https://nifa.usda.gov/ 

program/4-h-positive-youthdevelopment 

National Institute 

of Food 

and Agriculture 

United States 

Department of 

Agriculture 

lesson plan: activity 1.4 

lesson details introduction 

setting sMARt gOAls 

A FederAl PArtnershiP For steM educAtion 

expeditionary

skills

for life 

 

National Aeronautics 

and Space 

Administration 

age/grade level 

Elementary School 

learner outcoMes 

Youth will be able to identify the 

elements of a SMART goal. 

success indicators 

Youth will write a personal SMART 

goal. 

life skills 

Critical thinking, creativity, self-direction, productivity, flexibility, adaptability, responsibility 

national standards 

21st Century Skills / Life and Career 

Skills / INITIATIVE AND SELF 

DIRECTION / develop thinking skills, 

content knowledge, and social and 

emotional competencies to navigate 

complex life and work environments 

21st Century Skills / Learning and 

Innovation Skills / CRITICAL 

THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING / Analyze how parts of a whole 

interact with each other to produce 

overall outcomes in complex 

systems 

prep tiMe 

10 minutes 

activity tiMe 

30 minutes 

Materials list 

Paper, Writing utensils, SMART Goal 

Setting Template for each youth, Flip 

chart paper, Markers 

handouts 

SMART Goal Setting Template 

suggested space 

Desk or table with chairs 

suggested group size 

10-15 youth. If working with early 

elementary youth, additional adults 

or teens may be needed to assist 

youth with terms and writing. 

references 

5 Tips for Teaching Kids How to Set 

Goals 

http://choices.scholastic.com/ 

blog/5-tips-teaching-kids-how-setgoals 

SMART Goal Setting with Your 

Students 

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/ 

smart-goal-setting-with-studentsmaurice-elias 

SMART Goal Setting Template 

https://igrow.org/up/resources/01-1005-2012.pdf 

learning how to describe goals as 

SMART goals is an important skill 

that will help you understand how to 

become successful in reaching your goals. 

SMART goals are:
 

S = Specific
 

M = Measurable
 

A = Attainable
 

R = Realistic and Results Focused
 

T = Timely and Trackable
 

Specific: A specific goal has a much greater 

chance of being accomplished than a general 

goal. EXAMPLE: A general goal would be, “Pick 

up trash at the park.” But a specific goal would 

say, “My 4-H club will pick up trash at the Roam 

Free Park twice a week over the summer 

months.” 

Measurable: Set criteria for measuring progress 

toward the attainment of each goal you set. 

EXAMPLE: “My 4-H club will pick up all trash 

from the Roam Free Park, until the park is clean 

twice a week over the summer months.” 

Attainable: When you identify goals that are 

most important to you, you begin to figure out 

ways you can make them come true. EXAMPLE: 

“My 4-H club will pick up all trash from the 

Roam Free Park, until the park is clean, twice a 

week over the summer months utilizing a 

partnership with the city that supplies our club 

with gloves, bags and other needed resources.” 

Realistic: To be realistic, a goal must embody an 

idea toward which you are both willing and able 

to work. EXAMPLE: Our Club Members can 

dedicate Tuesday Evenings and Saturday mornings for this project. 

continued next page >> 
page 2

lesson plan: activity 1.4 

setting sMARt gOAls, cOntinued 

expeditionary

skills

for life 

		 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	

>> continued from previous page 

Time Bound: A goal should be carried out within a specific 

time frame. EXAMPLE: “My 4-H club will pick up all trash 

from the Roam Free Park, until the park is clean, on Tuesday Evenings and Saturday Mornings during the months of 

June, July, and August utilizing a partnership with the city 

that supplies our club with gloves, bags and other needed 

resources.” 

SMART goals prepare you for success. 

activity instructions 

activity: sMart goals (30 Minutes) 

Discuss: 

•	 What are goals? 

•	 Why do you think they are important? 

•	 Have you had goals for yourself before? If so, what 

were they? 

