OLW '23

 Here's what I wrote last year at this time:

Another year, another One Little Word assignment-- regular readers might remember my new year tradition of asking my students to share one word that represents something they want more of in their lives in the coming year. This time, instead of asking the young writers to compose a paragraph about their choice, they simply posted the single word, and then each read it to the class and explained why they had chosen it. Seeing the words stand alone was powerful, but hearing the student's voices as they elucidated their ideas was quite poignant. I think I'll do it again this way next year.

Unfortunately, I did not check back with myself, and we didn't repeat the single word presentation. Perhaps I'll create a reminder for January of 2024.

And here's what I did do a bit differently:

I like this visual addition! I hope I can remember to do it again.

OLW 2022

Another year, another One Little Word assignment-- regular readers might remember my new year tradition of asking my students to share one word that represents something they want more of in their lives in the coming year. This time, instead of asking the young writers to compose a paragraph about their choice, they simply posted the single word, and then each read it to the class and explained why they had chosen it. Seeing the words stand alone was powerful, but hearing the student's voices as they elucidated their ideas was quite poignant. I think I'll do it again this way next year.

Here are the words they chose:

Learn
Productive
Relationships
Success
Sleep
Kindness
Read
Happiness
Me
Science
School
Joy
Chocolate
Light
Doors
Focus
Hope
Remember
Balance
Responsibility
Cats
Acceptance
Therapy
Candy
Intelligence
Love
Screentime
Games
Laughter
Helpful
Comedy
Active
Smart
Intelligence
Taste
Responsibility
Food
Cash
A's
Adventure
Lively
Friendship
Achievement
Change
IQ
Trust
Ambition
Accomplishment
Math
Lacrosse
Competition
Control
Work
Apple cider
Soccer
Luck

Trim the Sails

Every year for the last 14 One Little Word has been the first assignment of the new year in my sixth grade English class. The premise is deceptively simple: find a single word that means something you want for the year ahead, post it to the discussion along with a brief explanation. 

I love this assignment because it offers a soft reopening to school after the holiday break, it is easy and engaging, and it also often results in some of the wisest and most honest writing my students have done so far in the school year. 

This time was no exception; one of the most popular words of the year was friendship along with several poignant explanations about how much the kids miss their friends and classmates. Other popular words were kindness, happiness, and joy. There were also several riffs on success and winning, and a few honest confessions that more responsibility was necessary along with some patience and change. 

In general, though, there was less variety than in past years, and much less creativity, too (although one student did choose creativity as her word.) I was a little disappointed by this latter development, I love it when kids choose crazy words that capture something special about them and what they hope for. 

When I mentioned the assignment to her, my sister shared with me an Instagram site belonging to artist, poet, and podcaster Morgan Harper Nichols with a hundred words on loop. The idea is to take a screenshot as they play, and that will give you a word to contemplate in the year ahead. The graphics and music are wonderful, and the words are inspired, too. 

My word was wind, defined as "the perceptible movement of air, especially in the form of a current of air blowing from a particular direction".

I think I'll keep it.

Heavy

With acknowledgement to the folks over at Two Writing Teachers, for the last 13 years on our first day back from Winter Break, my students have selected One Little Word to capture something they want in the New Year. The assignment is revealing about each individual, but the congregate collection of words is also somewhat revealing about the group, or maybe even the times.

For example, this year, a full 20 percent of the students chose the word "balance" as something they want in their lives. In their explanations they wrote such things as:

I choose balance because I can’t balance my homework with what I do at home. Sometimes I need to do my homework when I wake up, or late at night. 

My one one word for 2020 is balance. I sit in front of a screen a lot now because I got a computer. What I would like to do it get outside more and read more books. 

Balance also can apply to sleep because if I get more sleep I will have more energy so moving through the day will be easier. 

Having balance is important so I don’t have to stress and try doing 2 things at once. 

