Goal Setting - 1

Lesson Plan

Goal: When making a goal for themselves to achieve, the student will use the SMART method in making the goal in 8 out of 10 trials as measured by a teacher assessment tool.

Objectives:
1. Identify a skill you want to learn/achieve.
2. Choose a tool from a teacher given list to measure the skill.
3. Set the amount of time it will take to learn the skill.

Definitions of Key Terms: Goal setting is the process of deciding what you want to learn/accomplish and creating a plan to achieve it.

Discussion Points:

  • What is a goal?
  • Does meeting a goal automatically happen?
  • What is goal setting? Who do you know that does this?
  • What are S.M.A.R.T. goals?

Discuss these points or your own with students. Review the discussion points with the students. Teachers may want to share their own examples of when they set a goal they wanted to achieve.

Possible activities to review the discussion points:

  • The group should form a circle. Ask a question and allow students to toss a bean bag to those who would like to answer the question.
  • Play tic-tac-toe by dividing the group into teams. Write discussion questions on a post-it note and place them on the tic-tac-toe grid. Allow a representative from the team to select a post-it note and as a team develop an answer to the question. If they get it right they may put their team's marker (x or o) on the grid.

Directions for In-Person or Virtual Learning: You have three options for students to complete this lesson.

  • Option 1: Print the Student Activity Sheet for each student. Complete the lesson as a group and assign the activity sheet to the students.
  • Option 2: Click the Student link to access the activity sheet electronically and post to your Learning Management System (if your school has one) or send the link to the student. The student may complete the activity sheet electronically within the classroom on a shared computer or device.
  • Option 3: Click the Student link to access the activity sheet electronically and send the link to the student. The student may access the link from a home computer, chromebook, iPad or other device.

Activity 1: What is a goal?

Ask students to share an activity or task that they didn’t know how to do or couldn’t do. Discuss if they now know how to do that activity or task. (Ex. shoe tying, riding a bike) List the ideas generated by students on the board or chart paper.

Materials Needed:
  • Pencil for each student
  • Chart Paper or Interactive Board

Discuss with students that these are things that took practice and maybe someone who already could do it to show you how. Explain that when we have things we are unable to do, we can make a goal or plan on how to learn to do it.

Develop a list of things students are unable to do yet but would like to learn. Discuss that these items can become goals.

Activity 2: What are my goals?

Encourage students to think about something they can’t do YET but would like to be able to do. You can help them by reviewing the list of items made during Activity 1.

Materials Needed:
  • List of items made during Activity 1
  • Student Activity Sheet A - 1 per student
  • Pencil for each student

Explain to them that making a plan to learn that task/activity can be a goal. (Ex. read a book, tie their shoes by themselves or ride a bike without training wheels or other support ) Share one of your own goals. Allow time to complete Student Activity Sheet A.

Student Activity Sheet A

Directions: Draw or write your response to each question.

What’s something you wish you could do but can’t YET?

I would like to be able to

Activity 3: Step Towards My Goal

Review with students that goals take time to reach. By breaking the goal down into steps you are better able to reach your goal. One way to make a goal using the SMART technique. Explain the following parts of a SMART goal:

Materials Needed:
  • Poster or Sign displaying each step of a making a SMART goal
  • Poster or Sign displaying your own SMART goal as an example
  • Student Activity Sheet B - 1 per student
  • Pencil for each student

S is for specific: what would you like to be able to do (in a few words)?

M is for measurable: how will I know when I have reached my goal?

A is for attainable: is this a task could really learn how to do?

R is for relevant: is this goal meaningful to me (i.e. I really want to be able to do it since all my friends already know how) or not so much(i.e. This is something my mom wants me to do but I am not interested in it).

T is for times: how long will it take me to learn this or how much time do I need to be able to learn this?

Show the class an example of a SMART goal you already created for yourself. Discuss each part of SMART and how you came up with each part when creating your goal.

