Life Skills Arcade Middle school Family and Consumer Sciences, grades 6 to 8

Handout 2.4

Handout 2.4: SMART Goal Builder

Unit
Unit 2: Me, My Goals, My Money
Lesson
Lesson 2.4: SMART Goals
File
Handout 02.04 - SMART Goal Builder.md

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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.]

EnglishTurkishPortugueseSpanish
goalhedefmeta (objetivo)meta (objetivo)
specificbelirli (net)específicoespecífico
measureölçmekmedirmedir
deadlineson tarihprazofecha límite
stretch goalbüyük hedef (uzun vadeli)meta ambiciosameta ambiciosa

Part 1: The five letters, and SMART vs stretch

LetterStands forIn my wordsThe question to ask
SSpecificWhat exactly will I do?
MMeasurableWhat number will I count?
AAchievableCan I actually do this with what I have?
RRelevantWhich of my values does this connect to?
TTime-boundBy 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.

#GoalS, ST, or V
1I will play in the NBA.
2I will raise my math quiz average from 72 to 80 by the end of the marking period by doing the practice set every night.
3I want to be healthier.
4I will save $60 by December 1 by putting $5 a week from my allowance in the jar.
5I will own my own restaurant.
6I 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 goalMissing lettersMy SMART rewrite
1I want to get better at math.
2I want to be healthier.
3I want to save money.
4I want to read more.
5I 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].

SMART
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].

SMART
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.

#MissingSample SMART rewrite
1S, 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.
2S, M, TI will drink water instead of soda at lunch every school day for four weeks, starting Monday, and keep a tally on my folder.
3S, M, TI will save $60 by December 1 by putting $5 a week from my allowance in the jar.
4S, M, TI will finish two books by December 20 by reading 20 minutes every night before bed.
5S, M, TI 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.