Goal Setting - 2

by Jerome Cohen

Lesson Plan

Goal: After selecting a skill or task to complete, the student will identify steps to achieve a SMART goal in 8 out of 10 opportunities, as measured by a teacher assessment tool.

Objectives:
1. Identify a skill or task the student does not know how to complete but would like to learn.
2. Select a tool to measure the achievement of the skill from a teacher provided list of measurement tools.
3. Identify the amount of time it will take the student to learn the skill or complete the task (i.e.-achieve the goal).

Definitions of Key Terms: Goal setting is the process of deciding what you want to accomplish or learn and developing a plan to achieve that result.

Discussion Points

  • Is there anything you do not know how to do that you would like to learn?
  • Is there a skill or task you didn’t know how to do but now you do? How did you learn it or master that?
  • What is goal setting?
  • What are SMART goals?

Discuss these points and consider sharing your own examples with students. Explain the following parts of a SMART goal:

  • 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 you 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 time: how long will it take me to learn this or how much time do I need to be able to learn this?

Possible activities to review the discussion points or use your own:

Think. Pair. Share: The teacher will pose questions related to the discussion points. Explain to students that the purpose of the activity is to think about the question and activate prior knowledge. The teacher will model the procedure to facilitate student understanding.

  • T (Think): Teacher begins by asking a specific question using the discussion topics.
  • P (Pair): Each student should be paired with another student, small group or work with a teacher. Pairs write brief answers on sticky notes or scrap paper.
  • S (Share): Students share their thinking with their partner. Teacher then leads a whole-group conversation using students’ answers.

SEL Categories Activity:

  • Ask students to create a list of words associated with the topic (give them 2-5 minutes to complete).
  • Once time is up, ask each student to share a word or thought from their list.
  • Other students must cross that word or thought off their list.
  • Continue the process until all words or thoughts have been listed.

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: Stars and Wishes

Ask students to think about what they do well (stars) and ask them to share. Record these responses on chart paper or the board. Discuss how these things make students feel. Ask students to think about how they learned these things. What steps did they take? Record those ideas on the board.

Materials Needed:
  • Chart Paper or interactive board

Now ask them to think about skills or tasks they would like to be able to do or get better at doing (wishes). Have students share and record those on the board.

Preview with students that the next activity/step is to think about their wishes and develop a plan to be able to achieve it. That will be the focus of the next activity/lesson.

Activity 2: SMART goals

Prior to the activity, you may want to create a poster or write out on the board the parts/definitions of a SMART goal for the students to reference during the activity.

Materials Needed:
  • Chart Paper or interactive board

Review the recorded stars and wishes from Activity 1 with students. Discuss how students could achieve the wishes on the board. Explain that one way to achieve the wish is to create or write a goal. Discuss with students the important pieces of writing goals. Review the parts of writing a SMART goal:

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 you 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 time: how long will it take me to learn this or how much time do I need to be able to learn this?


Share with the students a wish you have and ask them to help you create a SMART goal for it. Record their ideas on the board or chart paper.

Activity 3: Goal Setting

Review discussion, key points and ideas from Activities 1 and 2. Ask the students to brainstorm a list of possible tools they could use to measure a goal they want to set for themselves. Record the ideas on the board for the students to reference during the completion of Student Activity Sheet A.

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

Distribute Student Activity Sheet A to each student. Ask them to complete it. Depending on the group, you may want to gather the students together after they have written their goal to share it out or you may want to set up times to individually review the goal with each student.

Student Activity Sheet A

Directions: Think about a goal you would like to work to achieve. Complete the questions below for that goal.

Specific: the goal should clarify the who, what, when, and where of the goal.

1. What specific goal are you working towards?

Measurable: the tool to help you determine if you met the goal.

2. How will you know when the goal is reached or progress is being made towards it?

Attainable: the skill is something that is doable.

3. Is it in your power to accomplish it?

Relevant: it is a skill or task that is meaningful to me.

4. How is the skill meaningful to me? Why do I want to achieve it?

Time: this is how long it will take me to complete/achieve it.

5. When will the goal be met? What is my deadline?

Lesson Extension: Listening Comprehension and Grammar Review

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

Materials Needed:
  • Student Activity Sheet B - 1 per student
  • Pencil for each student
  • Student activity sheet C - 1 per student
  • Red and purple colored pencil or crayon
    •

After completing the listening comprehension portion of this activity, provide students a copy of Student Activity Sheet C. Point out to students the features of script text that indicate which character is talking. Remind students that this is a dialogue between characters.

Allow students time to complete Student Activity Sheet C Display the script using the immersive reader and highlight the nouns in the script. Students should self check their work to determine if they correctly named two nouns.

If time allows students may partner together and role play the script.

Example script demonstrating appropriate goal setting:
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 inappropriate goal setting
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.

Book Title Author Grade Level Lexile Level
Ruby’s Wish Shirin Yim Bridges 2-4 860
Giraffes Can’t Dance Andreae Giles Pre K-3 AD570L
Amazing Grace Mary Hoffman Pre K-4 680

Student Activity Sheet B

Direction: Think about the script read/played for the class and complete the questions below.

1. Who are the characters in this script?

2. What SMART goal does PJ have?

3. When does PJ hope to have his multiplication facts learned by?

4. How do you think Dr. Sally feels with PJ’s unrealistic goal?

Student Activity Sheet C

Directions: In the scripts below, circle in purple two nouns that name a person and one noun that names a place. Circle in red two verbs.

Remember:

A noun names a person, place, thing, or idea.

A verb names describe an action, a state, or an occurrence.

Example script demonstrating appropriate goal setting:
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 inappropriate goal setting:
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.

Application Activity

Review and discuss the key points from Activities 1, 2 and 3. Review the example scripts from the lesson extension activity.

Materials Needed:

In pairs or small groups, have the students create scripts demonstrating setting an appropriate and inappropriate goal. Use the script sheet to create students' scripts.

Have students record their scripts using SiLAS software for social skills. Remind students to name and save their work. Premiere the movies with the group members or the entire group of students at the end.


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 dialogue with a phone or other recording device

Topic Checkout

Review the key points of selecting and writing a SMART goal. Ask students to complete the Student Topic Checkout. Discuss and share answers as a group when all students have finished.

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

Student Topic Checkout

Directions: Fill in the blanks with a word from the word bank.

measurable timely realistic specific achievable

1. SMART goals should be and should clarify the who, what, when, and where of the goal.

2. A SMART goal that is will help you know when the goal is reached or progress is being made towards it.

3. A SMART goal should be and something you can accomplish.

4. A SMART goal should be and reachable.

5. SMART goals that have a stated in them will help you know when the deadline is.