Goal Getters Teacher Guide Pencil Box Lesson Plan
Goal Getters
Grades 3-5 Back-to-School Companion Guide
SESSION TIME 45 - 60 Mins
🖍️
The Mission Outline
Welcome to the new school year! In this lesson, students pack their metaphorical "Backpacks of Success" by learning the building blocks of SMART Goals . They will craft a focused academic goal, map out supporting daily routines, and earn cute star trackers to decorate their personal goal logs.
Supplies Checklist
Goal Getters Slides
Goal Getter Booklet (1/student)
Power Up Exit Slip (1/student)
Colored pencils, crayons, sticker dots
Pencil Box Words
SMART Goal: A super-clear target path that helps us study and learn better.Daily Habit: Little actions we repeat every day (like packing our lunch).Co-Pilot: A classmate who helps check our math and cheers us on!
Session Pacing Breakdown
Activities Pacing Teacher Step-by-Step Directions 1. Backpack Unpack 10m Introduce the "backpack" concept. Ask students what supplies are essential for school. Metaphorically bridge into goals—why do we need goals in our backpacks? 2. Drawing Goals 15m Review the interactive presentation. Explain SMART goals step-by-step. Contrast vague goals ("I want to write well") with precise ones. 3. Workshop Time 20m Students fill out their **Goal Getter Booklet** independently. Guide them through choosing simple, daily academic habits (their goal "fuels"). 4. Pencil Check 10m Put students in pairs for the "Co-Pilot checklist". Collect the **Power Up Exit Slip** to make sure everyone mastered the SMART criteria.
GOAL GETTERS LESSON GUIDE • GRADES 3-5 PAGE 1 OF 2
FACILITATION SCRIPTS & STRATEGIES
Warm-Up & Direct Instruction Scripts
🎒 Step 1: Packing Your Success Backpack
"Imagine you are starting the first day of school, and you open up your backpack, but it is completely empty. No pencils, no paper, nothing! It would be really hard to do work, right? Setting a goal is like packing the perfect pencil case. It gives you exactly what you need to succeed. Today we are going to learn how to write super-sharp goals!"
✏️ Step 2: Super-Sharp SMART Goals
"We want our goals to be as sharp as a brand-new yellow pencil. Dull goals like 'I want to be smart' don't help us. Let's make them SMART. Specific tells us exactly what subject we are targeting. Measurable tells us how we will count our progress. Action-oriented means we use a fun action word! Let's write them down together."
⭐ Step 3: Friendly Class Routines
"A goal is the drawing, but daily habits are the pencils we use to color it in. If your goal is to read, your daily habit might be reading for 10 minutes every afternoon. Let's help each other design simple habits that feel fun and easy to repeat every day."
💡
Keep an Eye Out For
Unrealistic standards: Kids are ambitious! They might write "I will read 100 books daily." Guide them gently back to realistic figures like "1 chapter daily."Mixing habits with rewards: Remind them that habits are actions they *do*, not prizes they receive. The daily tracking star is the decoration, the habit is the study time.
Differentiation & Support
Extra Help
Provide word banks of action verbs (e.g., "count", "read", "practice"). Use colored highlighters to match SMART sections in their goal.
Extra Challenge
Encourage students to design a fallback plan if they miss a habit day, and self-reflect on what gets them off-track (like too much screen time).
GOAL GETTERS LESSON GUIDE • GRADES 3-5 PAGE 2 OF 2
Goal Getters Slides 🎒 Classroom Goal Getters
✏️ PACK YOUR BACKPACK!
Ready, Set, GOAL!
We're setting super-sharp academic goals and packing our daily habits to make this our best school year ever!
Grades 3-5 Goal Workshop SLIDE 1 OF 4
📐 Pencil-Sharp Goals
THE SMART CODE
S
Specific
What exact skill are you going to work on?
M
Measure
How will you count or measure your growth?
A
Action
Use an action verb! (Read, solve, write, count!)
R
Realistic
Can you achieve it with fun, daily practice?
T
Time-bound
Choose a target date to complete your goal!
Writing Super-Sharp Goals SLIDE 2 OF 4
🎨 Our Daily Habits
GOAL POWER-UP!
Small habits make big drawings!
