Navigating Your School Year with The North Star
by Maribeth Bush, School Counselor
D.W. Lunt School, Falmouth, Maine

We celebrate the start of the school year by reading and discussing the book The North Star with our students. The messages and themes in The North Star provide a strong foundation to support the many guidance lessons we teach throughout the year, lessons that help students learn new things about themselves and those around them. We then reinforce the story’s messages and themes by leading a hands-on activity. For example, second grade students explore their interests, talents and strengths by completing a fun survey, and then use their responses as a guide to create a “Dream Star” – a star on which they will write and/or draw one of their big dreams for the future. Students' “Dream Stars” are then displayed in the hallways. It's a great way to launch the year, as students begin to see how the interests and strengths they have now could light the way on their journey into the future.

To download a free copy of the lesson plan, including suggested discussion questions, as well as supporting printables, click on the links below:

"Discovering Our Very Own Journeys" Lesson Plan (.PDF)

Interests, Talents and Strengths Survey (.PDF)

Star Template (.PDF)

To learn more about how Maribeth uses The North Star in her school, click here.

For even more practical ideas for using THE NORTH STAR in your classroom, check out The North Star Inspiration for the Classroom.

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