Lesson Plan
Goal Tracker Tech
Students will create a paper ‘app’ tracker logging daily progress toward a weekly goal.
This lesson is important because it teaches students valuable self-monitoring and accountability skills, essential for developing executive function and achieving personal goals. Learning to track progress helps students understand the impact of consistent effort.
Audience
2nd Grade
Time
30 minutes
Approach
Hands-on activity to build a paper app and practice tracking goals.
Materials
White construction paper (1 sheet per student), Scissors, Glue sticks, Markers/crayons, Goal Tracker Tech Slide Deck, Goal Tracker Teacher Script, Tracker Foldable Project Guide, and Tracker Completeness Rubric
Prep
Prepare Materials
10 minutes
- Review the Goal Tracker Tech Slide Deck and Goal Tracker Teacher Script.
- Gather white construction paper, scissors, glue sticks, and markers/crayons.
- Print one copy of the Tracker Foldable Project Guide per student.
- Have copies of the Tracker Completeness Rubric ready for assessment.
Step 1
Introduce Tracker
5 minutes
- Use the Goal Tracker Tech Slide Deck and Goal Tracker Teacher Script to introduce the concept of goal tracking and why it's helpful.
- Discuss key concepts: monitoring, accountability, and executive function.
- Show examples of simple trackers (digital or physical).
Step 2
Build Foldable
10 minutes
- Distribute white construction paper, scissors, and glue sticks.
- Guide students through creating their paper ‘app’ tracker using the instructions on the Tracker Foldable Project Guide.
- Emphasize precision in cutting and folding to ensure the app works correctly.
Step 3
Set Indicators
5 minutes
- Instruct students to personalize their trackers with daily progress indicators (e.g., happy face, checkmark, star) and a space for their weekly goal.
- Discuss appropriate, achievable weekly goals for 2nd graders (e.g., reading 10 minutes a day, practicing sight words, helping with chores).
Step 4
Practice Log
5 minutes
- Have students choose a simple, immediate goal (e.g., "I will raise my hand once today.") and practice marking it on their tracker.
- Model how to mark a day as complete on the tracker.
Step 5
Peer Coach
5 minutes
- Pair students up to share their chosen weekly goals and their personalized trackers.
- Encourage partners to offer positive encouragement and ask questions like, "How will you remember to track your goal each day?"
- Remind students to take their trackers home and use them throughout the week.
Slide Deck
What's Your Super Goal?
• Do you have something you really want to do? (Like learn to ride a bike, read a new book, or help out more at home?)
• We all have goals! And today, we're going to learn how to be goal-tracking superheroes!
Welcome students and introduce the idea of setting goals. Ask them about goals they might have outside of school.
Why Track Your Goals?
• Have you ever played a game where you see your progress bar fill up?
• That's a tracker! It shows you how far you've come and how much more you need to do.
• Tracking your goals helps you:
• See your progress (Monitoring)
• Stay focused (Executive Function)
• Reach your goal! (Accountability)
Explain what a tracker is and why it's useful. Connect it to familiar examples like video game progress bars or habit apps parents might use.
Build Your Own 'Goal App'!
• Imagine if you could have an app on your phone, but it's made of paper!
• Today, you'll create a super cool paper 'app' to help you track your own goals.
• It's fun, creative, and will help you become a goal-master!
Introduce the idea of a 'paper app' and explain that they will be building their own. Keep it exciting and relatable to their experience with real apps.
Your Paper 'App': The Tracker Foldable
• We are going to build a special foldable that will be your personal goal tracker.
• This will be your very own 'app' to see your progress every day.
• We'll use paper, scissors, and glue to make it just right!
Explain the project: building the foldable tracker. Emphasize the importance of following instructions carefully.
Setting Up Your Tracker
• What is ONE small goal you want to work on this week?
• Maybe reading every day? Practicing a skill? Helping a family member?
• On your tracker, you'll choose a way to show if you did your goal each day (like a happy face, a checkmark, or a star).
• Let's brainstorm some good goals together!
Guide them through setting up their goals and indicators. Provide examples of simple, measurable goals.
How to Use Your Tracker Every Day
• Every day, you'll look at your goal.
• If you did your goal, you'll mark it on your paper app!
