New Year's Resolutions

Grade Levels: 4 - 8

Name:__________________________________

PREWRITING
Do you make New Year's resolutions? What is a resolution? A resolution is a promise. It is a promise that you make to yourself! It is a tradition for people to make resolutions at the beginning of a new year. There are different kinds of resolutions.

One sort of resolution has to do only with oneself. You might decide to lose weight, to stop eating candy, to exercise more, or to watch less TV. Other resolutions might involve family or friends. You could resolve to be more patient with your little brother, to be more helpful to your mom, or not to get into fights with your friends. Some resolutions are about school and the outside world, such as getting to class on time, trying for better grades, or not teasing the neighbor's dog.

If you manage to keep these promises, it will make you feel better about yourself. So, it's important not to make wild resolutions that are too difficult to follow. Your promises to yourself should not be too hard to keep.

DIRECTIONS
The box below is divided into three sections.
1. In the first section, list at least two resolutions for your personal improvement.
2. In the second section, list at least two resolutions that have to do with family and friends.
3. In the third section, list at least two resolutions about school and the outside world.

PERSONAL IMPROVEMENT:

FAMILY AND FRIENDS:

SCHOOL AND THE OUTSIDE WORLD:

FIRST DRAFT
Nobody's perfect! The beginning of a new year seems like a good time to think about changing. That's why people make resolutions in January.

In this activity, you are going to write the first draft of an essay about your promises to yourself for the new year. The best resolutions are those that you can be pretty sure of keeping. Choose three of the resolutions you listed above – one about personal improvement, one about family and friends, and one about school and the outside world. Write a five-paragraph essay about these New Year's resolutions.

Write your first paragraph here, introducing the topic.

Write your second paragraph here. It should describe your personal improvement promise and tell why you are making it.

Write your third paragraph here. It should describe your family and friends resolution and tell why you are making it.

Write your fourth paragraph here. It should describe your resolution about school and the outside world, and tell why you are making it.

Write your fifth paragraph here. It should restate the topic and sum it up.

REVISING AND WRITING A FINAL COPY

DIRECTIONS
1. Edit and revise the first draft of your essay about New Year's resolutions. Here are some suggestions:

a. Does the first paragraph introduce the topic in an interesting way? Can you make it more exciting by beginning with a question or a startling statement? b. Do the next three paragraphs describe each resolution? Do you clearly explain why you are making these resolutions? c. Do you restate and sum up the topic in the last paragraph? d. Are all sentences complete? Do subjects and verbs agree? e. Is all spelling correct? Consult a dictionary.

2. Write the final copy of your essay below. Write a title on the first line. Indent at the beginning of paragraphs. Use the back of this worksheet if you need more room.






















This activity is from Writing Activities for Every Month of the School Year.