Goal Essay

Stars: Dreams & Aspirations

• Brainstorm goals for your future:–What are your goals for this class? –What are your goals for your freshmen year?–What dreams do you have for your future?–What do you want to do when you graduate

high school? –What type of career do you see for yourself?–What other dreams do you have?

• Choose one goal for your essay

Mountains: Obstacles of life

•Brainstorm three to five obstacles in the way of each of your goals:• personal • family and friend • economic • emotional• academic struggles

Path: How do I get there?

Think back to your goal.

• What are specific tangible things that you will need to do to accomplish this goal?

• What are some intangible things about yourself that you can improve upon to help you reach your goal?

• What STAR qualities do you want to strengthen within yourself or obtain?

• Self confidence Courage Focus Kind Risk-taking Commitment CreativeSelf-motivation Optimism Patient Challenge Opportunistic HonestyFlexibility Respectful EmpatheticToughness Time ManagementSelf Disciplined Organized AcceptanceEmpowered Proactive ResourcefulReflective Team player CommunicationEnthusiasm Asking for help Persistent

Content of body paragraphs• Paragraphs should start with a strong topic sentence

that introduces the subject of the paragraph• Introduction– write about your star – your goal in life• Paragraph one – write about one mountain – the

obstacle that might stand in your way and the path – what tactics will you use to get over the obstacles and what personal characteristics will you need to reach your goals

• Paragraph two – write about the second mountain and path

• Paragraph three – write about the third mountain and path

• Conclusion – wrap up your thoughts in a memorable way

Paragraph expectations

• 5-8 sentences per paragraph• Include strong topic sentences • Write complete sentences. Avoid fragments

and run-ons.• Use descriptive words and specific

examples• Proofread and spell check for grammar,

punctuation, capitalization, and spelling errors

Goal Essay Formatting

• Five paragraphs long• Typed in 12 pt Times New Roman• Double space the whole essay• One inch margins • Indent the first line of each paragraph• Center the title• Header at the top left – all double spaced

– Student Name– Teacher’s Name– Honors English 9– Due Date

Due Dates

• Rough draft due on Tuesday, Aug. 27th at the beginning of class

• Self edit on Tuesday, August 27th at the end of the period

• Final copy due on Wednesday, August 28th

• Presentations of puppets and essay on Thursday, August 29th