• At the end of the week, you'll see how amazing you did!
• Let's try an example together: If my goal is to drink 8 glasses of water today, how would I mark my tracker?
Explain how to use the tracker daily. Do a quick practice round with a hypothetical goal.
Be a Goal Coach!
• Sometimes it's helpful to have a friend cheer you on!
• You'll get to share your goal and tracker with a classmate.
• You can ask each other: 'What's your goal?', 'How will you track it?', 'How can I cheer you on?'
Introduce the idea of peer coaching as a supportive way to help each other.
You're a Goal-Tracking Superstar!
• You've built your own 'app'!
• You know how to set a goal and track it.
• You're ready to achieve amazing things!
• Remember, even small steps help you reach big goals!
Summarize the benefits and encourage them to use their trackers.
Script
Goal Tracker Tech: Teacher Script
Slide 1: What's Your Super Goal? (5 minutes)
"Good morning, everyone! Today, we're going to talk about something really exciting: goals! Has anyone ever had something they really wanted to achieve? Maybe learning to ride a bike, reading a new book, or even helping out more at home? Think about it for a moment.
Pause for student responses and share a brief, simple personal goal example.
"We all have goals, big and small. And guess what? Today, we're going to learn how to be goal-tracking superheroes! We're going to build something super cool that will help us reach our goals."
Slide 2: Why Track Your Goals?
"Before we start building, let's talk about why we track goals. Have you ever played a video game where you see a progress bar? It fills up as you get closer to winning, right? That's a kind of tracker!
"Tracking our goals helps us in three big ways:
- Monitoring: It helps us see our progress. Just like that game bar, it shows us how far we've come!
- Executive Function: This is a fancy way of saying it helps us stay focused on what we need to do. It reminds us of our goal.
- Accountability: It helps us be responsible for our actions and shows us that our hard work pays off!
"When we track our goals, it makes it easier to reach them!"
Slide 3: Build Your Own 'Goal App'!
"Now for the fun part! Imagine if you could have an app on your phone, but it's made of paper! How cool would that be? Today, you're going to create your very own paper 'app' to help you track your goals. It's going to be fun, creative, and turn you into a goal-master!"
Slide 4: Your Paper 'App': The Tracker Foldable (10 minutes)
"Alright, let's get building! I'm going to give each of you a piece of white construction paper, some scissors, and a glue stick. We're also going to use this Tracker Foldable Project Guide."
Distribute materials and Tracker Foldable Project Guide.
"Follow the instructions on the Tracker Foldable Project Guide carefully. We'll fold, cut, and glue to make our special tracker. Take your time, and remember, a neat foldable makes a great tracker! I'll walk around and help if you get stuck."
Circulate and provide assistance as students work on their foldable. Reinforce the instructions from the Project Guide.
Slide 5: Setting Up Your Tracker (5 minutes)
"Now that you have your amazing paper app, it's time to set it up! First, think about one small goal you want to work on this week. It should be something you can do every day, or almost every day.
"For example, maybe your goal is to 'read for 10 minutes every day', or 'practice my sight words for 5 minutes', or 'help set the table for dinner'. It should be something you can do and then easily mark down if you did it."
Brainstorm a few appropriate 2nd-grade goals with the class.
"Once you have your goal, write it clearly on your tracker. Then, choose a way to show if you did your goal each day. You can draw a happy face, a checkmark, or a star in the spaces provided for each day of the week. Make it your own!"
Allow students time to write their goals and design their daily indicators.
Slide 6: How to Use Your Tracker Every Day (5 minutes)
"Okay, your trackers are ready! Here's how you'll use your paper app every day. Each morning, look at your goal. Then, at the end of the day, think: 'Did I do my goal today?' If you did, give yourself a happy face, a checkmark, or a star for that day!"
"Let's try a quick example. If my goal was to 'drink 8 glasses of water today,' how would I mark my tracker if I did it?" Wait for responses. "Exactly! I'd put a checkmark or a star for today."
"At the end of the week, you'll be able to look at your tracker and see how amazing you did! It's so satisfying to see all those marks and know you're working towards something important."
Slide 7: Be a Goal Coach!
