6 sheets · US Letter · Print the whole pack, or select pages 2–4 for learner cards.

SkillRise Spark · Facilitator guide · 1 / 6

Harrow Plain Packhouse

Food processing · Grading and packing line · Harrow Plain

Deadline pressure, translation work and a signature on a sheet make responsibility visible on a seasonal packing line.

Before learners arrive

Choose one of the three cards. Read its opening and try that workday online so you can discuss the consequences. Print one card per pair; keep this guide and the discussion sheet for yourself. No account is needed.

A 35-minute session

Frame · 3 minutes. “We are practicing decisions, not grading people. Explain what you would do and what it might cost.” Do not announce the skills beforehand.
Notice · 5 minutes. Read the card silently, or a volunteer reads it aloud. Separate known facts from assumptions; learners may think privately or jot notes.
Decide · about 12 minutes. Play the selected workday, or discuss the printed opening offline. In pairs, alternate decision-maker and observer; partners can choose differently and don’t need to agree. Offline cards cover the opening only, not branching consequences.
Discuss · 10 minutes. Use the matching question on sheet 5. Invite two defensible approaches, then name the trade-off and the boundary.
Reflect · 5 minutes. Offer the optional closing reflection. Learners may think privately, write, speak or pass; do not require personal workplace disclosures.

Keep the boundary clear

Check written grading specifications rather than quietly changing them to meet a deadline. Sign only for checks you can verify, and escalate unclear instructions.

Observe without grading

Listen for a learner distinguishing facts from guesses, explaining who is affected, and naming a next action. Record only what was actually said or chosen, not confidence, personality or assumed competence.

Suggested timings are flexible. Most practice scenarios take about 12 minutes; exploration and reflection add optional time.

SkillRise Spark · Learner scenario card · 2 / 6

Harrow Plain Packhouse · Workday 01

The Truck at Eleven

Monday · 5:52 AM

Week three of the season. You've been on Line 2 nine days. The belt is already running when you clock in, and Denise is at the far end with a clipboard, watching the export lane like it owes her money.

Denise: Truck's here at eleven, not ten past. We're forty crates light for the order.

She says it to the line in general, but she's looking at the grade-out chute — the crates of produce that don't meet the export spec and get diverted to the domestic bin.

Denise: Anything borderline, use your judgment. Don't be precious about it today.

You've been told exactly the opposite in training: bruised skin, soft spots and undersize go in the domestic bin, no exceptions, because the export buyer rejects the whole pallet if they find even one.

A crate comes down the belt: soft spots on maybe a third of it. Borderline. What do you do?

Send it to the domestic bin, spec as trained.
Let it go to export — it's close enough, and the truck is the truck.
Stop the belt a second and ask Denise directly.
Send it to domestic, then tell Denise you did, so it's on record.

My next action and why: __________________________________

What it protects — and what it costs: ________________________

What I still need to check: __________________________________

No grades. Real consequences. Explain your reasoning; safety and privacy boundaries still apply.

skillrisespark.com/work/harrow-plain-packhouse/the-truck-at-eleven

SkillRise Spark · Learner scenario card · 3 / 6

Harrow Plain Packhouse · Workday 02

Line Speed

Tuesday · 5:40 PM

Ten hours ahead of you. Nyo waves you over before the belt even starts, two new faces beside her.

Nyo: This is Htoo and this is San. First night. English is coming, not here yet.

Htoo nods at you. San is already looking at the sizing gauge like it's a puzzle.

Nyo: I've got the domestic end. Can you take them through sizing? I'll check back at break.

You've done sizing for two weeks. You've never taught it to anyone.

How do you actually show them the sizing gauge?

Slow down, demonstrate silently a few times, let them copy you.
Explain it in plain, simple English, slowly.
Pull out your phone and try a translation app.
Ask Nyo to stay two more minutes before she goes to her end.

My next action and why: __________________________________

What it protects — and what it costs: ________________________

What I still need to check: __________________________________

No grades. Real consequences. Explain your reasoning; safety and privacy boundaries still apply.

skillrisespark.com/work/harrow-plain-packhouse/line-speed

SkillRise Spark · Learner scenario card · 4 / 6

Harrow Plain Packhouse · Workday 03

Your Initials on the Sheet

Thursday · 9:15 AM

Denise has the count sheet from Monday's load — the same truck at eleven, the same forty crates you were part of grading. Two things are wrong with it: the count is four crates short, and the pallet label says a different grade than what actually shipped.

