Henry's Blog

Goal Setting in Grade 9-10
Yokohama International School

Step 1: Identifying strengths and areas for improvement
• Think about your achievement last year in school and in the first few weeks of this school year and make a list of your strengths as well as areas for improvement.
• List them in the table below.

Strengths:
Example: I work well with others

I work well with others
I pay attention in class
I have many ideas in different ranges.

Areas for improvement:
Example: I need to pay more attention in class

I need to be more organized
I don’t have a wide range of vocabulary
I can’t stay still

Step 2: Organizing the information
Looking at the table, identify the top 3 strengths and the top 3 areas for improvement.

Step 3: Identifying my goals
Over the next semester, I want to …. (Insert goal here)
 Aim for three achievable goals over the next semester.
 Be very specific in your goals. Do not state, “I want to do better” or “I want better grades”.
 Be specific about what you would like to improve. For example, “I would like to improve my understanding of the concept of change in Humanities or “I would like to learn 100 new words in French.”

Goal #1:
Over the next semester, I want to …. Read a novel

Goal #2:
Over the next semester, I want to …. Be more organized and don’t forget homework

Goal #3:
Over the next semester, I want to …. Be able to sit still in class

Step 4: Developing strategies to achieve my goals and ways of measuring them to know if I have achieved them. For example:
Goal# 1: Over the next semester, I want be less distracted by my computer.
To achieve this goal I will … (these are my strategies)
1. Make eye contact with the person who is speaking
2. Close the computer down even if the teacher hasn’t told me to do so because I know that I listen better that way
3. Never have anything open which the teacher hasn’t asked me to open
I will know I have reached my goal when…
• These are how I will measure whether I have achieved it
• See Y Chart on PPT slide to help you

Step 4: Developing strategies
Goal # 1: To achieve this goal I will…
Step 1: find a book

Step 2 : try and read everyday regularly

Step 3: understand the grammar used in the book

I will know that I have reached my goal when . . .
I read a book and understood it.

It feels like…

paper

It sounds like…

look

It looks like….

A book

Goal # 2: To achieve this goal I will…
Step 1: make some sort of note type of thing where I can write my homework and look at it easily

Step 2 : actually write stuff in the note

Step 3:carry it around

I will know that I have reached my goal when . . . The number of times I forget my homework decreases

It feels like…

A paper

It sounds like…
coat

It looks like….

A paper

Goal # 3: To achieve this goal I will…
Step 1
Reduce the drumming in class

Step 2 : stop moving around in my chair

Step 3: find something that will keep me still

I will know that I have reached my goal when . . .
I stop moving in my chair all the time
It feels like…

plastic

It sounds like…

pill

It looks like….

A chair