"Sometimes, having a friend cheer you on can make a big difference! We're going to do a quick peer coach activity. Turn to a partner next to you. Share your goal and show them your tracker. You can ask each other: 'What's your goal?', 'How will you track it?', and 'How can I cheer you on?'"
Monitor peer sharing and encourage positive interactions.
Slide 8: You're a Goal-Tracking Superstar! (Optional, as a cool-down if time permits)
"Wow! You've all done an incredible job today. You've built your own 'app,' you know how to set a goal and track it, and you're ready to achieve amazing things! Remember, even small steps help you reach big goals. Keep using your trackers this week, and let's see all the awesome things you accomplish!"
Collect the Tracker Foldable Project Guide and assess using the Tracker Completeness Rubric or review during student check-ins.
Project Guide
Tracker Foldable: Your Personal Goal App!
Objective: Create a fun, interactive paper 'app' to help you track your progress towards a weekly goal.
Materials Needed:
- 1 sheet of white construction paper
- Scissors
- Glue stick
- Markers or crayons
Instructions:
Step 1: Prepare Your Paper
- Take your sheet of construction paper and lay it flat on your desk.
- Fold the paper in half lengthwise (hotdog style), bringing the top edge down to meet the bottom edge. Crease it firmly.
Step 2: Create the 'Screens'
- Open the paper back up. You should see a crease down the middle.
- Fold the bottom edge up to meet the middle crease. Crease it firmly.
- Fold the top edge down to meet the middle crease. Crease it firmly.
- Now, fold the entire paper in half again along the original middle crease.
You should have a long, skinny rectangle with two folds meeting in the middle when you open it up.
Step 3: Make the 'App Openings'
- Hold the paper so the two folded edges are on the long sides (like a book). The side where the two folds meet in the middle is the 'front' of your app.
- Using your scissors, make two cuts along the top folded edge. These cuts should go from the top folded edge down to the first horizontal crease you made, stopping at that crease. Make sure your cuts are about 2-3 inches apart and centered.
- Repeat this on the bottom folded edge: make two cuts from the bottom folded edge up to the first horizontal crease, matching the cuts on the top.
Step 4: Fold and Glue Your App
- Open up your paper completely. You should see four rectangular flaps created by your cuts.
- Fold the two middle flaps inwards towards the center crease. These will be the inside panels of your app.
- Apply glue to the backs of these two middle flaps.
- Fold the outer sections of your paper back over the glued flaps, pressing firmly. This will create your
Rubric
Tracker Completeness Rubric
Student Name: _________________________
Date: _________________________
This rubric will help you understand how your Goal Tracker Foldable will be assessed. It focuses on how completely and clearly you set up your tracker.
| Criteria | 4 - Excellent | 3 - Good | 2 - Developing | 1 - Needs Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tracker Assembly | Foldable is neatly cut, folded, and glued according to instructions. | Foldable is mostly cut, folded, and glued according to instructions. | Foldable shows some effort but has noticeable errors in cutting, folding, or gluing. | Foldable is incomplete or shows little attempt to follow assembly instructions. |
| Goal Statement | A clear, specific, and achievable weekly goal is written on the tracker. | A clear and mostly specific weekly goal is written on the tracker. | A goal is written, but it is unclear, too broad, or may not be achievable. | No goal is written, or the goal is inappropriate for the assignment. |
| Daily Indicators | Daily spaces are clearly marked with chosen indicators (e.g., happy face, checkmark, star) for each day of the week. | Most daily spaces are marked with chosen indicators, with minor inconsistencies. | Some daily spaces have indicators, but they are inconsistent or incomplete. | Daily spaces are not marked, or indicators are missing. |
| Personalization | Tracker is creatively personalized with colors, drawings, or unique touches that enhance its appearance. | Tracker shows some personalization with a few creative touches. | Tracker has minimal personalization or appears rushed. | Tracker has no personalization. |
| Readiness for Use | The tracker is fully prepared and ready for daily use, demonstrating understanding of its purpose. | The tracker is mostly prepared for use, with minor elements needing refinement. | The tracker is somewhat prepared but requires significant adjustments before daily use. | The tracker is not prepared for daily use. |
Teacher Comments:
Overall Score: _________ / 20