In this lesson, as a reflection exercise on perseverance, students illustrate a conversation about perseverance between Lyndon B Johnson and an imaginary person.

The learner will:

• define the traits of perseverance and its opposite.
• illustrate an imaginary conversation about perseverance.
• read the illustrated conversations of the other students.

• Sketch a cartoon face of a man on the board. Write the following quote in a speech bubble coming from his mouth: "It is the excitement of becoming--always becoming, trying, probing, falling, resting, and trying again--but always trying and always gaining."
• Tell the students that this a quote from Lyndon B. Johnson. Review the role of President Johnson in Texas and as President of the United States.
• Tell the students to sketch a "talking heads" conversation between two people, preferably people of differing points of view. The students sketch just the heads and speech bubbles of the two people. The conversation should include the Johnson quote and provide an imaginary conversation that illustrates the meaning and possible (not actual) context. The conversation should indicate an understanding of perseverance. The talking heads should have at least three speech bubbles each. (If the students are keeping Character Education Journals, this activity should be done in their Journals.)
• After the students complete their "talking heads" cartoons, have them set their papers on their desks, and move around the room reading each other's imagined conversations.