Lesson Plan
Ready, Set, Track! Lesson Blueprint
Introduce students to self-monitoring by having them set a personal behavior goal, track daily progress, and reflect on outcomes to boost self-awareness, motivation, and self-regulation skills.
When students track their own goals and celebrate small wins, they build ownership over their behavior, increase motivation, and develop lifelong self-regulation skills that support academic and social success.
Audience
4th Grade Students
Time
45 minutes
Approach
Interactive games, hands-on goal stations, and reflective discussion.
Prep
Teacher Preparation
15 minutes
- Review Tracking Your Wins Slides to familiarize yourself with definitions and examples.
- Print and cut sets of Behavior Bingo Game Cards for small groups.
- Print copies of Goal-Setting Stations Activity Sheets and arrange four station areas around the room.
- Prepare Reflection Circle Prompts on index cards or projector slides.
- Gather timers, sticky notes, markers, and chart paper for student use.
Step 1
Warm-Up: Behavior Bingo
10 minutes
- Distribute one Behavior Bingo Game Card per student.
- Explain bingo rules: mark a square when you see or demonstrate that positive behavior.
- Call out examples (e.g., helping a classmate, staying on task); students mark squares.
- First student to bingo shares three behaviors they marked and earns a class cheer.
Step 2
Introduction & Slide Presentation
8 minutes
- Project Tracking Your Wins Slides.
- Define progress monitoring and explain why tracking behaviors matters.
- Model setting a simple behavior goal (e.g., “I will raise my hand before speaking”).
- Show sample tracking chart and demonstrate a mock daily check-in.
Step 3
Activity: Goal-Setting Stations
15 minutes
- Divide class into four small groups and assign each to a station.
- Each station features a scenario (e.g., group work, independent reading) and an Goal-Setting Stations Activity Sheet.
- Students write one specific, measurable behavior goal per sheet.
- After 3 minutes, groups rotate until all have visited every station.
- Collect sheets for later display.
Step 4
Reflection Circle
10 minutes
- Arrange students in a circle and distribute Reflection Circle Prompts.
- Prompts include: “One win I’ll track this week is…,” “One challenge I anticipate is….”
- Students take turns sharing responses; teacher records common themes on chart paper.
- Encourage supportive feedback and affirm each student’s goal.
Step 5
Closure & Next Steps
2 minutes
- Remind students to use their personal tracking charts each day.
- Explain that next session you’ll review progress data and celebrate class-wide wins.
- Praise their participation and reinforce that small steps lead to big behavior improvements.
Slide Deck
Tracking Your Wins
A fun way to monitor your behavior goals and celebrate progress!
Welcome students and introduce the slide deck. Emphasize that today we’ll learn how to set behavior goals and track our progress to celebrate wins.
What Is Progress Monitoring?
- Watching and recording how often you meet a goal
- Helps you see improvements over time
- Builds self-awareness and motivation
Define progress monitoring. Use simple language and relate to everyday examples like keeping score in a game.
Why Track Your Behavior?
- You notice small improvements each day
- Helps you stay focused on your goal
- Celebrating wins boosts confidence
Explain why tracking behavior matters. Encourage students to think of a time they tracked something (like reading minutes).
SMART Behavior Goals
S = Specific (exact behavior)
M = Measurable (countable)
A = Achievable (realistic)
R = Relevant (important to you)
T = Time-bound (set a time frame)
Introduce SMART goals. Break down each letter and give quick examples.
Example SMART Goal
“I will raise my hand before speaking at least 5 times each day this week.”
Model a sample goal on the board. Ask students to identify SMART elements.
Sample Tracking Chart
Day | Goal Met?
Mon | ✓
Tue | ✗
Wed | ✓
Thu | ✓
Fri | –
Show the tracking chart format. Explain how to mark each day with a ✓ or ✗.
Daily Check-Ins
- Morning: skim your goal
- Midday: pause and self-assess
- End of day: mark chart and reflect
Describe when and how to do check-ins. Demonstrate a quick mock check-in.
Celebrate Your Wins!
- Give yourself a sticker or smiley face
- Share progress with a friend or the class
- Set a mini-reward when you hit 3 days in a row
Encourage students to celebrate. Share simple reward ideas like a sticker or high-five.
Overcoming Challenges
- If you miss a day, start fresh tomorrow
- Ask a buddy to remind you
- Break your goal into smaller steps
Acknowledge challenges. Offer strategies when students miss a day or face obstacles.