A goal is the picture we want to paint, but our daily habits are the crayons we use to color it. Small habits everyday build masterpiece results!
The Habit Planner Formula:
"Every day after _____, I will spend _____ minutes practicing my goal!"
📓 Book Worm Habit
Reading for 15 minutes in my cozy chair right after school.
🧮 Math Wizard Habit
Solving 5 practice cards before playing my game.
🎒 Homework Hero Habit
Writing homework tasks in my planner every afternoon.
Daily Habits Keep Goals Sharp SLIDE 3 OF 4
⭐ Our Lesson Mission
CREW CO-PILOTS
Time to open your Goal Booklets!
You are now receiving your physical Goal Getter Worksheet . Let's write down our plans and check each other's goals with our crew partners!
⭐ Pro-tip: Keep your writing neat so your classroom crew can read and sign off!
🖍️ Goal Getter Steps:
Reflect on last year's successes.
Write your super-sharp SMART goal.
Track your 21-Day Habit stars!
Let's Help Each Other Succeed! SLIDE 4 OF 4
Goal Getters Worksheet 📓 Notebook Companion
GOAL GETTER JOURNAL
NAME:
DATE:
🖍️ Part 1: My School Memories (Reflection)
Let's open up last year's notebook and think about how we can grow! Answer these quick questions:
⭐ Name one thing you did really well or had fun doing in school last year:
⭐ What is a subject or study habit you want to practice more this year?
⭐ Who is someone at school who always cheers you on or helps you out?
📐 Part 2: My Super-Sharp SMART Goal
Fill out each pencil section below to write a goal that is clear, sharp, and easy to measure!
S Specific
What subject or skill are you working on?
M Measure
How will you count progress? (e.g. pages, minutes, points)
A Action
What action verb will you start with? (e.g. read, solve, write)
R Realistic
Why is this a realistic goal for you? (Is it too hard or just right?)
T Time-bound
When do you want to finish this goal?
GOAL GETTER COMPANION • GRADES 3-5 PAGE 1 OF 2
BACKPACK PACKING & FRIENDS CHECKS
STAGE 2: HABITS
🎒 Part 3: My Success Habits
A goal is the picture we want to build, but habits are the crayons! Choose two small actions you will repeat every single day to keep your goal sharp:
✏️ Success Habit 1
What daily action will you do to practice?
Example: "I will read 2 chapters after school."
📂 Success Habit 2
What organizational habit will help you stay ready?
Example: "I will pack my homework folder every night."
⭐ Part 4: My 21-Day Habit Tracker Folder
Let's practice for 21 days! Color in or draw a smiley face in a star sticker every day you complete your habits:
DAY 1
DAY 2
DAY 3
DAY 4
DAY 5
DAY 6
DAY 7
DAY 8
DAY 9
DAY 10
DAY 11
DAY 12
DAY 13
DAY 14
DAY 15
DAY 16
DAY 17
DAY 18
DAY 19
DAY 20
DAY 21
🤝 Part 5: Classroom Crew Signature
Ask a desk partner to double-check your super-sharp goal. If they agree it is SMART, have them write their name below:
Their goal is Specific and Measurable.
Goal Getters Exit Ticket ⭐ Pencil Check-In
GOAL GETTER EXIT SLIP
NAME:
DATE:
Crew Check
Great job working with your classroom crew! Let's do one final pencil check to show what you've learned today.
📝 Part 1: Quick Skill Check
1. Read this goal: "I will be super awesome at reading books." Why is this goal NOT ready for your notebook?
It uses a fun action word
It is too detailed
It does not have numbers or a timeline
It is written in pencil
2. What is the difference between a SMART goal and a daily habit?
A goal is where you want to go; a habit is the little action you repeat to get there.
A goal is written on papers; a habit can only be done at home.
✏️ Part 2: My Finalized Goal Statement
Write down your absolute best, finalized SMART goal statement clearly below:
💖 Part 3: My Goal Confidence
How confident do you feel about practicing and completing your goal? Color in the happy stars!
STABLE
READY
STEADY
GROWING
SUPERSTAR
GOAL GETTERS EXIT SLIP • GRADES 3-5 PAGE 1 OF 1
