KEY LESSON

Unit Learning Goal

Students will develop habits of reflection through examination of others, external dilemmas, and personal reflection prompts. 

Lesson Goal

Students will understand the value of personal reflection on areas of change and growth that may help individuals do good work. They will also understand how to craft a collective and individual mission statement.

Assessment

Students will produce an artifact (written, visual, audio) of self-reflection in response to the “Mirror Test” prompts that can be evaluated. They will engage in discussion of a shared mission statement and write their own mission statements, which can also be evaluated. The Exit Ticket can be assessed.

portfolio documentation

Resources

  • Top Values of the class from Lesson 1.9

  • “What Is My Mission?” Handout

  • Whiteboard space

Total TIME

45 minutes

Instructions

1. Mirror Test [20 minutes].

  • Ask students to conduct their own “Mirror Test”. Emphasize to students that this process of self-reflection should be a regular practice, revised every month or every other month. 

  • Encourage students to consider what they discerned during the previous class discussions: e.g., what do they learn from mentors and anti-mentors? How do values translate into behaviors and choices? Discourage students from focusing on aspects like their physical appearance—encourage them to go deeper and think about their beliefs and values and what is “inside” (what other people cannot see). 

  • Students should fill out the “Mirror and MIssion” handout as they complete this assignment. Alternatively, students can record their response (video and/or audio) or illustrate their responses:

    • When I look in the mirror, what do I see? How do I describe myself? 

    • What are my beliefs?

    • What do I feel good about? Not so good about?

    • What do I want to work on? Or improve?

    • What do I want to change? Is it possible?

    • How would my family describe me? How would my friends describe me?

    • Who do I know that could help me with the changes I want to make in my life? Are they mentors or anti-mentors? 

  • Add this activity to the Good Work portfolio.

  • “I asked students to record a 1-2 minute video that grasps their personal experience, immediately after they answered the Mirror Test or at least the same day. They were told to talk about their thoughts about the following three questions in the video: /How do you feel when you were answering the Mirror Test? / What was easy? / What was difficult?”

2. Identifying Mission [20 minutes].

  • Remind the class of the top values most important to the class (in Lesson 1.9).

  • Divide the class into three groups. Ask each group to consider these values and identify the mission of the class as a whole, using the following prompts:

    • What are our shared values as a class?

    • What are our shared goals?

    • How can we use our values in support of our goals?

    • What gets in the way of accomplishing our goals?

    • How can we overcome these obstacles?

  • Bring the class back together and share the results of these individual discussions. 

  • Using a chalk board or projector to write out ideas coming from the individual discussions, work as a class to identify a coherent class mission that represents the top values.

  • Ask students to now consider what their personal mission statement would be. They should write their statement at the bottom of the “Mirror and Mission” handout. 

  • “The journal entries the students wrote about how their friends would describe them, as well as how they see themselves were very eye-opening and provoked a rich conversation about sometimes how we see ourselves is a lie and sometimes it's the truth, and with the help a healthy mentor we are able to "cut the fat" and get to the core to better be able to distinguish lies from truth.”

3. Values, Mission, and Mirror Exit Ticket [5 minutes].

  • Ask students to answer the following: “How does my personal mission statement relate to the mission of my school or community?”

Possible Enrichment 

  • Present students with the “What Is My Mission?” handout.

  • Add the homework to the Good Work portfolio.

  • “I followed the lesson plan but allowed several days for my students to complete an infographic of their mission statement. We used Canva templates to design an infographic.” -COP Teacher

  • “The chance to write their own mission statement and how they are going to get there was great. The students really liked looking at their careers and how they are going to get there.”- COP Teacher