Tap into the wisdom and knowledge of older members of the community with this New York Times plan. To warm up, learners write about and discuss advice they have been given. After reading "The Life Report," an op-ed column that asks older readers to reflect on their lives, as well as reader-submitted life reports, learners complete one of four provided activities.

Concepts

biographies, autobiographies, cultural awareness, reflective writing, self reflection

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Additional Tags

biography, culture, personal writing, thinking skills, Discussion, personal history, life reports, david brooks, english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Try out this project at the end of the year and adapt it so that students reflect on the school year rather than their whole lives
• Add to the overall lesson and project by compiling a class list of best advice

Pros

• A solid project for encouraging pupils to reflect on and share experiences of their own and of people they know
• Links to articles and other related materials are included throughout the resource
• Provides several choices for how to complete the final task as well as discussion questions to foster reflection

Cons

• None