One Word to Rule Them All - Welcome to 2024 Student Activity

"History repeats itself, and that's one of the things that's wrong with history." - Clarence Darrow

Success and failure should never be an endpoint. The best learning happens when we build on what we know and reflect on what we need to know better. I always like to welcome my students back after the holiday break with a bit of reflection on the year that was. I also think it is important to revisit successes and failures to help reset goals for the new year. 

A few years ago, I read a post about most New Year's resolutions failing before we flip the calendars to February. For this reason, I decided to scrap the long list of resolutions I won’t remember a few weeks from now anyway! The focus is now on choosing just one word as a foundation for the new year.

One word you can focus on every day, all year long… One word that sums up who you want to be or how you want to live. It will take intentionality and commitment, but if you let it, your one word will shape not only your year, but also you. It will become the compass that directs your decisions and guides your steps. (OneWord365)

Today I wanted to share an activity template designed to help students set goals for the 2024 year with a focus on "one word". This activity is inspired by Mike Ashcraft's and Rachel Olsen's book My One Word: Change Your Life With Just One Word. 

One Word Student Challenge Pear Deck

This is set to be used with Pear Deck to capture student responses. If you are looking for something different here is a slide deck without the Pear Deck interactive questions.

Feel free to make a copy of the document and modify it for your students. 

Here are a few tips to help customize this document for your students.

1. On slide 4, I've linked to Google Search trends. There may be some topics that younger students need some help with. One recommendation is to have a class discussion connected to the trends. 
2. On slide 5, check out the linked resources to make sure everything is ok for your students. You can also create a Wakelet tailored to your class. (The "More Year in Review Resources" link on the slide is a sample.) 
3. I've linked Wakelets to several slides, you should create your own Wakelets or choose a different tool to create a gallery walk for students to share. This gives you control of the privacy settings and who can access the posts.
4. I've also created some Google Slides Templates for students can use to create graphics that can be shared.

If you are looking for more resources to reflect on the year or set goals for the new year, here are some additional resources that might be worth exploring.

• 2023 Year in Review - Resources to Explore and Reflect on the Year

Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions or questions connected to this activity. #HappyLearning