital misunderstandings.
Evidence / time
Before/after message revision.
50–60 min
Leader in Me
Habit 5 • Information Check
Learning focus
Seek first to understand who created a message, why it was made, and what may be missing.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Teach You Won’t Believe This!. Connect resisting clickbait to pausing, checking evidence, and prioritizing attention. Open You Won’t Believe This!
Evidence / time
Clickbait clues checklist + revised headline.
45–55 min
Leader in Me
M27 • Synergizing With Others
L105–108
Learning focus
Use varied strengths and leadership to collaborate effectively.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Assign purposeful roles in a shared digital creation: researcher, verifier, designer, writer, and accessibility checker.
Evidence / time
Team role reflection.
50–60 min
Leader in Me
M28 • Celebrating Differences
L109–112
Learning focus
Move from accepting to celebrating differences; value varied learning styles.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Audit examples of media for whose voices are centered, simplified, or missing.
Evidence / time
Representation noticing chart.
45–55 min
Leader in Me
M28 • Digital Application
Learning focus
Apply celebration of differences to online identity and representation.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Teach Beyond Gender Stereotypes. Connect stereotype awareness to Habit 6: differences are assets that strengthen synergy. Open Beyond Gender Stereotypes
Evidence / time
Counter-stereotype media concept.
45–60 min
Leader in Me
M29 • Finding 3rd Alternatives
L113–116
Learning focus
Generate creative options, run a synergy session, and gather ideas broadly.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Use a structured design challenge to improve one classroom digital routine without framing technology as all-good or all-bad.
Evidence / time
Third Alternative proposal.
60–75 min
Short weeks are identified in the date column. Adjust within the week while preserving the sequence.
Leader in Me
M30 • Daily Private Victory
L117–120
Learning focus
Assess and renew body, heart, mind, and spirit; commit to daily balance.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Create a whole-person renewal menu that includes both high-quality media and device-free choices.
Evidence / time
Four-dimension renewal plan.
50–60 min
Leader in Me
M31 • Health and Screen Time
L121–122
Learning focus
Explain how less screen time may support renewal; name pluses and deltas of screen use.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Conduct a neutral screen-use inventory focused on purpose, feelings, sleep, focus, connection, and creativity.
Evidence / time
Pluses/deltas reflection.
40–50 min
Leader in Me
M31 • Health and Screen Time
L123–124
Learning focus
Track patterns, plan a realistic change, and make a balanced-use commitment.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Revisit Finding My Media Balance. Students compare their August plan with current evidence and choose one small, student-owned adjustment. Open Finding My Media Balance
Evidence / time
Media-balance growth reflection.
45–60 min
Leader in Me
M32 • Voice and Contribution
L125–128
Learning focus
Identify talents, needs, and a contribution statement; find ways to use one’s voice.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Define responsible digital voice: truthful, kind, purposeful, audience-aware, and protective of privacy.
Evidence / time
Contribution statement + audience choice.
50–60 min
Leader in Me
M33 • Careers and Strengths
L129–132
Learning focus
Explore career clusters and connect strengths, skills, passions, and contribution.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Evaluate how digital well-being, communication, collaboration, and verification matter across careers.
Evidence / time
Career-strengths-digital skills map.
50–60 min
Leader in Me
8th Habit • Informed Voice
Learning focus
Read before reacting; distinguish headline, source, evidence, image, date, and advertising.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Teach Reading News Online. Connect careful news reading to seeking understanding before sharing one’s voice. Open Reading News Online
Evidence / time
Annotated online article + share/don’t-share rationale.
45–55 min
Leader in Me
M34 • Leading Through Service
L133–134
Learning focus
Use leadership skills to contribute and identify a meaningful need.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Teams investigate a school/community need using safe research and at least two sources or perspectives.
Evidence / time
Need statement + source notes.
50–60 min
Short weeks are identified in the date column. Adjust within the week while preserving the sequence.
Leader in Me
M34 • Leading Through Service
L135–136
Learning focus
Define a service project’s purpose and collaboratively build an action plan.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Choose the right role for technology: research, coordination, creation, accessibility, feedback, or sharing—with adult approval.
Evidence / time
Service action plan + digital safeguards.
60–75 min
Leader in Me
Service Learning • Implement
Learning focus
Act on the plan, monitor progress, and adjust roles and lead measures.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Apply Habits 3–6 during implementation; document only with consent and protect student privacy.
Evidence / time
Progress evidence + team check-in.
Flexible project time
Leader in Me
Service Learning • Share
M35 • L137
Learning focus
Share contribution and celebrate leadership growth.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Create an audience-appropriate showcase that credits sources and team members and avoids oversharing.
Evidence / time
Showcase + leadership celebration.
60–90 min
Leader in Me
M35 • Celebrating Growth
L138–139
Learning focus
Reflect on personal and interpersonal effectiveness.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Review digital artifacts and choices for evidence of prioritization, trust, empathy, synergy, and balance.
Evidence / time
Habit-based portfolio reflection.
45–60 min
Leader in Me
M35 • Celebrating Growth
L140
Learning focus
Celebrate growth and choose a future area of opportunity.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Write a summer digital well-being commitment that is specific, flexible, and supported by a trusted adult.
Evidence / time
Summer commitment card.
35–45 min
Leader in Me
Year-End Synthesis
Learning focus
Explain how Habits 3–7 and the 8th Habit support leadership in digital and in-person life.
Integrated digital well-being experience
Student-led celebration: one habit I strengthened, one digital choice I improved, and one contribution I will carry forward.
Evidence / time
Student reflection/share-out.
30–45 min
Use the plan as a flexible spine: protect the progression, respond to student needs, and collect light evidence of transfer.
Weekly rhythm
Preview the habit and learning target; practice with a real-life or digital scenario; apply during authentic classroom work; close with a brief reflection. Leader in Me modules contain four lessons, so teachers may teach one mini-lesson per day or combine targets into a weekly block.
Student-centered digital well-being
Use reflection, choice, and goal setting. Avoid public screen-time comparisons, punitive tracking, or assuming all screen use has the same purpose or impact. Students may use estimated patterns rather than sharing private family data.
Sensitive disclosures
Remind students that they should not share private experiences publicly. Follow district procedures for bullying, safety, concerning content, or student well-being. Provide a private pathway to a trusted adult.
Family connection
Send the Common Sense family resource when each anchor lesson is taught. Invite families to use shared language—purpose, balance, consent, trust, empathy, and help-seeking—without prescribing one identical technology plan for every household.
Assessment
Use low-stakes evidence: weekly plans, scenario responses, reflections, goal trackers, communication revisions, and service artifacts.
Accessibility
Offer scenarios in multiple formats, preview vocabulary, allow oral or visual responses, avoid requiring personal disclosure, and explicitly teach how students can access adult support.
No instruction: November 23–27 (Fall Break), December 21–January 1 (Winter Break), February 12 & 15 (Presidents’ Days), March 1 (staff development), March 29–April 2 (Spring Break), April 23 (non-student day), and May 31 (Memorial Day).
Every Wednesday follows the district minimum-day schedule.
Conference weeks are November 16–20 and March 22–26.
Planning note: Common Sense may update page titles, resources, or access requirements. Confirm each linked lesson before the scheduled week and use the current Grade 5 version.
