# Handout 2.4: SMART Goal Builder

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________ Period: ______

**Directions:** A wish is something you want. A goal is a wish with a number and a date on it. Today you learn the five-letter test, fix five goals that fail it, and write two of your own that pass.

### Word bank in other languages

[Check with a native speaker before printing.]

| English | Turkish | Portuguese | Spanish |
|---|---|---|---|
| goal | hedef | meta (objetivo) | meta (objetivo) |
| specific | belirli (net) | específico | específico |
| measure | ölçmek | medir | medir |
| deadline | son tarih | prazo | fecha límite |
| stretch goal | büyük hedef (uzun vadeli) | meta ambiciosa | meta ambiciosa |

## Part 1: The five letters, and SMART vs stretch

| Letter | Stands for | In my words | The question to ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| S | Specific | | What exactly will I do? |
| M | Measurable | | What number will I count? |
| A | Achievable | | Can I actually do this with what I have? |
| R | Relevant | | Which of my values does this connect to? |
| T | Time-bound | | By what date? |

A **SMART goal** is: _____________________________________________________________________________

A **stretch goal** is: _____________________________________________________________________________

Rule: a stretch goal is not wrong. It just cannot be your only goal. Every stretch goal needs a SMART goal under it.

## Part 2: Sort the six

Your teacher shows six goals. Write S for SMART, ST for stretch, or V for vague.

| # | Goal | S, ST, or V |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | I will play in the NBA. | |
| 2 | I will raise my math quiz average from 72 to 80 by the end of the marking period by doing the practice set every night. | |
| 3 | I want to be healthier. | |
| 4 | I will save $60 by December 1 by putting $5 a week from my allowance in the jar. | |
| 5 | I will own my own restaurant. | |
| 6 | I will try harder in school. | |

## Part 3: Fix the vague goal

Each goal below is missing some letters. Write the missing letters, then rewrite it as a SMART goal. Use the frame if you want it: **I will [what] [how much] by [date] by [how].**

Fix at least three. Grade 6: two. Grade 8: all five.

| # | Vague goal | Missing letters | My SMART rewrite |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I want to get better at math. | | |
| 2 | I want to be healthier. | | |
| 3 | I want to save money. | | |
| 4 | I want to read more. | | |
| 5 | I want to be a better basketball player. | | |

Partner check: trade papers. For each rewrite, circle the number and the date. If either is missing, hand it back.

## Part 4: My two SMART goals

Open your Lesson 2.1 sort sheet. You need your top three values for the R.

**My school goal**

I will _______________________ [what] _______________________ [how much] by _______________________ [date] by _______________________ [how].

| S | M | A | R | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Check: | Check: | Check: | Check: | Check: |

The value it connects to, and how: _____________________________________________________________________________

**My outside-school goal** (home, a sport, money, a skill, a friend, anything not for a class)

I will _______________________ [what] _______________________ [how much] by _______________________ [date] by _______________________ [how].

| S | M | A | R | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Check: | Check: | Check: | Check: | Check: |

The value it connects to, and how: _____________________________________________________________________________

**Stretch in disguise?** Is either of your two goals really a stretch goal (big, far away, not fully in your control)? Circle: School / Outside / Neither. If you circled one, write the SMART goal that goes under it:

_____________________________________________________________________________

Grade 8 stretch: Write a stretch goal for the career on your 3-2-1 card, then two SMART goals under it: one for this year and one for high school.

Stretch goal: _____________________________________________________________________________

This year: _____________________________________________________________________________

High school: _____________________________________________________________________________

## Exit card

My school SMART goal in one line. Circle the number and the date.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Keep this sheet in your FACS folder. Tomorrow one of these two goals gets a ladder.

* * *

# Teacher key

**Part 1.** Accept any plain-words version. A SMART goal: the next step you can actually take, with a number and a date. A stretch goal: the big thing the steps climb toward; far away, and not fully in your control.

**Part 2.** 1 ST, 2 S, 3 V, 4 S, 5 ST, 6 V. Goal 6 is the argument: some students say "try harder" is achievable. Ask what number they would count. There is none, so it is V.

**Part 3.** Missing letters and one sample rewrite each. Accept any rewrite that has a specific action, a number, a date, and a realistic how.

| # | Missing | Sample SMART rewrite |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | S, M, T (and how) | I will raise my math quiz average from 72 to 80 by the end of the marking period by doing the practice set every night. |
| 2 | S, M, T | I will drink water instead of soda at lunch every school day for four weeks, starting Monday, and keep a tally on my folder. |
| 3 | S, M, T | I will save $60 by December 1 by putting $5 a week from my allowance in the jar. |
| 4 | S, M, T | I will finish two books by December 20 by reading 20 minutes every night before bed. |
| 5 | S, M, T | I will make 7 out of 10 free throws by the end of the season by practicing 20 minutes after school three days a week. |

A rewrite that says "I will read more books this year" is still vague; send it back for a number and a date.

**Part 4.** A "got it" goal has all five checks filled and a value named. The value link is the R, and it is where the goal becomes the student's own. A goal with no value link is usually a goal a parent gave the student; do not mark it wrong, but ask about it. The outside-school goal is often a stretch goal ("get a puppy"); that is what the "stretch in disguise" box is for, and the SMART goal under it ("save $15 a week for 10 weeks") is the answer.

**Scoring for daily work.** Complete: Parts 1 to 4 done, two goals with all five checks and a value link. Partial: one goal complete, or goals without a number or date. Missing: no goals written.