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Life Skills Launch

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Lesson Plan

Launch Sequence

Students will quickly visualize personal aspirations by creating a mini dream board, then articulate one SMART goal for their transition to middle school, fostering self-awareness and direction.

This warm-up primes students for transition planning by engaging creativity and linking dreams to actionable SMART goals, building motivation and self-awareness.

Audience

6th Grade Students

Time

15 minutes

Approach

Art sprint with guided SMART goal synthesis.

Materials

Dream Board Sprint Activity Sheet, Setting SMART Goals Slide Deck, and My Future Self Journal Template

Prep

Prepare Materials

5 minutes

Step 1

Introduction

2 minutes

  • Greet students and explain this is a quick, creative warm-up for planning their future goals
  • Emphasize that today’s focus is on linking personal dreams to achievable goals

Step 2

Dream Board Sprint

5 minutes

  • Distribute the Dream Board Sprint Activity Sheet
  • Students use markers or colored pencils to draw or collage images representing one personal aspiration
  • Encourage quick, instinctive choices to capture initial ideas

Step 3

SMART Goals Overview

2 minutes

  • Display the first slide of the Setting SMART Goals Slide Deck
  • Briefly define the SMART acronym (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound)
  • Connect these criteria to the dreams they just visualized

Step 4

SMART Goal Creation

3 minutes

  • Ask students to choose one element from their dream board and write one corresponding SMART goal in their My Future Self Journal Template
  • Circulate to support student goal wording and alignment with SMART criteria

Step 5

Share & Reflection

3 minutes

  • Invite 2–3 volunteers to share their dream image and SMART goal
  • Highlight effective examples and reinforce how setting clear goals moves them closer to their future selves
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Slide Deck

Setting SMART Goals

Turning your dreams into action

Welcome students! Today we’re going to learn how to turn your big ideas into clear, actionable steps. Explain that a SMART goal will help us move from dreams to real progress.

Why Set Goals?

• Provides clear direction
• Keeps you motivated
• Helps you track progress

Explain why having goals helps us succeed. Relate to their transition to middle school and the aspirations they visualized in the Dream Board Sprint.

What Is a SMART Goal?

S • Specific: Clear and focused
M • Measurable: You can track progress
A • Achievable: Realistic for you
R • Relevant: Tied to your dreams
T • Time-bound: Has a deadline

Introduce each letter of the SMART acronym. Briefly define and give a one-sentence example for each.

SMART Goal Example

Aspiration: Improve my math skills
SMART Goal: “I will complete 10 extra math practice problems each week after school for the next 4 weeks.”
• Specific: 10 problems each week
• Measurable: Count problems completed
• Achievable: Fits my schedule
• Relevant: Helps my math grade
• Time-bound: Over 4 weeks

Walk through this example step by step. Point out how each part of the goal maps to the SMART criteria.

Your Turn!

Pick one dream from your board and write your own SMART goal:
S: __________
M: __________
A: __________
R: __________
T: __________

Ask students to open their My Future Self Journal Template. Encourage them to choose one dream from their board and write a SMART goal following the outline.

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Warm Up

Dream Board Sprint Activity Sheet

Time: 5 minutes

Instructions

  1. Title your dream:

My dream is: _______________________________________



  1. In the box below, draw or collage images that represent this dream. Be quick and creative!











  2. Reflect in keywords. Write three words that explain why this dream matters to you:

• Keyword 1: ______________________________



• Keyword 2: ______________________________



• Keyword 3: ______________________________


When time is up, you’ll use this dream as the basis for writing a SMART goal in your journal.

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Journal

My Future Self Journal Template

1. Write Your SMART Goal

S • Specific: _______________________________________


M • Measurable: ____________________________________


A • Achievable: _____________________________________


R • Relevant: _______________________________________


T • Time-bound: ____________________________________


2. Reflection & Action Plan

  1. Why is this goal important for your future self?






  2. List three specific steps you will take to reach this goal:











  3. Identify two people or resources who can help you achieve this goal. How will you reach out to them?








  4. How will you measure your progress and stay motivated along the way?






  5. Choose a date to review your goal. What will you check, and how will you adjust if you’re off track?






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