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Set It Up

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Krystle Johnson

Tier 1
For Schools

Lesson Plan

SMART Goals Framework

Students will learn to craft SMART goals—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound—for school and personal life by drafting and refining a clear, actionable goal.

Setting SMART goals helps students clarify priorities, boosts motivation, and builds lifelong planning and self-management skills.

Audience

Middle School Students

Time

15 minutes

Approach

Mini-lecture, guided drafting, peer review

Materials

Goal-Setting 101, My SMART Goals, and Peer Feedback Pairs

Prep

Prepare Materials

5 minutes

  • Print enough copies of My SMART Goals for every student
  • Queue up and test visuals for the Goal-Setting 101
  • Review the steps in Peer Feedback Pairs to guide student pairs

Step 1

Introduction & Hook

2 minutes

  • Pose a quick question: “Who here has set a New Year’s resolution or personal goal?”
  • Briefly discuss successes and challenges.
  • Transition: “Today, we’ll learn a proven method to set goals you can actually achieve.”

Step 2

Teach SMART Criteria

4 minutes

  • Display the Goal-Setting 101 slide deck.
  • Define each SMART element with one example:
    • Specific
    • Measurable
    • Achievable
    • Relevant
    • Time-bound
  • Answer quick student questions about each component.

Step 3

Guided Goal Drafting

5 minutes

  • Distribute My SMART Goals.
  • Prompt students to write one academic or personal goal using SMART prompts.
  • Walk the room, offering feedback and ensuring clarity and feasibility.

Step 4

Peer Feedback & Share

3 minutes

  • Pair students using Peer Feedback Pairs.
  • In pairs, share goals and give:
    • One strength they like
    • One suggestion to make it more SMART
  • Invite 1–2 volunteers to read their refined goal aloud.
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Slide Deck

Goal-Setting 101

• Why set goals?
– Clarifies what you want
– Boosts motivation and focus
• Today’s agenda:

  1. Learn the SMART criteria
  2. See examples
  3. Draft your own SMART goal

Welcome everyone! Today we’ll learn why goals matter and how to set ones you can actually achieve using the SMART framework.

What Is a SMART Goal?

SMART stands for:
• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-Bound

Introduce the SMART acronym. Explain that each letter stands for a key element that makes a goal effective.

S = Specific

• Clearly define what you want to achieve
• Ask: Who? What? Where? Why?
• Example: “Read 20 pages of a book every day,” not “Read more.”

Discuss the importance of specificity—vague goals lead to vague results.

M = Measurable

• Include concrete criteria to track progress
• Ask: How much? How many? How will I know?
• Example: “Log pages read each day in my planner.”

Explain how measuring progress keeps you on track and shows success.

A = Achievable

• Stretch skills but remain realistic
• Ask: Can I accomplish this with skills and resources I have?
• Example: “I can read 20 pages daily after school.”

Ensure goals are realistic given resources and time.

R = Relevant

• Align with your values and long-term objectives
• Ask: Does this matter to me right now?
• Example: “Improving reading will boost my grades in English.”

Highlight the need for relevance—link goals to bigger priorities.

T = Time-Bound

• Set a clear deadline or schedule
• Ask: When will I start and finish?
• Example: “Complete my reading goal by the end of this semester.”

Stress the importance of deadlines to create urgency.

Your Turn: Draft a SMART Goal

• Grab a copy of My SMART Goals
• Choose a school or personal goal
• Write it using all five SMART criteria
• We’ll pair up to give feedback next

Invite students to apply everything they’ve learned to draft their own goal. Explain next steps for peer feedback.

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Worksheet

My SMART Goals Worksheet

Use this worksheet to draft a clear, actionable SMART goal.
This supports SMART Goals Framework and Goal-Setting 101.
After you finish, exchange feedback with a partner using Peer Feedback Pairs.

1. Your Goal Idea

Briefly describe what you want to accomplish:








2. Specific (S)

Answer each prompt to make your goal as specific as possible.

