Sight words: words which are frequently used and repeated
Bar graph: a graph that uses narrow columns of different heights to show and compare different amounts
Goal: something that you are trying to do or achieve

Upon completion of this lesson, the student will be able to:

• Track sight word acquisition on a bar graph
• Independently set a realistic goal for sight word acquisition
• Identify at least two components of a “SMART” goal
• Relate sight word goals to financial goals 

Two lessons: 15-30 minutes each with additional check-ins/hands-on use of 5 minutes per student over time

Reaching My Sight Word Goals, one per student – Reaching My Sight Word Goals.docx or
Reaching My Sight Word Goals.pdf

Crayons

White board or anchor chart and markers

My Savings Goal, one per student – My Savings Goal.docx or
My Savings Goal.pdf

Learning Activities:

1. The teacher introduces the concept of goal setting by asking students, “Have you every been on a trip in the car and asked your parents, ‘Are we there yet?” Further questions can be asked to increase student engagement such as: Where were you going? How long was the drive? How did you know when you were there?
2. Explain to students that when you are on a trip your destination (where you are going) is the goal. Define a goal as something towards which you work. Explain that you can set lots of different goals in life.
3. Ask students what might be a goal you would work towards. If needed make suggestions such as running a certain distance, learning a new language, reading a long book or a certain number of books.
4. Explain that in school there are lots of goals for students. One goal is for all students to become great readers. Another goal is for students to become good at math. Share goals you may have for your students.
5. Tell students that each time they learn new sight words, they will be tracked on a bar graph.
6. Draw a simplified example of the sight word bar graph on the board/chart using a maximum of 10 words. Fill in the bar graph with a hypothetical example showing a student that first knows 3 words, then 5. Ask students how many words the student might expect to know the next time? Tell them this would be their goal for the next time and mark it with a smiley face.
7. Show students the graph you will be using for them. Note that the graph provided has space for 25 sight words. If the lists used in your district are shorter or longer, adjust the table accordingly.
8. Explain to the students that each time the teacher, an aide, or a volunteer, practices their sight words the adult will help the student count the number of sight words they could recall automatically. (Advanced students can count independently.) The student or adult will color the bar graph noting the number of words known and mark the next column with a smiley face for the “next-time” goal as guided by the student.
9. Pause at this point to talk about setting SMART goals. Create an anchor chart for SMART goals by writing the word SMART vertically on the board or chart. Tell them that each letter of SMART stands for something and helps us remember that SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time Bound. Demonstrate how their goals would or wouldn’t be each of these. The following could be used as “what if” examples:
1. What if…I say my goal is 8 to 10 words? Is that specific? No. It needs to be a specific number.
2. What if…I say my goal is to know more words than I know this time? Is that okay? No. Just saying “more words” isn’t measurable. “Can you show me where more words would be on this chart?”
3. What if…I set a goal of 200 words for next week and this week I knew 23? Is that realistic? No. Chances are not good that if I knew 23 words this week that I will know 200 words next time.
4. What if…I set my goal in the next column over? Is that time bound? Yes. It means that I want to know that many words the very next time I do it.
10. Have students use the Reaching My Sight Word Goals sheet with you, an aide, or a classroom volunteer over time. Be sure to discuss whether the goal being set each time is a SMART goal.  (Note: Use the list row to identify which list of sight words the student is on using the number, name, or color used for sight word lists at your school. You may choose what qualifies a student to move to the next list such as two perfect assessments in a row.)
11. After the first sheet is filled, staple new sheets on top. At various points, revisit the previous sheets to allow students to revisit their progress and reflect upon their work.
12. After some time has passed, ask students to share what they know about setting goals with sight words. Is it easy? Hard? How do they pick where to set their goal? Do they see trends? Is keeping a graph a good way to see how far they have come and how far they want to go still?
13. Explain to students that what they have been doing is setting short-term goals – things they can achieve the next time they do it. Explain the difference between these and long-term goals such as those attained by the end of the grade.
14. Help students relate what they have learned about setting sight word goals to financial goals. Ask students if they have ever saved money for something they really wanted (such as a toy). Pick one student’s example and demonstrate how he or she could track their saving towards the goal by making a bar graph and coloring in how much money they have. Ask students to identify something they might want and save money to buy. Tell them that these are called savings goals and that both kids and adults can benefit from tracking their progress towards their goals. Have students complete the “My Savings Goal” activity page to indicate what they will save for, how much it will cost, and when they hope to save enough money for it.
15. Encourage students to share these with their parents and discuss whether their goals are realistic and/or attainable.

Extension:

1. More advanced students will progress through multiple lists while others may stay on the same original list. Advanced students can complete an additional page showing their progress towards an ultimate goal such as 100 words by the end of the year.
2. This lesson may also be connected to the winter holidays with children saving to purchase someone a gift or related to New Years when people often set goals as part of their resolutions.

Formative assessments via informal observation will allow the teacher to make adjustments based on individual student needs.  Teachers will gauge student learning through observation of task completion and provide additional opportunities for enrichment or remediation/reteaching as necessary.

A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams can be used to further extend this lesson. In the book the main characters save money towards the goal of buying a new chair. A lesson plan for this book from the Federal Reserve Banks of St. Louis and Philadelphia can be found at http://www.stlouisfed.org/education_resources/assets/lesson_plans/chairformother.pdf.

Pickle Patch Bathtub by Fran Kennedy can also be used to extend the lesson. In the book the characters save towards the purchase of a bathtub earning money by planting and selling cucumbers. A lesson plan for this book from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia can be found at https://www.philadelphiafed.org/education/teachers/lesson-plans/pickle-patch-bathtub.pdf

Other books related to goal setting include:

• Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream by Roslyn M. Jordan (relate to setting career goals)
• Someday by Eileen Spinelli (relate to dream big when setting long term goals)
• Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts (relate to setting goals for things you need versus those you want)
• Curious George Saves His Pennies by H.A. Rey (relate to saving)
• Little Critter: Just Saving My Money by Mercer Mayer (relate to saving)