A mission statement is a clear, yet brief, statement about the goals of a company. It can also be a useful tool to help students determine a purpose or goal for their project. Before writing the statement, students have to consider what information is important to include. This helps them with brainstorming what is important and how to best present it to their audience.
How to Create a Mission Statement
The mission statement is a way to present a primary goal in a meaningful and measurable way. When written for a business, it answers questions such as what is the purpose of the business, how the business addresses this purpose, and who will benefit from the business. When creating a mission statement for a project, students need to instead consider the role of the project.
For example, a project about the water cycle might include a mission statement that is written from the view of the cycle itself and address the purpose of the water cycle, what the needs the cycle addresses, and how the environment benefits. Another example is a project about the Civil War, where students could write a statement addressing how they will present the information, why it is important, and who will benefit from the project.
The statement itself should be written as a brief paragraph. This paragraph needs to address any specific questions in a clear and concise manner that can be understood by other classmates.
How to Add a Mission Statement Component to a Student Project
Including a mission statement as part of a project can be added to the initial stages of student work, while students are brainstorming what to do and how to do it. Provide students with specific questions to help guide their thoughts, such as those stated above or others such as how the project might change over time (for long range projects) or a moral or ethical position taken in the project.
Students should be encouraged to write one to two sentences or a short paragraph, depending on their skills and the needs of the project. The mission statement can then be included as part of the final product or presentation, and students can be asked to draw connections between the mission statement and how it is reflected in their work.
The activity of creating a mission statement does not add much time overall, and adds the benefit of requiring students to plan the outcome in reference to who will benefit. The resulting statement also provides students with a focus for their work that can help them see how others might benefit from the final product.
For more information about mission statements, visit Business Resource Software, Center for Business Planning.
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