Goal Setting –Short or Long, Make Them Strong
Goal Setting: The skill of determining how you are going to accomplish
what you want (setting the goal, plan for implementation and measuring
success)
(Option 1)
Objective: Students will learn to:
 Choose a goal
 Monitor a goal
 Learn the STRONG strategy
 Assess goal for completion and success
 Develop group and individual goals
Materials



Needed:
STRONG Goal, Attachment A (below)
STRONG Goal Plan, Attachment B (below)
STRONG assessment, Attachment C (below)
Time Frame: (2) 20-minutes lessons separated by at least a week with 5minute goal assessments each class period between the lessons
Lesson Procedure:
1. (Attachment 1) Using a piece of chart paper or display on the board
using LCD projector, put the acronym STRONG going down vertically.
Tell the students that STRONG will help them to set goals and then
review the meaning of each letter.
2. (Model- optional) In a group have students provide you with
something the Advisory class (Den Time) would like to work toward.
Examples of class goals could include; being on time, productively
working on homework, having materials, and providing positive
comments to peers.
3. Once they decide on a topic to address then use the STRONG strategy
to develop a goal plan. Post the goal for the class in a prominent place
where each student can easily see it.
4. (Independent) Have each student brainstorm on potential goals
problems or issues they have on a piece of paper. The teacher may
want to set up parameters for the problems (only school or academic
related or open ended), but it is not necessary for the success of the
lesson.
5. (Attachment B) Once students have identified a potential goal or
problem, have them complete the STRONG Goal Plan (Attachment B).
This can be completed individually or in small groups with teacher
support. (Make copies!)
6. (Self-Assessment) During a 5-minute daily opener review the class
goal with students to monitor for success. Discuss if the goal was
attained. If not, why? If so, what worked? Have students review and
assess individual goals during the same time period.
7. (Evaluation-Attachment) Use the STRONG assessment to see if
students can remember the acronym for STRONG.
8. (Discussion) Have students present their goal(s) and their journey
toward goal attainment. What worked and what did not work for
them?
9. (Follow-up)Continue having students review and assess individual
goals until the goal is attained.
Video Options
Goal Setting Miracles (2:04)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5ua37bbGxM
Goal quotes to music (2:15)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNPbamAf9r4
STRONG Goals – Attachment A
S – State it clearly.
T – Time period. How long before you
accomplish this goal?
R – Requirements. What steps do you
need to take to accomplish your goal?
O – Overcoming Obstacles. Plan for
obstacles in your path.
N – Needs review. Review and assess the
progress toward your goal
G – GOAL ACCOMPLISHED!
STRONG GOAL PLAN – Attachment B
S – State your goal clearly. What do you want to accomplish? Finish the next
sentence. I want to…
T – Time period. How long will it take you to accomplish this goal? Finish the
next statement. By
/
/
I will have
accomplished what I wrote in the sentence above.
R – Requirements. What are the steps I need to take to make my goal happen?
Indicate below which steps you will take.
What I will do
Who could help me
Things to change
1.
2.
O – Obstacles. What could get in my way? Indicate obstacles that could hinder
your progress. What will you do if that happens to help keep you on track
toward your goal?
What could happen
Who could help me if it
happens
What could I do to prevent
or fix the issue
1.
2.
N – Needs review. How often will you check to make sure you doing what you
need to do? Make a calendar below of when you will check and what you will
assess to make sure you are on track toward your goal.
Date
I checked on this
Is this happening?
1.
2.
G – GOAL Accomplished!! Tell how you will celebrate accomplishing your goal.
STRONG GOAL ASSESSMENT – Attachment C
In the sections next to each letter indicate what the letter stands for
in regard to the STRONG Goal-setting strategy.
S-
T-
R-
O-
N-
G-
(Option 2)
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens - Sean Covey
“The paths you choose now can affect you forever.” –Sean Covey
Video
Steven Covey’s (Habit 2)—Begin with the End in Mind (3:12)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSAGYVZX0yw
(Introduction) Brief summary of Habit 2 – Begin with the End in Mind
Begin with the End in Mind means developing a clear picture of where you want to go in life. It
means deciding what your values and principle are and setting goals for yourself. Habit 1 says you’re
the driver, not just the passenger. Habit 2 says that since you’re the driver, decide on your destination
and then create a map to get there.
