• 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

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

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
Risk-taking
Self-motivation
Challenge
Courage Focus Kind
Commitment Creative
Optimism Patient
Opportunistic Honesty
Flexibility
Toughness
Self Disciplined
Empowered
Reflective
Communication
Respectful
Time Management
Organized
Proactive
Team player
Empathetic
Acceptance
Resourceful
Enthusiasm Asking for help Persistent

• 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

• 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

• 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

• Rough draft due on Tuesday, Aug. 27 th at the beginning of class
• Self edit on Tuesday, August 27 th at the end of the period
• Final copy due on Wednesday, August 28 th
• Presentations of puppets and essay on
Thursday, August 29th