•	 Did you accomplish your goals? Why or why not? 

•	 What things do you want to do in the next year? 

After the discussion about goals, help the youth to set 

their own personal SMART goals. Be sure to avoid any 

goals that are focused on appearance, as that can send the 

wrong message. 

1.	 Ask youth to write down on a piece of paper 3 or 4 

things they want in the next year. After a few minutes, 

ask them to choose one. 

2.	 Hand out the SMART Goal Setting Template. 

3.	 On a white board or flip chart paper (something so 

that everyone can see) write SMART vertically so that 

each letter may be identified with what it stands for 

(Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Results 

Focused, Timely and Trackable). One component at a 

time, remind youth what it means. 

4.	 Ask the youth to think about the one thing they chose 

that they want and consider each of the components 

described above to form a goal. Using the worksheet, 

they can identify one component at a time, writing 

down what about their goal fits with each component. 

5.	 Ask the youth to combine all of the components they 

have identified into one or two sentences and write it 

down at the bottom of the worksheet. 

6.	 Ask 3 or 4 (more if time permits) youth to volunteer to 

share their goals with the group. 

debrief activity (15 Minutes) 

Youth should sit in a circle. The facilitator should start with 

the youth to their left and ask each youth to say “one word” 

that comes to mind when they think about the activity. 

Once everyone has had a chance to respond, you should 

bring the process to an end by summarizing themes that 

might have appeared during the debriefing. 

• Is it helpful for all members of the team to share a

common understanding of the causes of the conflict? 

Why or why not? 

applied challenge (20 Minutes) 

Help the youth to apply what they learned in real-life 


situations.
 

1.	 Using a sports analogy, what would a “time out” be 

used for in real life? Possible answers: an opportunity 

to stop whatever you are doing and re-evaluate your 

progress towards a goal; a chance to talk with friends 

and trusted adults about your “game plan” and get 

advice on how to proceed. 

2.	 In games like football, basketball, and soccer, there are 

things like “fouls” and “penalties.” Can you think of 

something comparable that might happen to a person 

working towards a goal in life? Possible answers: any 

problems or setbacks that interrupt progress towards 

a goal, such as having trouble in school, becoming sick, 

joining a gang, experimenting with drugs, etc. 

3.	 What happens when an athlete tries and fails to make 

a goal? Possible answers: she or he can try harder the 

next time, be more realistic about personal abilities, 

involve other team members; become frustrated or 

depressed/sad, change to a different position on the 

team. 

4.	 How do these same ideas relate to you not reaching 

your goals? 

5.	 Go back to your SMART Goal Setting Template and 

note where you might encounter a challenge and how 

you can overcome that challenge 


activity 1.4: learner assessMent 

These questions are about things you learned during this 

activity. Please check the circle that best describes you. 

Q1 

Q2 

Q3 

activity 1.4: learner assessMent 

These questions are about things you learned during this 

activity. Please check the circle that best describes you. 

Q1 

Q2 

Q3 

activity 1.4: learner assessMent 

These questions are about things you learned during this 

activity. Please check the circle that best describes you. 

Q1 

Q2 

Q3 

activity 1.4: learner assessMent 

These questions are about things you learned during this 

activity. Please check the circle that best describes you. 

expeditionary

skills


for life

expeditionary

skills


for life 

I know what a SMART goal is. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I understand that using goals can help me achieve things I 

want to accomplish. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I ask for help when I need it to reach my goals. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I know what a SMART goal is. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I understand that using goals can help me achieve things I 

want to accomplish. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I ask for help when I need it to reach my goals. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I know what a SMART goal is. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I understand that using goals can help me achieve things I 

want to accomplish. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I ask for help when I need it to reach my goals. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

expeditionary

skills


for life

expeditionary

skills


for life 

Q1 I know what a SMART goal is. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I understand that using goals can help me achieve things I Q2 want to accomplish.. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

Q3I ask for help when I need it to reach my goals. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me