Your Turn!
- Write one SMART behavior goal
- Use your chart to track daily
- Reflect each evening on your progress
Prompt students to begin setting and tracking their own goals. Prepare to transition to stations.
Warm Up
Behavior Bingo
Get ready to spot and celebrate positive behaviors in a fast-paced bingo challenge!
How to Play:
- Give each student one Behavior Bingo Game Card.
- Teacher calls out a positive behavior (e.g., “helped a classmate,” “used kind words,” “stayed on task”).
- If the behavior matches a square on their card, students mark it off with a token or X.
- The first student to complete a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line shouts “Bingo!” and shares three behaviors they marked.
- Celebrate the winner with a class cheer and encourage everyone to keep tracking their behaviors throughout the lesson.
Behavior Squares (sample list – mix and match for multiple card versions):
- Raised hand before speaking
- Gave someone a compliment
- Stayed focused on work
- Used a quiet inside voice
- Shared materials
- Encouraged a friend
- Cleaned up mess
- Followed directions the first time
- Asked for help politely
- Took turns
- Listened while others talked
- Stayed in your seat
- Used kind words
- Worked quietly
- Covered your mouth when coughing
- Stayed on task independently
- Worked well in a group
- Gave a high-five
- Offered to help clean up
- Stayed organized
- Used good manners
- Checked on a peer’s understanding
- Stayed calm during transition
- Walked quietly in the hallway
- Smiled and greeted someone
Tip for Teachers:
• Create several unique card layouts by shuffling squares so no two students have the same card.
• Prepare tokens (counters or mini-erasers) for students to mark off squares.
• Keep the pace lively and give examples or mini-demonstrations of each behavior to reinforce expectations.
Ready, Set, Track! – Let the positive behavior spotting begin!
Activity
Goal-Setting Stations
In this activity, you will rotate through four stations. At each station, read the scenario, think of one SMART behavior goal, and write it on your activity sheet. You’ll have 3 minutes per station before rotating to the next one.
Station 1: Independent Reading
Scenario: You’re reading quietly by yourself. Sometimes you find your mind wandering or lose your finger on the page.
Your Task: Write one SMART goal to help you stay focused during independent reading.
My SMART Behavior Goal:
Station 2: Small-Group Work
Scenario: You’re working in a group of four. Sometimes you talk about weekend plans instead of the project.
Your Task: Write one SMART goal to help you stay on task and contribute well in group work.
My SMART Behavior Goal:
Station 3: Transitions
Scenario: You move from math to lunch, or carpet time to centers. Transitions can get noisy and slow the class down.
Your Task: Write one SMART goal to help you transition quickly and quietly between activities.
My SMART Behavior Goal:
Station 4: Class Discussions
Scenario: You’re sharing ideas with the whole class. Sometimes you call out answers or forget to listen to others.
Your Task: Write one SMART goal to help you participate respectfully and listen carefully during discussions.
My SMART Behavior Goal:
Teacher Instructions
- Arrange four station areas around the room with this sheet and a writing utensil at each.
- Set a 3-minute timer for each station. When the timer rings, have groups rotate clockwise.
- Collect all sheets at the end for display and to review students’ goals.
- Encourage students to use specific, measurable language (e.g., “I will raise my hand before speaking at least 4 times each day”).
You’re building skills to track your own behavior—great work!
Cool Down
Reflection Circle
Gather students in a circle for a calm, whole‐class reflection on today’s lesson and next steps.
Teacher Instructions:
- Seat students in a circle so everyone can see and hear each other.
- Project or hand out index cards with the prompts below.
- Introduce the circle rules: listen respectfully, speak one at a time, and support each other with positive feedback.
- Read each prompt aloud. Give students 30 seconds to think and jot a quick note (optional). Then invite volunteers to share.
- Record key themes on chart paper to display later.
- Conclude with a class cheer and remind students of their tracking charts.
Prompts
- One win I’ll track this week is…
- One challenge I anticipate is…
- Something I learned today about tracking my behavior is…
- A strategy I’ll use to stay motivated is…
- A question I have about goal tracking is…
Tip for Teachers: Affirm each student’s contribution, look for shared themes (e.g., common challenges), and post the chart paper reminder near the tracking charts as a visual cue for next week’s check-in.