I'll begin by showing this clip and asking, What do you think this has to do with learning?
I'll list what students say, and then I'll say, "The yellow brick road in a sense is a learning path. What do you think a learning path is?"
Again, I'll listen.
Then I'll tell, in short, the story of my learning path. I'll draw a path and add pictures as I tell my story.
Then I'll note that our learning path is influenced a lot by each of us and also by many other factors. What factors do you think influence your learning path? We'll talk about those.
Then I'll give students a copy of the sheet below and I'll tell them to start drafting their learning path. I'll add that they can use the template I handed out or make their own. I'll let them talk, dream, and wonder as they draft their plans.
Later during that lesson or the next day, we'll share what we came up with and we'll talk about how we can make this school year a good step on each child's learning path. We'll return to this notion time and again throughout the year as I coach the class and individual students forward.