Free Lesson Plan: How to Write a Mission Statement
A Formula and free lesson plan for Writing Mission Statements.
Have you ever had one of those teaching days where everything clicked? The kids are all on task, engaged, and producing quality work!
It sounds like a fairy tale. Simply too good to be true, right???
Guess what??? Last week, I had one of these amazing classes. And it was incredible. #teacherwin
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How to Write a Mission Statement
Step 1: What Are Values?
My 8th graders were diving into our Spiritual Health module, getting ready to write mission statements. I was a bit nervous because it really isn't an easy process. I mean, just think back to the joys of writing your philosophy of education in college.
Because of the complexity of writing mission statements, I tried to scaffold it as much as possible (with the bulk of the foundational knowledge being laid during the previous year's unit on Spiritual Health).
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Step 2: Personal Questionnaire
Next, up, students thoughtfully and thoroughly filled out a "My Mission Questionnaire" to help define their goals, passions, purpose, and values. This was a pivotal step in the writing process. It helped turn the very abstract idea of a mission statement into something tangible.
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Step 3: Drafting a Mission Statement
After going through the exploration process, students took time reflecting on the questionnaire to craft answers to four prompts (each connecting to an element of their mission statement)...
In life, what I value most is…
My greatest passion in life is…..
I believe my purpose in life is to…
My highest goal in life is to …
By this point, if students had been deliberately and thoughtfully going through the brainstorming process, writing their mission statement was easy as pie. All they had to do was grab their Chromebooks and get to work.
Step 4: Finializing the Mission Statement
Tah-dah, I am so proud of my 8th graders! And beyond impressed with the quality of their work. I can't even begin to imagine what's to come if they're able to produce this kind of introspection as teenagers!