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Your Year, Your Goals

Giselle

Tier 2
For Schools

Lesson Plan

Your Year, Your Goals Lesson Plan

Students will be able to identify personal and academic goals for the upcoming school year and create a plan to achieve them.

Transitioning to high school can be overwhelming. Setting clear goals provides a roadmap for success, reduces anxiety, and empowers students to take ownership of their academic and personal growth.

Audience

9th Grade Students

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion, individual reflection, and a guided goal-setting activity.

Materials

Slide Deck: Your Year, Your Goals, Goal Setting Worksheet, and Pens/Pencils

Prep

Prepare Materials

5 minutes

  • Review the Slide Deck: Your Year, Your Goals to familiarize yourself with the content.
    - Print copies of the Goal Setting Worksheet, one for each student.

Step 1

Introduction & Warm-Up

5 minutes

  • Greet students and welcome them to the session.
    - Explain that today's session is about setting goals for their 9th-grade year.
    - Ask students to share one thing they are excited about for high school (brief popcorn sharing).

Step 2

What Are Goals?

7 minutes

  • Display Slide 1: What are Goals?
    - Lead a brief discussion on what goals are and why they are important, referencing points on the slide.
    - Introduce the concept of SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) using Slide 2: SMART Goals and provide an example relevant to high school.

Step 3

Individual Goal Setting

12 minutes

  • Distribute the Goal Setting Worksheet.
    - Explain the worksheet and guide students through the process of brainstorming academic and personal goals.
    - Encourage them to think about what they want to achieve and how they will get there.
    - Circulate among students to offer support and answer questions.

Step 4

Share and Close

6 minutes

  • Invite students to share one goal they are excited to work on (voluntary sharing).
    - Emphasize that goals can change and that it's a process.
    - Remind students that you are a resource for them throughout the year.
    - Conclude the session positively.
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Slide Deck

Welcome, Future 9th Graders!

Let's talk about setting ourselves up for an amazing year ahead.

Welcome students and introduce the topic of goal setting for their freshman year. Keep it positive and encouraging.

What Are Goals?

  • Something you want to achieve or work towards.
  • A target or an aim.
  • They give us direction and purpose.
  • They help us stay focused and motivated.

Ask students what they think a 'goal' is. Guide them to understand that goals are targets we aim for. Discuss why having goals is helpful (e.g., provides direction, motivates us, helps us track progress).

Make Your Goals SMART!

Specific: Clear and well-defined.
Measurable: You can track your progress.
Achievable: Realistic and attainable.
Relevant: Important to you.
Time-bound: Has a deadline.

Introduce SMART goals. Explain each letter with simple, relatable examples for high school. Emphasize that SMART goals make goals easier to achieve.

Where Can You Set Goals?

  • Academics: Grades, homework, studying.
  • Personal: New hobbies, healthy habits, self-care.
  • Social: Making new friends, joining clubs.
  • Future: Exploring career interests, thinking about college.

Encourage students to brainstorm different areas of their lives where they might set goals. Prompt them to think about academics, social life, personal growth, and extracurriculars.

Time to Set Your Goals!

Let's use the worksheet to outline your awesome goals for 9th grade. Remember to make them SMART!

Explain the worksheet and give students time to work on it. Offer individual support as they brainstorm and write down their goals. Reinforce the SMART goal concept.

Your Goals, Your Journey

Share one goal you're excited about!
Remember, your journey is unique. I'm here to support you!

Invite students to share one goal they are willing to share with the group. Emphasize that it's okay if goals change and that goal-setting is a continuous process. Reiterate your role as a support.

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Worksheet

Your Year, Your Goals: 9th Grade Action Plan

Welcome to 9th grade! This is your chance to make it an amazing year. Let's think about what you want to achieve!

Part 1: Brainstorming - What do you want to achieve?

Think about different areas of your life as an incoming 9th grader. What are some things you hope to do, learn, or improve upon? Write down as many ideas as you can!

Academic Goals (e.g., grades, homework habits, study skills, trying a new subject):







Personal/Social Goals (e.g., making friends, joining a club, new hobby, self-care, healthy habits):







Part 2: Choose Your Top Goals & Make Them SMART!

Choose one academic goal and one personal/social goal from your brainstorming list. Now, let's make them SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound).

My Academic Goal:

My Goal:


Is it Specific? (What exactly will I do?)


Is it Measurable? (How will I know when I've achieved it?)


Is it Achieveable? (Is this realistic for me?)


Is it Relevant? (Why is this important to me?)


Is it Time-bound? (When will I achieve this by?)

My Personal/Social Goal:

My Goal:


Is it Specific? (What exactly will I do?)


Is it Measurable? (How will I know when I've achieved it?)


Is it Achieveable? (Is this realistic for me?)


Is it Relevant? (Why is this important to me?)


Is it Time-bound? (When will I achieve this by?)

Part 3: My First Steps

For one of your goals, write down the very first step you will take to get started. Small steps lead to big achievements!