Balance would help me keep track and make time for things I need to take priority on to keep me stable. 

To me, balance means having time to do other things and try new things without having to cut something daily you do. 

I should make a schedule with a time when I have free time, food time, shower time and chores time. That’s why I want to be more balanced in 2020 or the rest of my life.

it’s hard to balance all of this struggle and pain on this thing we call life

As an adult, I value balance greatly, and I know how hard it is to find and keep, but it makes me a little sad that kids of 11 and 12 are having the same struggle.

Unpredictable

The day did not go as I pictured it.

I never imagined that on the first morning back from break one of the first people I would see was that oppositional student walking down the hallway with a quart of Mountain Dew in his hand, just itching for someone to tell him it wasn't allowed in school. And I certainly didn't anticipate that my cross-century VCR-Smart Board hook-up would fail, so that my homeroom and I would be unable to watch the morning announcements. And I never saw it coming when the boy who used to refuse to take off his coat but had been quite cooperative before the winter holidays would return to his former stance: Yeah, I'm just going to have to say no to following that rule, he told me.

"Wow!" I confessed out loud to my homeroom, "This year is something else already!"

But, 18 days off does have some restorative power, and each of those snafus was resolved with patience and a little outside grace. And not all the surprises today were bad. When asked to pick one little word to capture what he wanted more of in his life, a student known for his negativity chose "kindness" because there just isn't enough of it in middle school. And he ended his paragraph with, I can be nicer and so can everyone else.

OLW 2014

Over at Two Writing Teachers they have been choosing One Little Word for the last several years. The idea is to find a single word that expresses something you will work toward in the coming year.

I think it's a neat concept, and this is the seventh year that I've asked my students to do this, too. The assignment is for them to choose a word and then write a paragraph explaining why they want more of this in their lives.

Here are the choices so far for this year, several were chosen by more than one person:

family
love
spirited
focus
green
grades
learn
complete
patience
change
procrastination
believe
peace
tolerance
complete
awesome
lively
smart

and one student chose her last name with this explanation:

This will let me be friendly and funny (traits of a typical member of my family). I will have thousands of kind friends and we will be strong together.

More than anything else, I was struck by the positivity and enthusiasm my students have for the year ahead. In the exact words of several? 2014 is going to be a great year!

It's kind of nice to work with so many optimists.

OLW 2013

Over at Two Writing Teachers Ruth and Stacey have been choosing One Little Word for the last several years. The idea is to find a single word that expresses something you will work toward in the coming year.

I think it's a neat concept, and this is the sixth year that I've asked my students to do this, too. The assignment is for them to choose a word and then write a paragraph explaining why they want more of this in their lives.

Here are the choices so far for this year:

achieve
accomplish
appreciate
artistic
awesomeness
baking
balanced
baseball
basketball
believe
beyond
change
cheerful
confident
creative
dedicate
equestrian
exercise
faith
focus (x5!)
green
gymnastics
healthy
kind
life
listen
love
music
organize
paintball
purple
random
respect
rich
snowboard
soccer
socialize
softball
sports
starcraft
strong
study
succeed
think
try
write

Such a list kind of reconfirms your faith in the future, doesn't it?

One Little Word

Over at Two Writing Teachers Ruth and Stacey have been choosing One Little Word for the last several years. The idea is to find a single word that expresses something you will work toward in the coming year.

I think it's a neat concept, and this is the second year that I've asked my students to do this, too. The assignment is for them to choose a word and then write a paragraph explaining why they want more of this in their lives.

Here is their list so far for this year:

A+
Appreciate
Believe
Caring
Change
Cookie
Create
Determination
Difference
Excited!
Focus
Free
Friendship
Fun!!!
Green!
Happiness
Join
Organize
Participation
Patience
Peace
Poetry
Practice
Service
Sing
Sleep
Success
Trust
Try
Violinist
Worldly

Oh, and my word for this year? It would definitely have to be Glee.