What if you decided on one word to guide your life for the upcoming year instead of a lengthy New Year’s resolution? That is the idea behind the one word project. Choosing one powerful word that resonates with you and your goals to direct you through the new year.
The one word project is an amazing SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) activity that introduces an alternative to New Year’s resolutions in your classroom. Choosing one word to govern your new year is much easier and healthier than choosing one or two long and particular goals for the year. According to research, 88% of people give up on their New Year’s resolutions within two weeks.
Why one word? Setting one word as your intention for the year guides you toward the actions, mindset, and overall goal you want to achieve. You can implement his project with any age group from elementary to middle school to high school and beyond (self-care teacher professional development activity). You can accomplish the one-word project through multiple engaging approaches.
You can connect it to a book, make an artistic display, or turn it into a technology lesson. Numerous one word project resources and step-by-step lesson plans are also available for educators. There are also many ways to complete the activity, such as hyperdocs or worksheets. You could even turn it into an art project, or if you have access to a 3D printer, implement a maker project by having students design their one word in Tinkercad and 3D print them. My students use Google Drawings to create inspiration pictures they can hang in their own space. First, we discuss what the one word project is all about. Next, they brainstorm their word of the year (I start the brainstorming section with this video). Finally, my students search for quotes and pictures related to their words and produce an inspiration picture (example below).
Implement the one word project alone, with fellow teachers, or with your students for an inspirational guide through 2024. As always, check out TeachersFirst resources to assist you in implementing the one word project, such as this list of design tools and the TeachersFirst design-related blog posts. Have a happy, healthy, and inspired new year!