My chosen goal:


My first step is:


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Script

Your Year, Your Goals: Script for Counselors

Introduction & Warm-Up (5 minutes)

(Counselor): "Hi everyone, and welcome! It's really great to see you all today. I know starting high school can bring up a lot of different feelings – maybe excitement, maybe a little bit of nerves, and that's totally normal. Today, we're going to talk about something that can help you feel more prepared and in control: setting goals for your 9th-grade year."

"To get us started, I'd love to hear just one thing you're either excited about or looking forward to for high school. No right or wrong answers, just share whatever comes to mind. Let's go around the circle, or just 'popcorn' style if you feel comfortable."

(Allow 2-3 minutes for students to share. Validate their responses.)

What Are Goals? (7 minutes)

(Counselor): "Those are some great hopes for the year! Now, many of those hopes can become our goals. So, what exactly is a 'goal'? In your own words, what do you think it means to set a goal?"

(Pause for student responses, acknowledge and affirm their ideas.)

"Exactly! A goal is basically something you want to achieve or work towards. It's like having a target you're aiming for. Think about a sport – if you don't know where the hoop or the net is, it's pretty hard to score, right? Goals are like that. They give us direction and purpose, and they help us stay focused and motivated, especially when things get tough. They also let us know when we've succeeded!"

"Now, simply saying 'I want to do better in school' is a good start, but we can make that goal even stronger and easier to achieve by making it SMART. Has anyone heard of SMART goals before?"

(Wait for responses. If none, explain.)

"SMART is an acronym, and each letter stands for something important to help us make really good goals. Let's look at what each letter means."

(Display Slide 2: SMART Goals and go through each point.)

"S is for Specific: This means your goal should be clear and well-defined. Instead of 'do better,' it's 'improve my math grade to a B+.'"

"M is for Measurable: How will you know when you've achieved it? For our math example, you'll know by checking your report card or progress reports."

"A is for Achievable: Is it realistic and attainable for you right now? Setting a goal to become an astronaut next week might not be achievable, but improving one grade is!"

"R is for Relevant: This means your goal should be important to you. Why do you want to achieve this? If it matters to you, you're more likely to work for it."

"T is for Time-bound: Your goal needs a deadline. When will you achieve this by? 'By the end of the first semester,' for example."

"So, instead of 'I want to do better in school,' a SMART goal might be: 'I will improve my algebra grade to a B+ by the end of the first semester by attending tutoring twice a week and completing all homework assignments.' See how much clearer that is?"

Individual Goal Setting (12 minutes)

(Counselor): "Now it's your turn! I have a Goal Setting Worksheet for each of you. We're going to use this to help you think about your own goals for 9th grade."

(Distribute the worksheets and display Slide 5: Time to Set Your Goals!.)

"On the first part of the worksheet, you'll brainstorm some ideas for academic goals and personal/social goals. Think about what you want to achieve in your classes, or what new habits you want to form, or perhaps new friends you want to make or clubs you want to join. Just list everything that comes to mind."

(Allow 3-4 minutes for brainstorming. Circulate and provide gentle prompts if students seem stuck, e.g., 'Are there any classes you want to do really well in?' or 'Is there a new activity you've been curious about?')

"Great! Now, for the second part, I want you to choose one or two academic goals and one or two personal/social goals from your brainstorming list. Then, for each chosen goal, I want you to make it SMART. Go through each letter – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound – and make sure your goal fits all those criteria. This part is really important to make your goals actionable."

(Allow 6-7 minutes for students to work on their SMART goals. Circulate, answer questions, and offer guidance without doing the work for them. 'How will you know if you've done that?' 'Why is that important to you?' 'What's a realistic timeline?')

Share and Close (6 minutes)

(Counselor): "Okay, everyone, let's bring it back together. I know goal setting is a personal journey, but I'd love for a few of you to share one goal that you're excited to work on this year. No pressure at all, but if you're willing, share one goal with us."

(Allow 3-4 students to share if they are comfortable. Acknowledge and praise their efforts.)

"Thank you for sharing! Remember, setting goals isn't about being perfect; it's about having a direction and taking steps forward. Your goals can change as you grow and learn throughout the year, and that's perfectly fine. The important thing is to reflect and adjust."

"I want you all to know that I'm here as a resource for you. If you need help with your goals, or anything else, please don't hesitate to reach out. You've got this, and I'm really looking forward to seeing all the amazing things you'll accomplish this year! Have a fantastic start to 9th grade!"

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Warm Up

9th Grade Hopes & Dreams

Welcome to your 9th-grade journey! To get us thinking about the year ahead, take a moment to reflect.

Question:

What is one thing you are most looking forward to, or one new thing you hope to experience, in high school this year?







(Counselor Note: After students have written their responses, invite a few to share their thoughts with the group.)

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Cool Down

My Next Step

Now that you've thought about your goals, let's focus on immediate action.

Question:

What is one very small, immediate step you can take this week to move towards one of your 9th-grade goals?







(Counselor Note: Encourage students to keep their worksheet and revisit their goals. You might invite one or two students to briefly share their 'next step' as an exit ticket.)

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