One Word Project for Students: A Back-to-School Goal-Setting Writing & Art Activity
- Janis Lodge
- Jul 12, 2024
- 6 min read
Updated: Aug 12
As the new school year approaches, it’s important to find ways to motivate and inspire your students from the very beginning. This back-to-school One Word writing and art project is my favorite way help students reflect on who they want to become, set meaningful goals, and start the year on a positive note.
Instead of creating a long list of resolutions, students choose one meaningful word to guide them throughout the school year. Words like brave, focus, kindness, confidence, perseverance, or growth can become a personal reminder of what they want to work toward.
I’ve used the One Word Project with students for years, and one of my favorite ways to make it meaningful is to combine goal setting, reflective writing, chalk art, and an optional video project. Students LOVE the Chalk Art component!!
It works especially well as a back-to-school activity for upper elementary students in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade, but the concept can easily be adapted for younger students, middle school, and high school.
What Is a One Word Project for Students?
The One Word Project is a student goal-setting and reflection activity in which each student chooses one word that represents a personal goal, value, mindset, or area of growth.
Rather than simply choosing a word, students think deeply about questions such as:
What is important to me this year?
What would I like to improve?
How do I want to respond when something is difficult?
What kind of student, friend, or person do I want to become?
What word could remind me of those goals throughout the year?
Students then explain the significance of their word through reflective writing.
You can stop there, or turn the activity into a larger project by incorporating art, speaking, technology, and ongoing goal reflection. I love seeing what the students come up with each year!
Looking for additional One Word Project extension ideas? Find more HERE!
What I love about this project is that the combines many different skills, and its a project that will guide student actions in a positive way throughout the whole school year (or calendar year).
Here are all the versions of the One Word Project:
What Materials Do You Need for a One Word Project?
One Word for Kids by Jon Gordon
Pencils (I recommend students write in pencil first)
Flair Pens (for tracing over the pencil writing)
How to Do a One Word Project With Students
Here is the process I use in the classroom.
Introduce the Idea of Choosing One Word
I recommend starting this project with a read aloud of the picture book One Word for Kids by Jon Gordon. You can find that HERE. This will ignite thought-provoking conversations about the meaning behind this project, as well as some ideas for words.
Ask students questions such as:
What is something you want to get better at this year?
What is a challenge you would like to overcome?
How do you want to feel at school?
How do you want other people to describe you?
What could you remind yourself when something gets difficult?
These conversations help students move beyond choosing a word simply because they like how it sounds. You might get some silly responses (students looking for a laugh) in the beginning, so it's important to have the students think deeply about choosing their word.
2. Brainstorm Possible One Word Ideas
Next, give students time to brainstorm.
Some students will immediately know their word. Others will need more guidance. Students start with a brainstorming outline to gather their thoughts and ideas. I have a template for this, or you can use your own.
Possible One Word ideas for students include:
Brave
Believe
Confidence
Create
Focus
Grow
Kindness
Lead
Persevere
Positive
Resilient
Strong
Try
Wonder
3. Write About the Meaning Behind the Word
Once students select their word, have them create a reflective writing piece explaining their choice.
Here are some guiding questions:
Why did you choose this word?
What does this word mean to you?
How does it connect to your goals?
When might you need to remember this word?
What actions could help you live out your word?
How will you know if this word has made a difference?
I like to allow the students to be creative with the way they write their one word. I show them different decorative writing styles, and how they can add color and embellishments to their letters. You could also use the printable Alphabet Bead Letters included in the project materials.
4. Turn the One Word Into Chalk Art
This is one of my students' favorite parts!
After completing their writing, students can turn their One Word into a piece of chalk art.
I like having students create a glowing light bulb on black construction paper and incorporate their chosen word into the design. The light bulb represents the meaning and inspiration behind their word.
It also creates a very eye-catching One Word classroom display, bulletin board, or hallway display for the beginning of the school year!
Chalk Art 
One Word Project Display
5. Add an Optional Video Reflection
A final optional step is to have the students record a short video explaining why they chose their one word, and the significance it has to them. These are fun to share with each other, as well as family and friends. You could use a green screen, so students can make the background interactive using a video creation platform such as WE Video.
A Low-Prep One Word Project for Teachers
After doing this activity over the years, I began creating templates and teaching materials that made the process easier to repeat with students.
I eventually combined them into the One Word Writing & Art Project. Teacher Tip: Save time, and use my templates! 😁
The complete resource includes:
Printable school-year One Word templates
Printable New Year One Word templates
Editable and blank templates
Digital teaching slides
Brainstorming pages
Reflective writing materials
Light bulb directed drawing instructions
Step-by-step chalk art directions
Light bulb significance materials
Video planning pages
Photo examples
A grading rubric
My goal was to give teachers a ready-to-use One Word lesson without having to create the brainstorming pages, art instructions, writing prompts, and presentation materials separately.
The project includes printable and digital options, so teachers can adapt it for whole-class instruction, enrichment groups, gifted education, homeschool, or individual goal-setting activities.
When Should You Do the One Word Project?
Although I love using this as a back-to-school activity, the One Word Project isn't limited to August or September.
It also works well for:
The first week of school
Beginning-of-year goal setting
January and New Year's activities
Growth mindset lessons
Social-emotional learning and reflection
Gifted and enrichment groups
Advisory or homeroom activities
Writing lessons
Art integration
Midyear resets
You can even revisit students' words throughout the year.
Extend the One Word Project Throughout the School Year
Feel free to email me at Janis@LodgesLearning.com if you have any questions, or to share how you used this project with your students!
Frequently Asked Questions About the One Word Project
What is a One Word Project for students?
A One Word Project is a goal-setting activity in which students choose one meaningful word to represent a goal, value, intention, or area of personal growth. Students can then explore the meaning of their word through writing, art, discussion, goal tracking, or reflection throughout the school year.
What are good One Word ideas for elementary students?
Good One Word choices are words students can personally connect to, such as brave, kindness, focus, confidence, grow, believe, create, persevere, and wonder. The best word is not necessarily the most sophisticated one. It is the word that represents something meaningful the student wants to remember or work toward.
What grade levels can use a One Word Project?
A One Word activity can be adapted for elementary, middle school, and high school students. The Lodge's Learning upper-elementary version is especially useful for students in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade and beyond, while separate versions can provide age-appropriate support for younger and older students.
Is the One Word Project just a back-to-school activity?
No. Teachers can use a One Word Project at the beginning of the school year, in January for New Year's goal setting, during a growth mindset unit, or anytime students need an opportunity to reflect and reset their goals.
How can I do a One Word Project without creating everything from scratch?
The Lodge's Learning One Word Writing & Art Project provides ready-to-use brainstorming pages, writing activities, printable and editable templates, digital teaching slides, chalk art instructions, a directed drawing, video planning materials, photo examples, and a grading rubric. Teachers can use the complete project or select only the components that fit their classroom.
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