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. 

Graphic Templates for 2024 "One Word" Challenges

 

"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

There is nothing wrong with New Year's Resolutions, but too often I make resolutions that are just not sustainable. A few years ago I was inspired by my PLN and Jon Gordon's One Word that Will Change Your Life book to shift my thinking about making New Year's Resolutions and shift to the idea of choosing a word as my foundation for the year. 

Today I wanted to share some graphic templates that should help students and teachers share their "One Word" for 2024. 

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

Two of my favorite moments each year are when Spotify releases my "Wrapped" and Google releases the "Year in Search". I love both because they encourage me to think about where I've been and look ahead to what's next. 

Today I wanted to share one of my yearly passion projects. Starting in mid-December,, I explore and document reviews and best lists to reflect on the year. I then typically connect some of the best to a reflection I will do with my students when we return from Winter Break. I believe reflecting on where we've been is important, so I always welcome back my students to the New Year with several activities connected to the events, stories, and trends from the previous year.

Past years have taught me that these resources are posted from December through the middle of January, so I will update this post as I discover more. Please bookmark this page to come back to see updates to this list.
 

Take a Brain Break - Reboot the Noggin!

Sometimes your brain just needs a break from the hard stuff. As we wind down the school year I just wanted to share a few digital resources to take a break and have a little fun.

All Study and No Play Makes Your Brain a Dull Place to Be