  • Who is involved?





  • What exactly will you do?





  • Where will this take place?





  • Why is it important to you?





3. Measurable (M)

How will you track progress? What metric or indicator will show you’re on track?







4. Achievable (A)

Is this goal realistic? List the skills or resources you have and any challenges you might face.







5. Relevant (R)

How does this goal connect to your values, priorities, or long-term plans?







6. Time-Bound (T)

What is your start date and deadline? By when will you achieve this goal?







7. Final SMART Goal

Combine all five elements into a single, clear statement:










Once your goal is drafted, share it with a partner for feedback using Peer Feedback Pairs. Be ready to name one strength and one suggestion to make it even more SMART!

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Activity

Peer Feedback Pairs

Duration: 3 minutes

In this activity, students work in pairs to share their drafted SMART goals and help each other refine them by identifying one clear strength and offering one constructive suggestion.

Steps:

  1. Form Pairs: Find your assigned partner.
  2. Share Goals: Student A reads their final SMART goal aloud.
  3. Give Feedback: Student B names:
    • One strength they liked in the goal
    • One suggestion to make it more SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, or Time-Bound)
  4. Switch Roles: Student B reads, and Student A provides feedback using the same format.
  5. Optional Share-Out: Invite 1–2 volunteers to briefly share their refined goal with the class.

Use the feedback to revise your goal before turning in your worksheet.

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Script

SMART Goals Workshop Script

Introduction & Hook (2 minutes)

Teacher: Good morning, everyone! Give me a thumbs-up if you’ve ever set a New Year’s resolution or a personal goal. (Pause for thumbs-up.) Now give me a thumbs-down if you found it tough to stick with it. (Pause for thumbs-down.) You’re not alone! Today, we’re going to learn a proven method to set goals you can actually achieve. It’s called SMART goals. By the end of our 15 minutes, you’ll draft your own SMART goal for school or life.

Teach SMART Criteria (4 minutes)

Teacher: Let’s pull up the Goal-Setting 101 slides on the board. On slide 2, you see the letters S-M-A-R-T. We’ll go through each one with an example.

  1. Specific: A specific goal answers Who, What, Where, and Why. For example, instead of “Read more,” you could say, “Read 20 pages of a book every day.” Why do you think being specific helps? (Pause for responses.) Exactly — it gives you clear direction.
  2. Measurable: This tells you how you’ll track progress. For reading, maybe you’ll log the number of pages in your planner. How else might you measure a goal? (Pause.) Great idea!
  3. Achievable: Your goal should stretch you but still be realistic. If you have time after school, 20 pages a day is doable.
  4. Relevant: It should matter to you right now. If improving reading boosts your English grade, that’s relevant.
  5. Time-Bound: A deadline creates urgency. For instance, “by the end of this semester.”

Any quick questions on one of these? (Pause briefly.) Awesome.

Guided Goal Drafting (5 minutes)

Teacher: Now take out your My SMART Goals worksheet. First, write down one goal idea—school or personal—at the top. Then work through each SMART prompt below it. I’ll walk around and help you make sure your goal checks all five boxes. You have three minutes to get started. Begin now!

(Pause as students work, circulate to offer feedback: “Remember, for Specific ask yourself: Who is involved?” “How will you measure this?”)

Peer Feedback & Share (3 minutes)

Teacher: Time to team up! Find your partner for Peer Feedback Pairs. Student A, please read your final SMART goal aloud. Student B, share one strength you like and one suggestion to make it even more SMART. Then switch roles. You have two minutes — go!

(Pause while pairs work.)

Teacher: Let’s have two volunteers share their refined goals with the class. Who wants to go first? (Select volunteers and listen.) Excellent — nice job adding those details!

Wrap-Up (1 minute)

Teacher: Fantastic work today. Remember: SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Keep your worksheet and check in on your goal each week. Great job, everyone — see you next time!

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