Table of Contents
This New Year’s Resolutions Lesson Plan will help your learners set goals and talk about the future. It will also encourage them to think critically.
Lesson Plan Overview
Topic: New Year’s Resolutions
Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Objectives:
- To encourage students to reflect on their future and set meaningful goals.
- To develop students’ critical thinking and self-reflection skills.
- To enhance students’ communication and presentation skills.
Materials Needed:
- Short reading passage about Daniel Pink’s “One Sentence Project” and the “Two Questions That Can Change Your Life”
- Paper and markers for creating posters
- Projector and computer (optional)
- Whiteboard and markers
Time: 60-90 minutes
Language Focus
Language Points:
- Future Tense Usage: Using future tenses to describe goals and aspirations (e.g., “I will help people stop smoking,” “I want to be remembered for finding a cure for a serious illness”).
- Expressing Goals and Intentions: Phrases like “I plan to,” “I aim to,” “I intend to,” and “I hope to.”
- Descriptive Language: Articulating goals and actions with descriptive vocabulary.
- Presenting Ideas: Structuring thoughts logically and using appropriate linking words and phrases.
- Asking and Answering Questions: Engaging in Q&A sessions to improve conversational skills.
- Writing Skills: Organizing thoughts in written form, using correct grammar, and employing a variety of vocabulary.
Introduction (10 minutes)
- Warm-Up Discussion: Begin with a brief discussion about New Year’s resolutions. Ask students if they have made any resolutions and why people make them.
- Objective Explanation: Introduce the lesson’s objective: to think long-term about their future and how they want to be remembered.
Activity: The One Sentence Project (30 minutes)
Reading Presentation:
Read the following short passage about “One Sentence Project” and the “Two Questions That Can Change Your Life”.
Reading Passage:
The ‘One Sentence Project’ is an exercise in self-reflection and goal-setting. The project asks individuals to think about how they want to be remembered in the future. it is suggested to focus on two questions: How Do I want to be remembered?’ and ‘How to achieve it?’ These questions encourage people to summarize their life’s ambition in one sentence and continuously strive for improvement.
By considering these questions, students can set long-term goals and reflect on the positive impact they want to make in their lives and the lives of others.”
Group Discussion:
In pairs or small groups, have students discuss what they want others to say about them in the future. Encourage them to think 20 years ahead or more.
Sentence Creation:
Each student writes a single sentence that encapsulates how they want to be remembered. Examples include:
- “S/he changed other people’s lives through technology.”
- “S/he helped people stop smoking.”
- “S/he found a cure for a serious illness.”
- “S/he was a loving husband/wife…”
Poster Creation (20 minutes)
- Artistic Expression: Provide paper and markers for students to create posters illustrating their sentences. Encourage creativity and clarity in their illustrations.
- Preparation for Presentation: Give students time to think about what actions they need to take to achieve their goals. Here, students will use the future tense to describe the steps they will take to be remembered as they wish (e.g., “I will study medicine to find a cure for illnesses”).
Presentations and Q&A (20 minutes)
- Student Presentations: Volunteers present their posters and sentences to the class. During their presentations, students will use the future tense to describe their planned actions and goals (e.g., “I will help others by becoming a teacher”).
- Class Engagement: After each presentation, allow the rest of the class to ask questions about the volunteer’s goals and how they plan to achieve them. Both the presenter and the questioners will use the future tense during this interaction (e.g., “How will you achieve this goal?” “I will volunteer at a local charity to gain experience”).
Follow-Up Activity (10 minutes)
Reflective Writing: Ask students to write a short essay on how they want to be remembered and the specific resolutions they have made to reach their goals. They should:
- Explain why they chose their specific sentence.
- Mention the steps they will take to achieve their goal, using the future tense (e.g., “To be remembered as a compassionate person, I will volunteer at animal shelters and help those in need”).
Homework Assignment (Optional)
- Goal Setting Journal: Have students start a journal where they regularly write about their progress towards their resolutions and reflect on any challenges or successes they experience.
Benefits of The One Sentence Project
- Self-Reflection: Encourages deep self-reflection and goal-setting.
- Critical Thinking: Develops critical thinking skills as students plan their future.
- Communication: Enhances communication skills through discussion and presentation.
Conclusion
This lesson plan not only engages students in a meaningful activity but also encourages them to think critically about their future and the legacy they want to leave behind, while practicing important language skills such as future tense usage, expressing goals and intentions, descriptive language, presenting ideas, and writing reflectively.
