If they're good enough to learn a lone star, I most definitely would say they're nowhere near "novice" anymore.
What I'm wondering is whether they are underestimating their abilities & are actually intermediate-level quilters, or whether they truly are novices & did what many new quilters do -- saw a pattern they liked & assumed the pattern would teach them everything they'd ever need to know about quilting (you see the same thing with new FMQ'ers who are confident for their very first project they can pull off some award-winning design they saw at Quilt Week instead of starting with a basic stipple and moving up step by step). I would ask the shop owner what kinds of quilts these ladies are making right now. If they're Warm Wishes quilts, then you know they're true novices & I wouldn't start with a Lone Star. My initial thought would be to do a sampler so they could learn the techniques for a variety of blocks -- and the blocks could go in order from easiest to hardest.
If they are really insistent about the Lone Star, I'd start with precision piecing techniques & go with a Carpenter's Star instead.
On the other hand, if these ladies are actually intermediate level, I'd add in circle in a square.