Denise: You signed off on the sizing count for that run. Your initials, bottom right.

It's true. You did initial it — quickly, at the end of a long shift, trusting the numbers Nyo called out to you.

Denise: The buyer's asking questions. I need to know what actually happened before I answer them.

What do you tell Denise?

“I signed it. If it's wrong, that's on me to help sort out.”
“I signed off on the count Nyo called out. I didn't check every crate myself.”
“Walt scanned it onto the truck. Maybe check with him first.”
“Honestly, I'm not sure what happened. Can we look at it together?”

My next action and why: __________________________________

What it protects — and what it costs: ________________________

What I still need to check: __________________________________

No grades. Real consequences. Explain your reasoning; safety and privacy boundaries still apply.

skillrisespark.com/work/harrow-plain-packhouse/your-initials-on-the-sheet

SkillRise Spark · Discussion & reflection · 5 / 6

Bring the decisions into the room

01 · The Truck at Eleven

Who has authority to resolve a borderline crate, and who carries the cost of the decision?

02 · Line Speed

How could the team recognize the time a coworker spends translating instructions?

03 · Your Initials on the Sheet

What does your signature actually confirm, and what still needs checking?

When the group disagrees

Ask: “What is the strongest case for the other option? Who carries its cost? What fact would change your mind?” Explore the reasoning without endorsing unsafe action. State the relevant boundary plainly.

Reveal the skills after practice

Ask learners to name a skill in the action they actually chose. These are discussion connections, not automatic evidence:

The Truck at Eleven: Ethical reasoning · Boundary setting · Clear communication
Line Speed: Clear instruction · Asking for help · Working with strangers
Your Initials on the Sheet: Accountability · Clear communication · Working under ambiguity

Optional closing reflection

How could you check that an instruction was understood without making someone feel tested?

“In this practice, I chose to ______ because ______. Next time, I would check ______.”

Adapt to your learners

Read aloud or allow silent reading. Explain unfamiliar terms without choosing for learners. Offer spoken, written, partner or private responses, and let anyone pass; never require reading aloud, acting or personal disclosure. Use one card for a short session, or compare workplaces in a longer class.

Evidence, not a credential

Separate skills practiced, actions demonstrated in actual choices, and areas still developing. Offline discussion does not generate a platform evidence card. Neither a discussion nor an online evidence card proves real-world competence or awards a certificate, credential or grade.

SkillRise Spark · Companion · 6 / 6

Companion · optional “Try it your way” practice

Check against the rule, report what you found

Purpose. Discuss reading criteria, numeracy, accurate reporting and role boundaries under time pressure.

Durable skills explored: Reading criteria, Numeracy, Accurate reporting, Role boundaries.

This is a separate, fictional document-checking exercise. It isn't the grading belt or Denise's instruction from your workday, and it isn't instruction on any machinery. You check the cartons against the rule; release decisions belong to the quality lead.

Source material (as learners see it)

Fictional inspection rule · sample sheet

Rule: each carton needs a readable batch label and an intact seal before release.
Only the quality lead approves release decisions.
Sample: 12 cartons.
Two labels are unreadable. One seal is broken.
These issues are on three different cartons.
The truck departs at 11:00.

Discussion prompts

Why does it matter that the issues are on three different cartons?
What exactly should the report say, and what should it leave out?
After the verified correction, why isn't the sample “cleared”?

One possible response

Nine meet the supplied criteria; three are flagged.

“Two labels unreadable and one seal broken in this sample of twelve. Release decision pending quality lead.”

The example is one possible response. Look for 9 meeting / 3 flagged, exact defect categories, and the release decision left with the quality lead; after the change, 10 / 2 with the recheck recorded. This is a fictional paper exercise — not machinery instruction or authority to release goods.

What changes if…?

One unreadable label is replaced and independently verified. The other issues remain.

Ten meet the criteria; two remain flagged (one unreadable label, one broken seal).
Record that one label was replaced and independently verified.
The whole sample isn't cleared. The release decision still belongs to the quality lead.

Participation options

Individual:: Learners count from the sheet and draft a one-line report, or work it out without writing.
Paired:: One partner reads the sample sheet aloud; the other counts and reports. Swap for the verified correction.
Group:: Draw twelve boxes on the board and mark the three issues together. Then mark the verified label and recount.

Writing is optional; learners may think privately, discuss, or skip. Nothing is graded or collected. Source: Blueprint v3.0 · Section 30 · H1 The Truck at Eleven · p. 96.