Lesson Objective
Students will think about and discover their purpose by recognizing that what they enjoy doing, often brings fulfillment and a hopeful outlook. Every individual is important and his/her purpose brings meaning to life.
Teacher Notes
Materials needed
Hope Sunflower Individual Student Worksheet
Hope Journal
Step by Step teaching guide
Pre Questions
1) What does it mean to you to have a purpose?Lesson Steps
1) We all are important and add great value to the world. An important aspect of a strong hope foundation is knowing that you have a purpose and are an important person.
People who uncover their passions and purpose are often times happy and fulfilled. Pursuing your purpose makes you more hopeful.
2) You can begin to uncover your purpose by recognizing what you like to do. Our purpose is often something we are passionate about (something you love or find meaning in doing).
a) What do you love to do?b) What is one thing that you know you enjoy doing?
c) What is your purpose?
3) Your purpose can be in any area such as art, friendship, taking care of animals, writing stories, running a business, or building things. There is no purpose that is better than another. What is important is that you think about what you like and what you are good at, and you pursue these things.
Story
Charles the Comic
Charles was a smart boy who was always placed in advanced math class. Charles’ parents and family were very proud of these math skills and told everyone about them. The neighbors, their friends, and even the people who worked at the grocery store knew Charles was good at math.
Even though Charles was good at it, math did not make him happy. Charles showed up every day to math class dreading the work.
One day at lunch, Charles sat next to a girl, Jasmine, who was drawing lots of small pictures in a row.
“What are you doing?” Charles asked.
“Making comics,” Jasmine responded.
Charles watched Jasmine draw comics all lunch period. He was fascinated with how much detail she put into her characters and the funny things she had them say.
“Come back tomorrow and I’ll teach you how to make your own comics,” Jasmine told Charles.
The next day, Charles came to lunch prepared with some blank paper and a pencil. Jasmine taught Charles tips on drawing comics, shared some books with him about making comics, and introduced Charles to a few other friends who drew comics too.
Charles learned that he loved drawing. He liked that there were lines and boxes in the comics that reminded him of sequences and patterns in math that he already knew well. What he really loved was that he could make worlds come to life on his page.
Whenever Charles has spare time, he now draws comics. He shares them with friends and family and everyone enjoys reading his stories. This makes Charles feel like there is meaning in his life and he feels special. When he sees other people laugh and learn from his drawings, Charles feels they are not just his passion, but also his purpose.
Post Questions:
1) How does your passion (love or enjoyment of something) give you a sense of purpose?
Activity
1) Write some of the things you are passionate about on your Hope Sunflower.
2) Journal about different paths you could take in your life based on what you love to do. Dream about how it might be to pursue these passions. Think about how it would feel, where you would live, and who you would be surrounded by.
Questions for Students
1) What hope tools have you tried out so far? How did they help you?
2) Why is hope important for us?
3) In what part of the brain does hope happen?
4) Does thinking about what you enjoy help guide you in deciding what your purpose is?
Additional Teaching Tools for Lesson 5
*The following list of stories and activities are recommended to enhance student learning, experience, and to encourage and promote further discussions related to each lesson’s content. Please choose what fits best for you, your students, and classroom environment. You may locate the resources listed below from the provided book Chicken Soup for the Soul in the Classroom.
Stories
p. 270 Be Yourself
Activities
p. 39 Three Wishes
p. 40 Winning a Million Dollars
p. 368-369 Things You Like About Yourself and Things You Like To Do
p. 374-375 Self-Awareness Activities
p. 376-377 What Do You Think?
p. 378 Who Am I?
p. 382 Sample Time-Line for What You Want to Do in Your Life
p. 384 Treasure Map of What You Want to Have, Do, or Be
Download Lesson #5: Having a Hopeful Purpose.Hopeful Minds, an iFred.org project, was made possible through the generous support of The Mood Factory and Sutter Health.