Focus Word For Senior Year

Today We’ll Choose a Focus Word for Your Senior Year

Resolutions can be great, but they can also be hard to carry out.

• For this exercise, you’ll choose one word as a “focus word” for the 25-26 school year. This will be a word that hopefully you’ll come back to many times throughout the year and in many aspects of your life.
• This exercises has been effective for many people who struggle to follow through on resolutions, and a side bonus is that it allows you to fully explore the nuances in a single word.

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Free Write

Choose a few of the following topics to free write about for 5 minutes:

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• What were a few highlights from your life from Junior year/summer?
• What were a few tough things/struggles from last year?
• What are some hopes you have going in to your senior year?

Your Accounts

Think about the different accounts or aspects of your life:

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• Your life accounts are things like friendships, school, sports/music, responsibilities, your health, etc. (essentially your commitments and priorities)
• Write a few sentences on several of your accounts.
• Include how things are going in that are now
• And then write about how you want that area to be improved by the end of your senior year.

***Take about 10 minutes with this. Choose 3-4 accounts to focus on.

Highlight

Now, take your highlighter and highlight 5-10 words that stand out to you or get your attention.

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• Pay attention to verbs
• Pay attention to repeated words or synonyms
• Pay attention to words that get you imagining something important or transformative

Research (a tiny bit)

Pick three of those words and do the following:

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• Look up the meaning of each word in the dictionary (it might surprise you)
• Look up synonyms and antonyms

Choose Your Word

Pick a single word that will be your word of focus for this year.

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• You can use the list or one of the three words you just narrowed it down to
• OR you can choose a word that came to mind as you did this exercise
• Examples of words that have been a focus for other students in the past: exhale, persevere, finish, exhale, release, hope, risk

Complete The One Pager

Complete the one pager

• This word is primarily for you; you don’t have to share with the class unless you want to
• Complete the one pager which includes the word, a dictionary definition, a symbol or drawing, synonyms, and a few sentences on why you chose this word and how you think focusing on this word will bring about growth in your life.

Write your word on the Senior Year poster in the back of the room, and complete the exit ticket that explains your word.