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Success and FailureWriting an Essay

About the LessonIn todays society students are bombarded with messages telling them that winning is everything, from the classroom to the athletic eld. Implicit in this message is that there is only one winner in any contest. In this lesson, students will explore how they measure success and failure in themselves and in others. Then they will write an essay on this complex topic.

Targeted Learner OutcomesThe student will:

think about how he or she denes personal success,

describe feelings about a measure of success,

learn the essential elements of an essay, and

write an essay.

Open the lesson by asking students to think about what makes them feel successful. When they make an attempt at somethingin class, in sports, in band, or even in their relationships with family or friendshow do they know theyve been successful? Have students volunteer some of these measures of success.

Have students turn to the rst part of their lesson page, which lists fourteen items. Have them think about how someone would know he or she had been successful in each situation. Ask them to write a measure of success for each item. When students are done writing, hold a class discussion about the exercise, listing students responses on the board.

Now that theyve dened success, ask them to dene failure. Is failure simply the opposite of success? For example, if fteen people run a race, when one wins, have the others failed? If any students answer yes to this question, ask for their reasoning and open it up for discussion. (Remind students to be respectful in responding.)

Last, ask students to consider whether people need to experience failure before they know how success feels. Allow students time to discuss the phrase winning is everything before moving on to the next part of the lesson.

Next, students will write down their feelings about the measures of success they wrote in the rst part of the lesson. Which is most meaningful to them? Once youve had them thinking about success and failure, they may nd that their ideas have shifted a bit.

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Last, after so much discussion and thought about measuring success and failure, students will be ready to write an essay. They can write about one of the scenarios in the rst part of the lesson and expand on it, or they may choose another scenario. Here are a few additional choices:

Winning an election

Getting your name in the Guinness Book of World Records

Losing 25 pounds

Finishing a marathon

Baking the best cake at the county fair

Being voted the most popular girl or boy in school

Having a winning ticket for the Irish Sweepstakes

Celebrating a ftieth wedding anniversary

Purchasing a Hummer

If appropriate, students can publish their essays in a student newspaper or class newsletter.

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Name _________________________________________ Date __________________

Success and Failure

How do you know youve been successful at something youve tried to do? Think about the following events. What would have to happen before you would know youd been successful at one of these endeavors?

1. In business? ______________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

2. Writing prose and poetry? ___________________________________

___________________________________________________________

3. Promoting peace around the world? ___________________________

___________________________________________________________

4. Engineering automobiles? ___________________________________

___________________________________________________________

5. Getting good grades in school? _______________________________

___________________________________________________________

6. Being very attractive? _______________________________________

___________________________________________________________

7. Playing the piano? _________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

8. Cooking? ________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

9. Being strong? _____________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

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Name _________________________________________ Date __________________

10. Recording a song? ________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

11. Performing an act of heroism? _______________________________

___________________________________________________________

12. Being a good parent? ______________________________________

___________________________________________________________

13. Acting in a situation comedy? _______________________________

___________________________________________________________

14. Being a good citizen? ______________________________________

___________________________________________________________

Which of the measures in activity 1 is most meaningful to you?

___________________________________________________________

Why? ______________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

Which measure is least meaningful? ______________________________

Why? ______________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

Success and Failure (continued)

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Name _________________________________________ Date __________________

Success and Failure (continued)

How do you dene success and failure for yourself? On the lines below, jot down ideas that you can include in an essay about your denition of success and failure. Organize the ideas into an outline.

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

Before you begin writing the essay, it is a good idea to review these basics:

The essay is written about one subject. It is written from the writers point of view. Arguments are supported with facts. The most important points are made at the

beginning and at the end.

When you are ready, write your essay on a separate sheet of paper. If you are comfortable doing so, share your essay with the class.