Discuss with the class the steps you may need to take in order to begin working towards your goal.

Optional: create a SMART goal together as a class regarding a skill the whole class needs or wants to learn or be able to do. Talk about the steps each student will need to help take in order to meet/achieve the class SMART goal.

Student Activity Sheet B

Directions: Now think about the steps you will need to take to get to your goal. Start at the bottom and draw or write your steps.

What is your goal?

Draw or write your steps here:

Lesson Extension: Listening Comprehension

Explain that a script is a form of dialogue writing between characters in a movie, play, or broadcast. Utilizing the immersive reader students should listen carefully as the teacher plays the example scripts below. Replay the script if needed. Allow students time to answer the questions on Student Activity Sheet C.

Materials Needed:
  • Student Activity Sheet C - 1 per student
  • Pencil for each student

After students have finished, allow those that want to share their comic do so or role play one of the example scripts.

Example script demonstrating the Power of Yet appropriately:
Dr. Sally: PJ, can you tell me one goal you would like to work towards at school?
PJ: I want to learn how to do multiplication.
Dr. Sally: That’s great! Is this a S.M.A.R.T. goal?
PJ: It is. I will know I have reached my goal when I can pass my multiplication facts 0-10 test in 5 minutes. I really need to know how to do multiplication to help me in school. I hope I can do this before Christmas break.
Dr. Sally: I know if you work hard you will certainly be able to.

Read Aloud Recommendations: Completing a read aloud with students is a great way to connect text with lesson content while incorporating reading and language practice. Below are suggested titles including, a YouTube link, Lexile and Grade Level information for books relating to the lesson.


Book Title Author Grade Level Lexile Level
The Little Engine That Could Watty Piper Pre K-K AD500L
Giraffes Can’t Dance Andreae Giles Pre K-3 AD570L
Amazing Grace Mary Hoffman Pre K-4 680

Student Activity Sheet C

Directions: Draw a comic to match the script you listened to.

Application Activity

In small groups, have the students create scripts demonstrating goal setting using the SMART technique. Use the script sheet to assist the groups in creating scripts.

Materials Needed:

Have students record their scripts using the SiLAS software. Remind students to name and save their recordings. Premiere the movies with the group members at the end of each session.


Script Extensions:

Click the following hyperlinks to have students choose their Characters, Background and Props prior to writing scripts. For examples of script writing accommodations, click Here.


Ideas for modifying this activity based on your students’ needs:

  • create a script as a class
  • pair or group students so that skill levels are varied and assign each a role or task that uses their skill
  • create the script by recording the dialog with a phone or other recording device.

Example script demonstrating the Power of Yet appropriately:
Dr. Sally: PJ, can you tell me one goal you would like to work towards at school?
PJ: I want to learn how to do multiplication.
Dr. Sally: That’s great! Is this a S.M.A.R.T. goal?
PJ: It is. I will know I have reached my goal when I can pass my multiplication facts 0-10 test in 5 minutes. I really need to know how to do multiplication to help me in school. I hope I can do this before Christmas break.
Dr. Sally: I know if you work hard you will certainly be able to.

Example script demonstrating a fixed mindset:
Dr. Sally: PJ, can you tell me one goal you would like to work towards at school?
PJ: I want to do 1,000 multiplication facts in 1 minute.
Dr. Sally: Wow! That’s a lot of facts in a short amount of time.
PJ: I don’t care, that’s what I want.

Topic Checkout

Review the discussion from previous lessons/activities with the class. Allow students time to complete the Student Topic Checkout. Discuss the students’ answers when finished.

Materials Needed:
  • Student Topic Checkout - 1 per student
  • Pencil for each student

Student Topic Checkout

Directions: Check or circle the best choice for each sentence below.

1. Goal setting will help me be able to do things I can’t do YET?

2. Goal setting doesn’t require any effort?

3. It helps to break goals into small steps that I can work at a little bit at a time.