For January, we will be exploring self-discipline through goal setting. If you are a International Baccalaureate PYP school, I have also included the PYP Learner Profile attribute "thinker."
These are fun, interactive lessons that I really think your kids will love. Just in case you can't wait to find out the yearlong plan - here you go!
These are fun, interactive lessons that I really think your kids will love. Just in case you can't wait to find out the yearlong plan - here you go!
Kindergarten: A Hike to Goal Mountain
For this lesson, I really wanted to introduce the concept of actions that take you towards a goal and actions that take you away from a goal. I've worked with so many little ones that really struggle to see the connection between choices and consequences, and this seemed like a natural fit. In this lesson, the class works together in a cooperative game to try to reach the top of goal mountain. You could easily make this game by hand but if you would like the game ready-made, you can purchase here on TPT.
First Grade: Reach for the Stars
For my first graders, I wanted them to begin thinking about a goal that they would be interested in and then 2 steps for reaching that goal. It was important to me that they be able to write their own goal. This is a hard lesson for first graders but, with support, can be so valuable. Really, the goal doesn't matter - it can be to collect all the My Little Ponies in the world - just as long as the steps to reach that goal are related. In this example, my students are always concerned about beating their mile time in PE - our PE Coach is great about incorporating goal setting into his talks on fitness and health. This would also be a great lesson to do with star shaped die-cuts!
Second Grade: Step to Action
In this group activity, students will receive a baggie of cards that contain 5 steps to reach a goal. Working together, they sort the cards in order of completion. This activity is designed to get the kids thinking about order and purpose to reaching a goal. Once they have completed a set of cards, they can trade with another group and keep going!
Third Grade: Role Plays
Moving on up to Third Grade and working on independence! I don't know about you, but my students LOVE role plays. They literally cheer when they hear we are doing role plays in a lesson. Honestly, I love them too - so fun AND some great independent skill building. Here, students will work with their group to plan a role play that includes a goal and five steps to achieve that goal. I've even created a rubric to help students know what is expected of them.
Fourth Grade: Cartoon Dreams
Let the creativity flow! Fourth graders have most likely already begun some goal setting in their learning. To expand this concept, they can create a cartoon showing an identifiable goal and three steps to reach this goal. I have always been impressed over the years how creative kiddos can get when creating a cartoon. This is one of my favorites for sure.
Fifth Grade: SMART Goals
In my district, fifth graders are getting ready to enter the world of middle school as 6th graders. January is a great time to start focusing on their ultimate goal - lockers and independent lunch (kidding- mostly). I've created an awesome SMART Goal printable that you are welcome to use in your office or during a SMART Goal lesson - it's FREE in my store. Below, I have an example of the fillable worksheet I created to go with the 5th grade lesson.
Whew! I knew that was going to be a long post! These are simple, focused lessons. It is always my goal to provide you with all the information that you need to recreate on your own. If you prefer less planning (or better clip art and fonts), you can purchase these lessons as a bundle at my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Each individual lesson can be purchased separately as well (links in headings).