To begin with the end in mind, you don’t need to decide every little detail right now. That would
take some fun out of the trip. Simply, if you think beyond today and decide in what direction you want
your life to go, it’s more than likely that each step will get you closer to that goal.
You already do it all the time. Don’t you create an outline before you do a research paper? A
recipe before you bake a cake? Map before you take a road trip to Disneyland?
Crossroads of Life
As a teen, you benefit hugely from having an end in mind because you are at a critical
crossroads in your life. The paths you choose now affect your future.
At which crossroads of life are you standing right now? Which roads do you feel you are
choosing (for example, college, marriage, family, career, armed forces, professional athlete, good
health, money, etc.)?
What About Friends?
Begin with the End in Mind teaches that the paths you choose today can shape you forever. If
you join a gain, the things you do may affect you for the rest of your life. If you smoke, drink or do
drugs, how will your health be affected several years down the road?
What values will you choose? What will you stand for? How will you contribute to the
community? Believe it or not, answers to these questions depend on what you do and the decisions you
make as a teenager.
The friends you choose can really affect the choices you make. Friends can help you or hurt you.
They will seriously influence your attitude, reputation, and direction, so choose them wisely.
Who’s In the Lead?
Begin with the End in Mind teaches that if you don’t create a vision of your own, someone else
will do it for you—friends, parents, the media, or someone else. And who knows if their interests are
the same as yours? Unless you create your own vision of who and what you want to be, you will be
quick to follow anyone who is willing to lead, even into things that won’t get you very far.
(Activity) Craft Your Own Personal Mission Statement
A Personal Mission Statement is like a personal credo or motto that states what your life is
about. It is the blueprint for building your life. It is the map for life’s journey. Since your destiny is yet
to be decided, why not decide today to make it extraordinary and leave a lasting legacy?
Start Here!
1. Think of a person who made a positive difference in your life. What qualities does that person
have that you would like to develop?
2. Imagine yourself in twenty years. You are surrounded by the most important people in your life.
Who are they and what are you doing?
3. If a steel beam (six inches wide) were placed across two skyscrapers, for what would you be
willing to cross? A thousand dollars? A million? Your pet? Your brother? Fame? Think carefully.
4. If you could spend one day in a great library studying anything you wanted, what would you
study?
5. List ten things you love to do. It could be singing, dancing, looking at magazines, drawing,
reading, daydreaming—anything you absolutely love to do?
6. Describe a time when you were deeply inspired.
7. Five years from now, your local paper does a story about you, and the reporter wants to
interview three people—a parent, a brother or sister, and a friend. What would you want them
to say about you?
8. Think of something that represents you—a rose, a song, an animal. Why does it represent you?
9. If you could spend an hour with any person who ever lived, who would that be? Why that
person? What would you ask?
10. Everyone has one or more talents. What are your talents? List them.
Mission Statement
Now that you’ve taken time to walk through The Great Discovery, you’ve got a good jump-start
on developing a mission statement. Below I’ve listed methods to help you get started writing
your own mission statement.
Method #1: The Quote Collection: Collect one to five of your very favorite quotes onto one
sheet of paper. The sum of these quotes then becomes your mission statement.
Method #2: The Brain Dump: Speed write about your goals for fifteen minutes. Don’t worry
about what’s coming out. Don’t edit what you’re writing and don’t stop writing. Get all of your
ideas down on paper. The result is that in just thirty minutes, you’ll have a rough draft of your
mission statement. Then you can revise it, add to it, clarify it, or do whatever else you need to
make it inspire you.
Method # 3: Acronym: Take your name and create an acronym with words that describe you. Or
take a word that means a lot to you and create an acronym out of it.
Method #4: Lyrics: Collect lyrics that speak to you and help express what is important to you in
life.
Method #5: Poem or List: Create a poem or list that describes what you would like to achieve in
your life.
Method #6: The Big Lazy: If you’re really lazy, use the U.S. Army’s slogan “Be All That You Can
Be” as your personal mission statement. (Hey, I’m only joking.)
A big mistake teens make when writing a mission statement is that they spend so much time
thinking about making it perfect they never get started. You are much better off writing an
imperfect rough draft and then improving it later.
Another big mistake is that teens try to make their mission statements look like everyone else’s. That
doesn’t work. Missing statements come in many forms –a poem, a song, a quote, a picture, many
words, a single word, a collage of magazine pictures. There is no single right way to do it. You’re
not writing it for anyone else but you.
Covey, Sean. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. New York: Franklin Covey Co, 1998. Print.