C OLLIER C OUNTY P UBLIC S CHOOLS
P ERSEVERANCE
Definition: Perseverance means working hard to reach your goals
and having the determination to never give up.
Related Words: Goals, determination, diligence
Standards:
TH.B.1 The student improvises, writes, and
refines scripts based on heritage, imagination,
literature, history, and personal experiences.
HE.B.3 The student knows how to use effective interpersonal communication skills that
enhance health.
LA.A.1 The student will use the reading process effectively.
LA.B.1 The student will use the writing process effectively.
LA.C.1 The student will use listening strategies effectively.
LA.C.3 The student will use speaking strategies effectively.
LA.E.2 The student responds critically to fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama.
MA.E.1 The student understands and uses
the tools of data analysis for managing information.
Famous People
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Thomas Edison—Inventor
Wilma Rudolph—Olympic Athlete
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“Fall seven times, stand up eight.”
Japanese Proverb
“Success is 10% inspiration and 90%
perspiration.” Thomas Edison
“The man who removes the mountain begins
by carrying away small stones. “
Chinese Proverb
“Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an
hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will
subside and something else will take its place.
If I quit, however, it lasts forever.”
Lance Armstrong
Self-Assessment:
“When the word says ‘give up,” hope whispers,
“try it one more time.” Anonymous
http://www.goodcharacter.com/ISOC/
Diligence.html
“Earth teach me renewal as the seed that rises
in the spring.” Ute saying
“Consider the postage stamp; its usefulness
consists in the ability to stick to one thing until it
gets there.” Josh Billings
Bethany Hamilton—Surfer
Lance Armstrong—Athlete
Madame Marie Curie—Scientist
Discuss what makes someone perseverant and have students create a bulletin
board with examples.
Create and perform a one act play
based on a book character who demonstrates perseverance.
Read a current events article on someone who demonstrates perseverance
and report to the class.
Interview someone who came from a
different country about how he/she has
been perseverant, write a report and
share with the class.
Create a class collage of pictures that
represent what perseverance means to
each student.
Write an acrostic poem about perseverance.
Using the Uncommon Friends curriculum
(linked at: ) complete activities in Lesson
8 “Overcoming Obstacles.”
Choose someone who has overcome a
disability and put together a two minute
speech as that person, introducing yourself and your success to the class.
“ A jug of water fills drop by drop.” Buddha
Click on the link below to find a
reproducible Perseverance assessment.
George Washington Carver—Inventor
Activities:
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Quotes:
Suggested Reading List:
Elementary:
The Little Engine that Could by Watty
Piper
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
Inches and Miles: The Journey to Success by John Wooden
The Secret School by Avi
Galimoto by Karen Lynn Williams
George Washington Carver—What do
you see? By Janet and Geoff Benge
Secondary:
Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family and Fighting to get back on the Board
by Bethany Hamilton
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer
Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata
Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
“Perseverance is the hard work you do when
you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.” Newt Gingrich
Writing Prompts:
Narrative/Personal:
Writing Situation: Eleanor Roosevelt once said,
"You must do the thing you think you cannot
do." Think about a time when you did something you thought you could not do.
Directions for Writing: Now, write a story describing what you thought you could not do and
what you did to achieve your goal.
Persuasive:
Writing Situation: Your best friend wants to
drop out of school because he/she is failing
two subjects.
Directions for Writing: Now, write to persuade
your friend to stay in school.
Expository:
Writing Situation: Often inventors spend years
perfecting one invention. Think of Thomas
Edison and the light bulb, the Wright Brothers
and the airplane, or other inventors.
Directions for Writing: Now, write to explain
how inventors need perseverance to achieve
their goals.
Perseverance
Definition: Perseverance means working
hard to reach your goals and having
the determination to never give up.
Related Words: Goals,
determination, diligence
“Perseverance is the hard work you do
when you get tired of doing the hard
work you already did.”
-Newt Gingrich