lenny

Goals Far Away? Track It!

user image

Lesson Plan

Goals Far Away? Track It!

Students will be able to create a simple visual method to track their progress toward a personal goal, fostering self-monitoring and sustained motivation.

Learning to visually track progress helps students stay motivated and engaged with their goals, even when the finish line feels distant. This skill builds resilience and a sense of accomplishment.

Audience

8th Grade Students

Time

15 minutes

Approach

Through visual tools and reflection, students will actively monitor and celebrate small victories towards their goals.

Materials

Are We There Yet? Tracking Your Progress Slide Deck, and My Goal Thermometer Tracker

Prep

Prepare Materials

5 minutes

Step 1

Connect to Prior Knowledge: Goal Setting (2 minutes)

2 minutes

  • Teacher (using Are We There Yet? Tracking Your Progress Slide Deck - Slide 1): "Think about a time you set a goal for yourself. It could be something big like learning a new skill, or something smaller like finishing a challenging book. How did it feel when you were working towards it, especially if it took a while? Sometimes, when a goal feels really far away, it's hard to stay motivated. Does anyone relate to that?"
  • Allow 1-2 students to share brief experiences or feelings.

Step 2

Introduce New Concept: The Power of Progress Monitoring (4 minutes)

4 minutes

  • Teacher (using Are We There Yet? Tracking Your Progress Slide Deck - Slides 2-3): "Today, we're going to learn a simple but powerful way to keep that motivation burning: by tracking our progress visually. Think of it like a game – when you see your score going up, or a level being completed, it gives you a boost, right? That's what progress monitoring does for our goals. It helps us see how far we've come, not just how far we have to go."
  • "We'll be creating a 'Goal Thermometer' to visually represent our progress. This is a form of self-monitoring and data collection for your personal journey."

Step 3

Guided Practice: Setting Up Your Goal Thermometer (5 minutes)

5 minutes

  • Teacher (using Are We There Yet? Tracking Your Progress Slide Deck - Slide 4): "Now, let's put this into practice. I'm going to hand out your My Goal Thermometer Tracker."
  • Distribute the My Goal Thermometer Tracker.
  • Teacher: "First, think of one personal goal you have right now. It could be academic, a personal habit, or a skill you want to develop. Write your goal clearly at the top of your thermometer."
  • "Next, let's break that goal down into smaller, measurable steps or percentages. How will you know you're 25% there? 50%? 75%? Write these milestones on the lines on your thermometer. For example, if your goal is to read a 200-page book, 25% would be 50 pages, 50% would be 100 pages, and so on."
  • Circulate and assist students as they define their goals and milestones.

Step 4

Independent Application: Coloring Your Progress (2 minutes)

2 minutes

  • Teacher (using Are We There Yet? Tracking Your Progress Slide Deck - Slide 5): "Now, based on where you are with your goal today, shade in your thermometer up to the point you've reached. Don't worry if it's only a little bit; every bit of progress counts!"
  • "This is a personal tool. The more honest you are with it, the more helpful it will be for your motivation."

Step 5

Reflect and Share: The Visual Impact (2 minutes)

2 minutes

  • Teacher (using Are We There Yet? Tracking Your Progress Slide Deck - Slide 6): "Look at your thermometer. What does seeing your progress visually do for your motivation? How might this tool help you stay on track when your goal feels far away?"
  • Invite a few students to share their reflections on the visual tracking and its potential impact on their motivation.
lenny
0 educators
use Lenny to create lessons.

No credit card needed

Slide Deck

Goals Far Away? Track It!

Have you ever set a goal that felt really far away?

  • How did you feel?
  • What kept you going, or made it hard to continue?

Welcome students and introduce the topic of goals. Ask a guiding question to connect to their prior knowledge about setting goals and the challenges of staying motivated.

The Power of Progress

Seeing your progress keeps you going!

  • Like a video game: you get excited when you level up!
  • Like a road trip: you feel closer when you see mile markers.

Today, we'll learn to visually track our goals to stay motivated!

Introduce the concept of progress monitoring and how it helps with motivation. Use an analogy to make it relatable.

Your Goal Thermometer

A visual way to see your success!

  • Self-Monitoring: You're in charge of watching your own journey.
  • Motivation Boost: Each step forward is a win!
  • Data Collection: See your personal growth over time.

Introduce the 'Goal Thermometer' as the visual tool they will use.

Build Your Thermometer

Let's get started on your My Goal Thermometer Tracker!

  1. Choose ONE Goal: What do you want to achieve?
  2. Break it Down: What are the smaller steps or percentages?
    • Example: Read a 200-page book.
      • 25% = 50 pages
      • 50% = 100 pages
      • 75% = 150 pages

Guide students through setting up their own goal thermometer on the worksheet. Emphasize breaking down goals into measurable steps.

Color Your Current Progress

Where are you on your journey TODAY?

  • Shade in your thermometer to show how much progress you've made so far.
  • Be honest with yourself – this is your tool!
  • Even small steps are important!

Instruct students to color in their current progress. Reinforce that any progress is good progress.

Reflect & Share

How does seeing your progress visually help you?

  • What do you notice?
  • How can this tool help you stay motivated for future goals?

Facilitate a brief reflection and sharing session to reinforce the lesson's key takeaway.

lenny

Worksheet

My Goal Thermometer Tracker

My Awesome Goal:


Instructions:

  1. Write your goal clearly at the top.
  2. Break your goal into smaller steps or percentages (e.g., 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%) and write them on the lines next to the thermometer.
  3. Color in your thermometer to show how much progress you have made so far!

Goal Progress Thermometer

   ^ 100% - 
   |
   |
   |
   |
   |
   |
   |
   |
   |
   ^ 75% - 
   |
   |
   |
   |
   |
   |
   |
   |
   |
   ^ 50% - 
   |
   |
   |
   |
   |
   |
   |
   |
   |
   ^ 25% - 
   |
   |
   |
   |
   |
   |
   |
   |
   |
  ___ 0% - Starting Point












Reflection Question: What does seeing your goal visually like this make you feel? How do you think it will help you stay motivated?












lenny
lenny