Lesson 6: Planning - Learning About Yourself

Life Maps

Lesson Summary:

Appropriate for: Grades 8-12

Goals and Objectives:
1. Students will discuss how the past can affect the future.
2. Students will reflect on where they have been in order to determine where they need to go.
3. Students will compare their current paths to the time lines found on cfwv.com.

Click here to view relevant content standards and objectives.

Procedure:
1. Have a brief discussion with your students pertaining to how the past can affect the present.
• How can what you are doing right now determine what you do in your future?
• Can we use what we know from our past to make decisions about what we want to accomplish in our futures?
2. Ask the students to think of some of the major events that they have encountered or been a part of over the course of their lifetime. Have students begin to make a list of approximately 15-20 moments beginning with the day they were born and ending with today. Events might include the first day of school, birth of a sibling, a broken arm, the first day of school, having braces put on, getting glasses, winning an athletic or academic award, etc.
3. Once students have completed their list brainstorm, they need to begin thinking of symbols that might represent each of the items on their lists. These need to be placed in chronological order on their papers.
4. Have students begin to make the actual maps. Instruct students to become creative with their maps. Will it look like a timeline? A road map? A park map? A globe? A slide show of pictures and symbols?
5. After students have finished creating their life maps, have them give mini presentations of them to the group.

Sometimes students can put too much emphasis on what has negatively affected them. Help the students create a positive focus rather than becoming inundated with the negative.

• Do you notice any trends, patterns, or reoccurring events on your map? If so, why do these events continue to happen?
• Do you think that this map is an accurate picture of your life so far? In your opinion, what has been the most important event?
• Where do you see the map leading you?
• After looking at the timelines found on CFWV.com, do you believe that you are on track?
• If not, how can you make it so that you are?
• If you could list five more events for your future, what would they be?
• What steps or goals will you have to make to get where you are going?
• In your Portfolio on CFWV.com, please update your long and short goals.