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Dream It, Plan It, Achieve It!

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Lesson Plan

Dream It, Plan It, Achieve It!

Students will be able to define what a goal is, identify personal aspirations, and apply the SMART criteria (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) to create their own actionable goals.

Learning to set goals empowers students to take ownership of their learning and personal development. This lesson fosters self-management, critical thinking, and a growth mindset, helping them turn dreams into reality.

Audience

4th/5th Grade Students

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion, guided examples, individual goal planning worksheet, and reflective cool-down.

Materials

Smart Goals Slide Deck, My Amazing Goal Worksheet, and Goal Reflection Cool Down

Prep

Preparation Steps

10 minutes

Step 1

Introduction: What's Your Dream?

5 minutes

  1. Begin by asking students: "What's something you really want to achieve or get better at? It could be anything!" (e.g., learn a new sport, read more books, improve in a subject).
  2. Introduce the idea of 'goals' as dreams with a plan. Explain that today, they'll learn how to make their dreams happen.
  3. Display the first slide of the Smart Goals Slide Deck and briefly introduce the lesson's topic.

Step 2

Understanding SMART Goals

10 minutes

  1. Transition to the slides on SMART goals. Explain each letter: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
  2. Use simple, age-appropriate examples for each letter, asking students for their input and understanding.
  3. Encourage students to think about how these criteria can make a goal stronger and easier to reach.
  4. Show examples of 'not-so-smart' goals and guide students to transform them into SMART goals.

Step 3

My Amazing Goal Worksheet Activity

10 minutes

  1. Distribute the My Amazing Goal Worksheet to each student.
  2. Explain that they will now choose one of their dreams and turn it into a SMART goal using the worksheet.
  3. Circulate around the room, providing individual support and guidance as students work on their goals. Encourage them to be creative but also realistic.
  4. Emphasize that it's okay if their goal changes later; this is about practicing the planning process.

Step 4

Reflection and Share-Out

5 minutes

  1. Bring the class back together. Ask a few students (volunteers) to share one of their SMART goals and explain why it's important to them.
  2. Conclude the lesson with the Goal Reflection Cool Down, asking students to reflect on what they learned about goal setting.
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Slide Deck

Dream Big!

What's something you really want to do or get better at?

  • Learn a new skill?
  • Read more books?
  • Become an amazing artist?

Welcome students and ask them to think about something they want to achieve. This is a great way to activate prior knowledge and get them thinking about personal aspirations.

Goals: Dreams with a Plan

A goal is something you want to achieve or improve.

It's like a target you're aiming for!

Today, we'll learn how to make our goals SUPER smart!

Introduce the concept of a goal as a dream with a plan. Explain that today we'll learn how to make those plans even better.

What are SMART Goals?

SMART is a special way to make your goals super clear and easy to achieve!

Each letter stands for something important!

Introduce the SMART acronym. Explain that each letter helps us make our goals clear and achievable.

S is for Specific

Specific means your goal is clear and detailed.

  • Not Specific: I want to get better at drawing.
  • Specific: I want to learn to draw a realistic cat by practicing 3 times a week.

Explain 'Specific' using an example. Emphasize details.

M is for Measurable

Measurable means you can track your progress and know when you've reached your goal.

  • Not Measurable: I want to read more.
  • Measurable: I want to read 5 chapter books by the end of the month.

Explain 'Measurable' and how to track progress. Give examples.

A is for Achievable

Achievable means your goal is something you can actually do.

  • Not Achievable: I want to fly to the moon by myself tomorrow.
  • Achievable: I want to save enough money to buy a new book by doing extra chores.

Explain 'Achievable' and the importance of realistic goals.

R is for Relevant

Relevant means your goal is important to you and makes sense for your life right now.

  • Not Relevant: My friend wants me to join the chess club, but I hate chess.
  • Relevant: I want to practice my math facts so I can feel more confident in class.

Explain 'Relevant' and how it connects to personal importance.

T is for Time-Bound

Time-Bound means your goal has a deadline or a target date.

  • Not Time-Bound: I will clean my room sometime.
  • Time-Bound: I will clean my room by Saturday morning so I can play outside.

Explain 'Time-bound' and the need for a deadline.

SMART Goals Review

S - Specific: Clear and detailed
M - Measurable: You can track it
A - Achievable: You can actually do it
R - Relevant: Important to you
T - Time-Bound: Has a deadline!

Review all the SMART criteria quickly before the activity.

Your Turn: My Amazing Goal!

Now it's time to set your OWN amazing SMART goal!

Use your My Amazing Goal Worksheet to help you plan.

Think about:

  • What do you truly want to achieve?
  • How will you make it SMART?

Introduce the worksheet and explain how students will use it to plan their own goals. Emphasize individual work and offer support.

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Worksheet

My Amazing Goal Worksheet

Name: ____________________________ Date: _________________

1. Dream Big! What's something you really want to achieve or get better at?

Think about school, hobbies, being a good friend, or something new you want to try!













2. Let's Make Your Dream a SMART Goal!

Choose ONE dream from above and let's make it SMART using the questions below.

S - Is it Specific? (What exactly do you want to achieve? Who else is involved? Where? When? Why?)

My Specific Goal:






M - Is it Measurable? (How will you know when you've reached your goal? How will you track your progress?)

How I will measure my goal:






A - Is it Achievable? (Is this goal realistic for you right now? Do you have the tools or help you need?)

Why my goal is achievable:






R - Is it Relevant? (Why is this goal important to you? What will happen if you achieve it?)

Why my goal is relevant:






T - Is it Time-Bound? (When will you start? When will you finish? What's your deadline?)

My deadline:






3. My SMART Goal Statement:

Now, write your complete SMART goal here, putting all the pieces together!













4. My Action Steps:

What are the first 3 things you need to do to start working on your goal?










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Cool Down

Goal Reflection Cool Down

Name: ____________________________ Date: _________________

1. One thing I learned today about setting goals is...







2. My favorite part about setting a SMART goal was...







3. How will thinking about SMART goals help me in the future?







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