WEEK 9 Lesson Plan

This lesson plan is to help new college students learn to set goals and reap the rewards of educational success and see it as a personal challenge worth working for and to help them see the real and endless possibilities that they can achieve by earning a college degree.  It is for first semester, new college students.

Time Required:  45-60 minutes

Content Standards:

Students will complete school with the academic rigor and preparation essential to choose from a wide range of substantial employment options, as well as transferring to a four year university.

Indicators (Students will…):

Establish challenging academic goals in college.

GOAL:   Students will set short- and long-term goals for their first year.

Activity Statements:

                Students will review the guidelines for setting personal and academic goals.

Materials:

1.            Handout A – “College 101 Goal-Setting Worksheet”

2.            Pen/pencil
3.            Planner that comes with the students College 101 textbook

Procedures:

1.            Give each student a Goal Setting Worksheet.

2.            Go over the guidelines at the top of the list for writing good goals and give students a few
               minutes to set personal and academic goals.  15 minutes

3.            Divide students into small groups and have them share goals with each other.  10 minutes

4.            Use some of the questions below to encourage a discussion on the importance of setting
               long- and short-term goals.  10 minutes

5.            Ask students to share with the large group goals that they all agreed were important.
               20 minutes + or -

6.            Following this process, suggest that each student write two short-term goals (8-weeks
               mid-term) and one long-term (semester) goal in the planner that comes with their College
               101 textbook. (This is to be discussed one on one with their student success counselor in
               their next session as an opportunity for follow up)

Follow-up: see above

Discussion: 

1.            Why is it important to set goals?

2.            Does setting goals help you? How?

3.            How does it feel when you achieve a goal?

4.            Is it hard to think of goals that you would like to achieve?

5.            What strategies might you use to meet your goal?

6.            What obstacles might you have to overcome in order to meet your goal?

7.            What do you think you might need from your classmates, peer coaches, or counselor to help

               you reach your goal?

Contingency Plan:

 It is nearly impossible for this to fail as a guidance plan, it may be hard with a small class size but I have always found it to be a successful way to teach goal setting and is a great Icebreaker during the first week of classes in a semester.