Skill Builders

Introducing Skill Builders

Skill Builders are short, focused lessons that give middle school students the opportunity to practice foundational skills such as accountability, budgeting, and digital safety. These lessons are designed to make learning feel meaningful and connected to student’s everyday lives, helping them build confidence as they grow their skills.

Simple, flexible, and classroom-ready, Skill Builders can be used as standalone lessons or integrated into existing curriculum. Each culminates in an Evidence of Learning task, where students demonstrate their skills and earn visible recognition through vibrant, collectible Skill Builder stickers.

Skill Builders can be completed individually, in small groups, or as a whole class. Each includes detailed facilitation guides, strategies for diverse learners, and varying levels of tech interactivity. Students reflect on their experiences to build confidence and develop the language to talk about their skills.

GenUS Skill Builders

  • Accessing Information

  • Accountability

  • Active Listening

  • Budgeting

  • Career Exploration

  • Community Engagement

  • Critical Thinking

  • Digital Ethics

  • Digital Safety

  • Emotional Regulation

  • Evaluating Consequences

  • Feedback

  • Goal Builder

  • Healthy Relationships

  • Media Savvy

  • Motivating People

  • Organization

  • Overcoming Obstacles

  • Read the Room

  • Recognizing Perspectives

  • Resilience

  • Saving

  • Time Smart

  • Working Respectfully

How this works for Instructors

Skill Builders are designed as a flexible toolkit that makes delivery straightforward and engaging. Whether you’re teaching a full class, guiding small groups, or working with individual learners, each one provides everything you need to support interactive, inclusive instruction. Each Skill Builder is designed with flexible delivery levels depending on your available time and instructional goals.

Skill Builder Delivery

  • 40–80 minutes of foundational learning

  • Simple, ready-to-use, and substitute-friendly

  • Ideal for asynchronous or in-class completion

  • Adaptable for individuals, small groups, or the whole class

  • Flexible pacing to match instructional goals

  • Time estimates provided to support planning

Built-in Support for Instructors

  • Learning Goal & Skills Alignment

  • Evidence of Learning

  • Step-by-step Guidance

  • Sub Plan Notes

  • Differentiation Tips for IEP/504/G&T

  • Tech Interactivity Levels

For Schools and Districts

Skill Builders provide a ready-to-use entry point into competency-based learning. They integrate seamlessly into existing systems, supported by professional development, implementation resources, and ongoing GenUS guidance. Schools and districts can use Skill Builders to personalize learning, increase student engagement, and create space for innovation — all without overhauling curriculum.

Skill Builders give schools and districts a practical way to introduce competency-based learning without requiring major changes to curriculum or schedules.

Key Benefits of Skill Builders for Schools and Districts

  • Align with learning standards while allowing flexibility for local priorities.

  • Support Maine’s Economic Strategic Development Plan and national frameworks, ensuring students gain skills valued in postsecondary and workforce settings.

  • Engage students early in practicing foundational skills that connect directly to micro-credentials and credentials in high school.

  • Provide professional development and implementation resources so educators have support at every stage.

  • Scale at a pace that works for each district, whether starting small or integrating across multiple grades.

Resource Support Services & Tools

Digital Access to Content

Content Through Co-Design Process

Facilitator Guides: Teachers, Ed Techs, Substitutes, Community Members

District Implementation Guides

Train the Trainer Model and Additional Professional Development Support

Resource Support for Community and Media

On Site Support and Statewide Convenings

Celebration & Achievement Awards for Students

Additional Partnership Opportunities

The Skill Builders Model is the proprietary property of GenUS

GenUS retains exclusive rights to its content, structure, and implementation. Use of this model and its materials is strictly limited to entities with a specific, written agreement authorizing such use. Any reproduction, distribution, or adaptation outside of an expressly authorized contract is strictly prohibited.