Practical Goal Setting

Overview

In this 21st lesson of 28, students practise turning a broad wellbeing intention into a clear, achievable health goal and communicating it respectfully. They apply SMART goal setting to realistic Year 10 scenarios, including physical activity and heart-rate awareness, while considering support, barriers and personal choice.

Learning intentions

• WALT identify the features of an effective SMART health goal.
• WALT use baseline information, such as exercise frequency or heart rate, to make a goal specific and measurable.
• WALT communicate a personal goal clearly and respond supportively to another person’s goal.
• WALT suggest practical strategies for overcoming barriers to a health goal.

Success criteria

• I can explain why my goal matters and describe what success will look like.
• I can make my goal specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound.
• I can communicate my goal using respectful, encouraging language.
• I can identify one support, one possible barrier and one solution.

Curriculum links

• Physical Education — Personal exercise plan: setting SMART goals based on baseline data.
• Physical Education — Personal exercise plan: using structured training, psychological readiness, self-talk and focus control to improve wellbeing and performance.
• Health and Physical Education — Practices: applying pacing, efficient movement and mental strategies to sustain performance.
• Key Competencies: managing self; relating to others; participating and contributing.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook and connection. Display the opening question in the introduction and hook slides: “Is ‘I want to get fitter’ a useful goal?” Students make a quick thumbs-up, sideways or down judgement, then explain their reasoning to a partner. Briefly connect to previous learning about hauora, baseline information and goal setting.

2. 5–14 min · Direct teaching: from intention to SMART goal. Use the SMART goal teaching slides to revisit specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound goals. Model changing “I will exercise more” into “For the next four weeks, I will complete three 20-minute brisk walks each week and record how I feel afterwards.” Explain that goals should be safe, realistic and chosen by the individual; students do not need to share private health information. Show how an exercise goal might use baseline data such as current activity, recovery, perceived exertion or heart rate, without treating one number as a measure of personal worth.

3. 14–22 min · Teacher model and language rehearsal. Present a scenario from the scenario modelling slides: “A student wants to improve their stamina for cross-country but starts too fast and gives up.” Think aloud to identify the goal, measure, timeframe, pacing strategy, self-talk and support. Model communicating it: “My goal is…, because…. I will know I’m progressing when…. I might need support with….” Students rehearse the sentence frame with a partner, then suggest one encouraging response, such as “That sounds achievable because…” or “Have you considered…?”

4. 22–38 min · Paired role-play carousel. Distribute the SMART goal and role-play worksheet. Place students in pairs and assign each pair a scenario, such as improving sleep routines, increasing regular movement, managing stress before assessments, drinking more water during the school day, or pacing during a run. Partner A has two minutes to turn the scenario into a SMART goal and communicate it; Partner B asks one clarifying question and gives one supportive suggestion. Students swap roles and complete a second scenario. If appropriate, students may adapt a scenario to a personal goal, but sharing remains optional. Circulate and prompt students to make measures observable and time frames realistic.

5. 38–49 min · Feedback and refinement. In new pairs, students use the worksheet checklist to test one goal: Is it specific? How will progress be measured? Is it achievable and relevant? When will it be reviewed? Each student revises their goal and adds one likely barrier and a solution. Invite examples of helpful self-talk and focus-control strategies, such as “steady and controlled”, breathing, breaking a task into smaller steps, or asking a trusted person for support.

6. 49–56 min · Communication circle. Use the communication and discussion slides to display three prompts: “What made a goal easy to understand?”, “What feedback felt supportive?”, and “How can we respect someone whose goal is different from ours?” In groups of five, students share either their refined goal or a fictional scenario goal. Group members respond with one strength and one question, avoiding judgement, comparison or unsolicited personal advice.

7. 56–60 min · Plenary and exit response. Return to the plenary slides and ask students to complete the final section of the worksheet: “My next step is…”, “I will check progress on…”, and “One supportive phrase I can use is….” Collect worksheets as students leave. Reinforce that progress can be reviewed and adjusted rather than judged as success or failure.

Resources

• the Practical Goal Setting slide deck
• the SMART goal and role-play worksheet
• Projector or interactive display
• Pens or pencils
• Timer
• Whiteboard and markers
• Clearly displayed scenario list
• Optional private space for students who do not wish to share personal goals

Assessment

• Listen during modelling and role-play for accurate use of SMART features, safe goal choices and respectful communication.
• Check worksheets for a measurable goal, realistic timeframe, support strategy, barrier and solution.
• Use the final response to assess whether students can identify a review point and a practical next step. Provide feedback before the next lesson.

Differentiation

• Provide the sentence frame “My goal is to…, because…. I will measure it by…. I will review it on….” and a word bank including routine, pace, recover, support, barrier and strategy.
• Allow students to select from fictional scenarios, dictate responses, use speech-to-text or communicate their goal privately rather than sharing personal information.
• Pair students thoughtfully and provide additional rehearsal time or a teacher-supported role-play for students needing confidence with speaking.
• Extend confident students by asking them to include baseline data, two possible barriers, a contingency plan and a specific self-talk or focus-control strategy.
• Ensure goals do not require weight loss, appearance change or disclosure of medical information; students with health conditions should use teacher-approved, safe examples.