Footsteps to Success! Role Models to Follow

Mae Jemison made history on the Endeavour spaceship—an apt name for her many accomplishments. What must you endeavor to succeed in your goals?

• 1.

  Have you ever wondered why someone wants to be an astronaut, teacher, president, or doctor? One way to discover the keys to success is to study the lives of people whom you respect.

• 2.

  Mae Jemison was the first African-American woman to orbit in space. How did she get to that historic moment in 1992? She had two majors in college, became a medical doctor, and joined the Peace Corps. Later, she was accepted for the NASA Astronaut Candidate training program. Of the 2000 people who applied to the program, only 15 were selected.

• 3.

  As you study your role model, note the important steps that helped this person to gain her or his life goals, such as education, travel, volunteerism, and work experience. Here is one way to present the information to inspire yourself and others.

• 4.

  Cut as many construction paper footsteps as you need to show the person’s notable accomplishments. Make the feet large enough to hold detailed information.

• 5.

  Using Crayola Twistables® Crayons, record what you learned about your role model’s accomplishments inside each footprint. Decorate the borders. Letter your success model’s name and achievement on more construction paper cutouts.

• 6.

  On a contrasting color of paper, glue the pieces in place so the footsteps walk towards that person’s most memorable feat. Present your findings to others in your class. Compare and contrast the actions and events that led to success.

Benefits

• Students research the accomplishments of an admirable figure.
• Students analyze the factors that led to that person’s success.
• Students present their findings and conclusions in a visually stimulating way.

Adaptations

• Continue your study to learn what your person did after the historic accomplishment.
• What are your goals? How do you plan to achieve them? Identify big time- wasters that can get in the way of your goals, such as watching too much television and playing video games.
• Assessment: Did students identify characteristics that led to success of an admirable person? Does the presentation clearly and accurately portray key events in the role model’s life? Were students able to analyze factors that led to several people’s success?