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Launch to High School

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Lesson Plan

Launch to High School Lesson Plan

Students will learn to define, plan, and articulate SMART goals for their upcoming high school experience, then draft and peer-review personal and academic objectives.

Setting SMART goals equips students with clear criteria for success and builds confidence and accountability as they transition to high school.

Audience

8th Grade Middle School Students

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Brief teaching, guided practice, and peer feedback.

Materials

Launch to High School Slide Deck, and SMART Goal Planning Worksheet

Prep

Prepare Materials

10 minutes

Step 1

Introduction

5 minutes

  • Greet students and state the lesson objective: learning to set SMART goals for high school
  • Pose the hook question: “Why do you think setting goals is important when entering high school?”
  • Briefly collect a few responses to build engagement

Step 2

Warm-Up Reflection

5 minutes

  • Ask students to reflect silently: recall a past goal they set and whether they achieved it
  • Prompt: What helped or hindered you in reaching that goal?
  • Invite a few volunteers to share reflections with a partner

Step 3

SMART Goals Overview

7 minutes

  • Use Launch to High School Slide Deck to define each SMART criterion:
    • Specific
    • Measurable
    • Achievable
    • Relevant
    • Time-bound
  • Show the two prepared example goals and analyze why they meet or miss SMART components

Step 4

Goal-Setting Activity

8 minutes

  • Distribute SMART Goal Planning Worksheet
  • Instruct students to draft one academic and one personal SMART goal for high school
  • Circulate to support and prompt clarity (e.g., “How will you measure progress?”)

Step 5

Peer Review & Sharing

3 minutes

  • Pair students to exchange worksheets
  • Partners check each other’s goals against the SMART criteria
  • Provide one positive comment and one suggestion for improvement

Step 6

Wrap-Up & Assessment

2 minutes

  • Ask students to write one refined SMART goal on a sticky note as an exit ticket
  • Collect sticky notes to assess understanding and provide follow-up feedback
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Slide Deck

Launch to High School: Setting SMART Goals

Prepare for success by learning how to create clear, actionable goals.

• What is a SMART goal?
• Why do we need goals?

Welcome students and introduce the session. Explain that today they’ll learn how to set SMART goals to prepare them for high school success.

Why Set Goals?

Think about a time you wanted to achieve something important.

• Why did you set that goal?
• What helped or hindered you?

Discussion: Why might setting goals help you in high school?

Pose the hook question and invite 2–3 volunteers to share. Note responses on board.

What Makes a Goal “SMART”?

A SMART goal is:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-bound

Introduce the SMART framework. Explain each letter briefly before diving deeper.

Defining Each SMART Criterion

Specific: Clear and detailed

Measurable: Trackable progress

Achievable: Realistic yet challenging

Relevant: Aligned with your priorities

Time-bound: Set a deadline

Go through each criterion with examples. Ask students to call out what each letter stands for.

SMART Goal Examples

Example 1: “I will finish all my math homework every night by 9 PM.”

Example 2: “I want to get better grades.”

• Which is SMART? Why?
• How could we improve Example 2?

Display two prepared example goals. Guide students to identify which goal meets all SMART parts.

Your Turn: Draft SMART Goals

  1. Grab a SMART Goal Planning Worksheet
  2. Write one academic and one personal SMART goal for high school
  3. Check each goal against the SMART criteria

Explain the activity steps and distribute the worksheets. Circulate to support and ask probing questions.

Wrap-Up & Exit Ticket

On a sticky note, write one refined SMART goal.

• Be ready to share it.

Collect before you leave.

Collect exit tickets to gauge understanding. Provide quick feedback later.

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Worksheet

SMART Goal Planning Worksheet

Use this worksheet to draft one academic and one personal SMART goal for high school. For each goal:

  1. Define each SMART criterion.
  2. Draft the complete SMART goal.

1. Academic SMART Goal

Specific:






Measurable:






Achievable:






Relevant:






Time-bound:





Draft your Academic SMART Goal:










2. Personal SMART Goal

Specific:






Measurable:






Achievable:






Relevant:






Time-bound:





Draft your Personal SMART Goal:










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