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Goals That Guide You

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Shannon Loving

Tier 1
For Schools

Warm Up

What's Your Guiding Goal?

Take a moment to think about one big goal you have for yourself. This can be something personal, like learning a new skill or making a new friend, or something academic, like improving a grade or mastering a difficult topic.

Write down your big goal here:






Optional: Share your goal with a partner and briefly discuss why it's important to you.

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Lesson Plan

Goals That Guide You

Students will learn to write one SMART goal that is aligned with one of their core values.

Learning to set SMART goals helps students break down big dreams into achievable steps, making success feel more possible and building confidence. Aligning these goals with their values ensures their efforts are focused on what truly matters to them.

Audience

8th Grade

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Direct instruction, guided practice, and peer feedback.

Materials

What's Your Guiding Goal? Warm Up (Goals That Guide Warm Up), Smart Goals That Guide You Slide Deck (Goals That Guide Slides), SMART Goal Builder Worksheet (SMART Goal Builder Worksheet), Goal Feedback Rubric (Goal Feedback Rubric), Whiteboard or projector, and Markers or pens

Prep

Teacher Preparation

15 minutes

  • Review the Goals That Guide You Lesson Plan and all supporting materials, including the What's Your Guiding Goal? Warm Up, Goals That Guide Slides, SMART Goal Builder Worksheet, and Goal Feedback Rubric.
    - Ensure projector/whiteboard is set up for slide deck.
    - Print copies of the SMART Goal Builder Worksheet, Goal Feedback Rubric, and What's Your Guiding Goal? Warm Up for each student.

Step 1

Do Now: What's Your Guiding Goal?

5 minutes

  • Teacher: Greet students. Distribute the What's Your Guiding Goal? Warm Up and ask students to complete it. This activity asks them to think about one big goal they have for themselves, either personal or academic.
    - Teacher: Have students share their goals briefly with a partner or collect a few examples to refer to later.
    - Teacher: Transition by explaining that today's lesson will help them make these big goals more achievable by making them SMART and aligning them with their values.
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Slide Deck

Goals That Guide You

What's one big goal you have for yourself?

Welcome students and prepare them to think about their personal goals. This slide sets a reflective tone.

Why Set Goals?

Goals give us direction and help us achieve our dreams.
But how do we set goals we can actually stick to?

Let's make them SMART!

Introduce the idea of setting goals effectively. Explain that not all goals are created equal, and some are more likely to be achieved than others.

Meet SMART Goals!

A powerful way to set goals that are clear and achievable.

S - Specific
M - Measurable
A - Achievable
R - Relevant
T - Time-bound

Introduce the SMART acronym. Briefly explain what each letter stands for before diving into details.

S is for Specific

Your goal should be clear and well-defined.

Instead of: "I want to get better at math."

Try: "I will improve my algebra grade by completing all homework assignments and attending one extra help session per week."

Explain 'Specific' with an example. Encourage students to think about how they can make their own goals more detailed.

M is for Measurable

You need to be able to track your progress and know when you've reached your goal.

How will you know if you've succeeded?

Example: "I will read 3 new books this month, logging my progress in a reading journal."

Explain 'Measurable' and how to track progress. Ask students to consider how they will know if they've met their goal.

A is for Achievable

Your goal should be realistic and attainable, not impossible.

Is this goal something you can realistically achieve?

Example: "I will learn to play a new song on the piano by practicing 30 minutes every day."

Explain 'Achievable' and the importance of realism. Discuss how to make challenging goals realistic.

R is for Relevant (and Values!)

Your goal should matter to you and align with your personal values.

Why is this goal important to YOU? What value does it connect to?

Example Values: Kindness, Creativity, Learning, Health, Family, Honesty, Community.

Goal Example: "I will volunteer at the local animal shelter once a week to live out my value of kindness and community support."

This is a key slide for values alignment. Explain 'Relevant' and connect it to personal values. Provide examples of values.

T is for Time-bound

Your goal needs a clear deadline. When will you achieve it?

Having a deadline helps you stay on track!

Example: "I will complete my science fair project by March 15th."

Explain 'Time-bound' and the need for deadlines. Emphasize that a deadline creates urgency and helps focus efforts.

Your SMART Goal Journey

Now it's your turn!

Let's use what we've learned to draft your very own SMART goal, connecting it to a value that's important to you.

Get ready to build your SMART Goal Builder Worksheet!

Recap SMART goals and introduce the next step: drafting their own goals. Transition to the worksheet.

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Worksheet

SMART Goal Builder Worksheet

Name: _________________________ Date: _________________________

Part 1: My Big Goal (from the Do Now)

What is one big goal you have for yourself, either personal or academic?











Part 2: Understanding My Values

What are some things that are really important to you in life? (e.g., kindness, learning, health, creativity, honesty, community, family, friendship, success, security)

List at least 3 values that resonate with you:

Circle the one core value that you want your SMART goal to connect with.

Part 3: Drafting Your SMART Goal

Now, let's take your big goal and make it SMART! Use the guiding questions below to help you write a goal that is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant (to your value), and Time-bound.

S - Specific

What exactly do you want to achieve? Who is involved? What resources or limits are involved?






M - Measurable

How will you measure your progress? How will you know when you have achieved your goal? What data will you use?






A - Achievable

Is this goal realistic given your resources and time? Is it something you can actually do?






R - Relevant (to your chosen value)

Why is this goal important to you? How does it align with the core value you circled in Part 2?






T - Time-bound

When do you want to achieve this goal? What is your deadline?






Part 4: My Final SMART Goal

Combine all the SMART elements into one clear goal statement. Make sure it also clearly connects to your chosen value!













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Rubric

Goal Feedback Rubric

Your Name: _________________________ Partner's Name: _________________________

Use this rubric to provide constructive feedback on your partner's SMART goal. Read their drafted goal carefully and check off the boxes that apply, then provide comments.

Partner's SMART Goal:













Feedback Criteria

S - Specific

  • The goal clearly states what needs to be achieved.
  • The goal answers who, what, where, when, and why (if applicable).

Comments:


M - Measurable

  • The goal includes a way to track progress.
  • It's clear how success will be measured.

Comments:


A - Achievable

  • The goal seems realistic and attainable for your partner.
  • It considers available resources or potential obstacles.

Comments:


R - Relevant (and Value-Aligned)

  • The goal is personally important to your partner.
  • The goal clearly connects to one of their core values.

Comments:


T - Time-bound

  • The goal has a clear deadline or target date.

Comments:


Overall Feedback

What is one strength of your partner's SMART goal?




What is one suggestion you have to make their SMART goal even better?




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