Developed by Sarah Elder

Level: 9-12
Goal Setting

Standards


Learning

Expectations / *This activity was adapted from Indiana’s Southern Indiana Twenty-first Century Scholars Support Site
This activity will help students acquire competencies which relate to the following standards:
  1. Skills for Academic self-confidence, learning, and success
  1. Career awareness and employment readiness
skills
The student will:
1.7 choose attitudes and behaviors that lead to successful learning
1.9 demonstrate dependability, productivity, and initiative
4.7 demonstrate balance between work time and leisure time

General Approach

/ Students will develop goals centering around the 3 domains, academic, career, and social using “SMART” goals.

Activity Steps

/
  • Explain that a goal is a destination, something that you want or need, which you acquire by taking certain steps. It gives direction to our plan of action.
  • Explain that to be really effective, goals should always be in writing and should be meaningful to you. When YOU set your goals, you are much more likely to accomplish tem if your parents, teachers, or even friends tell you what you want to accomplish!
  • Use attachment to show students what “SMART” goals are. Explain that goals are to be divided into 3 time periods, short-term, immediate, and log-term.
  • Have students make a goal sheet, attached, for themselves using at least 1 goal for each domain, and 1 for each time period.
  • Discuss the opportunity costs that the students would have for choosing the goal that they choose to discuss in the example. Explain that every goal has a cost…what had to be given up to get the goal. “Long-term goals might cost more than short-term goals if we are measuring time, for example. But, personal accomplishment and happiness may be more important to you than the time given up to get there. You have to know you’re your values are in order to choose your goals. What are some of the costs of the long-term goals?”


Time Required

/ This activity should take 45-60 minutes.

Resources Needed

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  • Pencil or pen for each student
  • “SMART” Goal Sheet for each student
  • Attachment for instructor to explain “SMART” goals


Performance Indicators / Students will acquire a knowledge of what “SMART” goals are, and, students will learn how to choose obtainable goals for all areas of his/her life.