Mentor Facilitation Guide — Civics & Ethics Labs

Turns the curriculum outlines into run sheets a mentor can teach from cold. A universal template plus fully-worked, minute-by-minute sessions across both labs and all three age tracks. Working draft — adapt to your group and time; minor-facing delivery follows the consent/safety pack.

How to use this guide

1. Read the universal run-sheet template once — it applies to every session.
2. Use the worked run sheets below for the pilot's opening sessions; they show the template in action.
3. For any session not fully written out, apply the template to its curriculum outline using the timing quick-reference at the end.

Golden rules for every session

• Ethics first, always — never run a hands-on activity before the ground rules.
• Non-partisan — in Civics you teach how to evaluate, never what to conclude. If a hot topic comes up, redirect to method: "How would we check that?"
• Safety — two-adult rule for minors; sanctioned/sandbox only; stop and report anything unsafe.
• Hopeful, not fearful — the goal is capability and judgment, not cynicism.

Universal run-sheet template (60–75 min)

Facilitation moves: ask open questions ("what makes you say that?"); wait 5 seconds before answering your own question; let learners be right and wrong safely; name good thinking out loud.

Prep checklist (before any session): materials printed/loaded · room + seating · second adult present (minors) · know your one takeaway cold · a backup activity if tech fails.

CIVICS LAB — worked run sheets

Civics · Junior · S2 — "Spot the Fakery" (pairs with the activity pack)

One takeaway: Lots of loud posts isn't the same as true. Materials: Spot the Fakery card deck + answer key; three labeled bins/corners (REAL / FAKE / CHECK IT).

• 0:00–0:05 Settle. "Today we become fakery detectives."
• 0:05–0:10 Rules. Be kind, no shouting answers, everyone gets a guess.
• 0:10–0:18 Hook. Hold up one obvious-fake card. "Would you believe this? Why not?" Collect the tells on a board: ALL CAPS, "everyone says," no source, "share now!"
• 0:18–0:28 Teach the tells. Walk the 5 tells (see activity pack). Keep it to five; make them memorable.
• 0:28–0:50 Activity. Deal cards to pairs; they sort into REAL / FAKE / CHECK IT and note the tell. Mentor circulates, asks "which tell did you spot?"
• 0:50–1:00 Debrief. Reveal answers card by card; celebrate good reasoning even when the verdict was wrong. Emphasize the "CHECK IT" pile — the honest answer is often "I need to look it up."
• 1:00–1:10 Wrap. Each kid names one tell they'll remember. Preview S3.

Pitfalls: don't let it become "gotcha." The win is noticing the tell, not guessing right.

Civics · Teen · S2 — "Trace a claim to the source"

One takeaway: I can follow a claim back to where it started. Materials: 3–4 printed viral-style claims (neutral topics) with a traceable origin; devices for lateral reading; a simple worksheet (Claim → Who said it → Primary source → Does it match?).

• 0:00–0:05 Settle.
• 0:05–0:10 Rules + non-partisan stance. "We're checking method, not picking sides."
• 0:10–0:20 Teach: lateral reading. Open new tabs; check about the source before reading it. Model one trace live.
• 0:20–0:50 Activity. Teams trace assigned claims to the primary document and compare wording to the reporting. Fill the worksheet.
• 0:50–1:05 Debrief. Where did meaning drift between source and post? What made a source trustworthy?
• 1:05–1:10 Wrap. Takeaway + preview S3 (coordinated influence).

Pitfalls: pick genuinely neutral claims so the room stays about method.

Civics · Adult/educator · S3 — "The information environment"

One takeaway: Skepticism is a tool; nihilism is the trap. Materials: Know the Source explainer; ORIGIN Influence tab.

• 0:00–0:08 Frame. Why provenance of influence matters, not just facts.
• 0:08–0:25 Teach. The shared pattern (astroturfing, distraction, plausible deniability, volume-as-signal) with the documented cases.
• 0:25–0:50 Workshop. Groups analyze anonymized examples for the mechanics; design a classroom defense (a spot-check routine).
• 0:50–1:05 Debrief. How do we teach this without making students cynical?
• 1:05–1:10 Wrap. Each educator leaves with one routine to use.

ETHICS LAB — worked run sheets

Ethics · Junior · S4 — "My build code"

One takeaway: I have my own rules for doing the right thing. Materials: "build code" template (3 blank rules); stickers/markers.

• 0:00–0:05 Settle.
• 0:05–0:12 Recap. Quick review of fair/honest/kind, ask-first, and where-things-come-from.
• 0:12–0:22 Hook + teach. "Grown-up builders have rules. What are yours?" Give 2 examples ("I ask before I share a photo of a friend").
• 0:22–0:45 Activity. Each kid writes 3 rules; decorates their card.
• 0:45–0:58 Share. Volunteers read one rule; celebrate.
• 0:58–1:05 Wrap. They keep the card. "This is your code."

Pitfalls: keep it concrete ("ask first") over abstract ("be ethical").

Ethics · Teen · S3 — "Provenance thinking"

One takeaway: I check the source of my tools, not just my facts. Materials: ORIGIN console open; a short task that uses an AI tool.

• 0:00–0:06 Settle + hook. "Do you know where the AI in your apps comes from?"
• 0:06–0:20 Teach. Provenance: model origin, open vs. closed, who's accountable. Show the ORIGIN Registry; run "simulate a ban" to show resilience.
• 0:20–0:48 Activity. Teens inspect a few tools/models in ORIGIN and rate: would I trust this for something sensitive? Why?
• 0:48–1:02 Debrief. What changed once you knew the source? When does provenance matter most (child-safety, civic trust)?
• 1:02–1:10 Wrap. Takeaway + preview S4 (build code).

Ethics · Adult/builder · S1 — "Ethics of building"

One takeaway: Design the safeguards in; don't bolt them on. Materials: a product idea to red-team; whiteboard.

• 0:00–0:08 Frame. Child-safety by design; "privacy provable, not promissory."
• 0:08–0:25 Teach + demo. Walk a harm-mapping method on a sample feature.
• 0:25–0:50 Workshop. Teams red-team a product idea for misuse and design safeguards into it.
• 0:50–1:05 Debrief. Which safeguards are cheap now and expensive later?
• 1:05–1:10 Wrap. Each builder commits to one safeguard practice.

Timing quick-reference (apply the template to the rest)

Facilitator do's & don'ts

Do: talk less, ask more · wait in silence · praise the reasoning · keep one takeaway · model curiosity. Don't: lecture · pick political sides · shame a wrong answer · rush the debrief (that's where learning lands) · run hands-on before the ethics/rules block.

Safety reminders: two-adult rule for minors · approved logged channels only · sanctioned/sandbox infrastructure only · stop and report anything unsafe · certificates are "Certificate of Completion & Mastery," never accreditation.

Gates: McAuliffe (names/marks) · counsel review of minor-facing materials · child-safety-first throughout.