The first of the year is the perfect time to teach your students how to reflect upon the past year and prepare for a positive, fresh start to the new year. Writing New Years resolutions together is an educational group activity that will inspire your students to be their best while practicing writing skills at the same time.
- Ask for a show of hands of who has heard of New Years resolutions before. Furthermore, how many students have already practiced making (and trying to keep) resolutions?
- To make sure everyone is on the same page, introduce the concept of New Years resolutions and how it comes from the word "resolve". Discuss how adults often find them challenging to keep, so it's important to make your resolutions positive, concrete, and realistic. Tell the students that resolutions are like promises that you make to yourself.
- Model resolutions for your students by showing them a few examples of your own or from a list of top 10 resolutions. Discuss how you will monitor your success on keeping the resolutions. Workshop (with your students' input) how to come up with appropriate resolutions.
- Allow your students time to practice writing a set number of resolutions of their own (for school, home, other areas of life, etc.) You may want to offer younger students a template to use for this writing task. For example, When I am at ___________, I resolve to ___________ because ___________.
- Give the students an opportunity to share a few of their resolutions with the rest of the class. Model offering encouragement to each other.
- You can also have your students create accompanying illustrations for their resolutions, visualizing themselves accomplishing their goals. The illustrated resolutions will make a darling bulletin board display for the classroom, while providing visual reminders for the students to work toward their goals. Modified from: http://k6educators.about.com/od/januaryholidayslessons/qt/nyreslesson.htm
- What are they?
- Why do we do it?
- HOW
- How did my year begin?
- What did I expect to happen this year? Were my expectations met?
- What surprised me this year?
- What disappointed me this year?
- If I could do anything over, what would I choose?
- How was my academic performance? What are my strengths and weaknesses?
- How might I address these weaknesses?
- What have I learned this year? Academically? Personally?
- What resolutions did I make last year?
- If I did not keep my resolutions, why?
- Did my experiences this year match my expectations?
- What surprised me? Disappointed?
- If I could do anything over, what would I choose? What would I do differently?
More Examples http://www.today.com/video/today/53958093#53958093
The New Year
- How will this year be different from last year?
- In what ways do I expect this year to be similar as last?
- What challenges do I expect to face this year?
- How might I best prepare for the challenges that I expect to face?
- What do I hope to improve in my life?
- What are my strengths?
- Considering my physical health, what are my strengths? Weaknesses?
- Considering my mental health, my state of mind, what are my strengths? Weaknesses?
- Considering my social network and social life, what are my strengths? What areas are in need of improvement?
- Of all the possibilities, what 2 or 3 areas do I wish to improve?
- What specifically will I improve for each? For each area, how will I mark change?
