Introduction
To begin, ask students if they have ever made a New Year’s resolution before, and if so, did they keep it? For the students who have never made a resolution for the New Year, talk about how the word resolution came from the word “resolve.” Talk about how a resolution is like a promise that you keep for yourself. Then, discuss how each year people make resolutions for themselves, but oftentimes they end up being too challenging to keep, so they give up on them. Explain that it’s important to make a positive resolution that they think they will be able to follow through with.
Once they understand the concept, model a few resolutions of your own (start exercising, read a book a week, watch less TV, etc.). Next, have students brainstorm a few together as a class. They may come up with resolutions like stop fighting with their siblings, or be more helpful at home. Make sure that you remind students to not choose something that is too outrageous, and remind them that their goal is to make a resolution that they know they can keep.
Pre-Writing
Once students have a list of the resolutions that they think they want to try, have them narrow that list down to three. They should make one resolution for their own personal improvement (resolve to eat healthy), one that has to do with their family or friends (resolve to not fight with their sister), and one that has to do with school (to learn all of their multiplication facts).