LEARNING OBJECTIVE

Define SMART goals, describe the steps needed to set goals, and identify ways to be resilient when goals are not met.

HEALTH ED STANDARD

Students will demonstrate the ability to use goal-setting skills to enhance health. (NHES 4)

KEY VOCAB

entourage, accomplish, specific, envision, expectations, overwhelmed, amygdala, paralysis 

Lesson Plan: Go For #Goals

Setting realistic goals and breaking them down can help teens on the road to success. This step-by-step guide breaks down the goal-setting process in easy-tounderstand terms. 

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

How can I turn my goals into SMART goals that will help me achieve success and bounce back when I don’t?

 CLOSE-READING QUESTIONS

  1. Why is it important to have a goal that is specific? You need to know what you’re aiming for so you can set yourself up for success. 
  2. What makes a goal action-oriented? An action-oriented goal isn’t based on luck or circumstance, and is something that’s in your control. 
  3. How can having support help you achieve your goals? Talking to someone who has experience, like a coach or teacher, can help you break your goal into realistic mini-goals. Your friends and family can check in on your progress and help cheer on your success. 
  4. What is the amygdala and how does it work? It’s the part of the brain that sounds the alarm and tells the body to fight, run away, or freeze up.

Like What You See?

Then you'll love Choices, our health, social-emotional learning, and life-skills magazine for grades 7–12 

 CRITICAL-THINKING QUESTIONS

  1. Why is it so important to have a goal that is timebound? Identify a goal in your life that doesn’t have a deadline and give it one. Possible answers: If you don’t have a deadline, you might not ever get around to it. For example: I keep saying I’ll learn how to cook someday, but still haven’t done it. I can try learning a new recipe a month. 
  2. Your friend sets a goal to go from a failing grade in math to an 85% by the end of the semester. You know this isn’t realistic, but you don’t want to discourage them. What would you say? Answers will vary. 
  3. What is the best way to handle it when you don’t reach your goal? Describe a time you came up short and what you learned in the process. Answers will vary.

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

EXTENSION ACTIVITY

NHES 6, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.4

Just like with anything else, when it comes to setting goals, practice makes perfect! In this activity, students will pair up and TURN GOALS INTO SMART ONES. After identifying the error in each of the goals, your students will rewrite each goal using the tips from the article as a guide.

MAKING CONNECTIONS

NHES 6

A successful goal needs a solid plan. Health goals often don’t stick because they aren’t realistic or we say they’ll happen “soon.” In this activity, students will identify a PERSONAL WELLNESS GOAL and develop a stepby-step plan. Turn it into a group project by having students record podcasts interviewing each other about their goals.

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