It’s that time again…back to school and a brand new class of kindergartners! Did you know that Setting Goals with Students In Kindergarten is very important and research shows that student performance goes up when students have individualized goals?!
Hey y’all!! I’m Emily, and I blog over at Carnes’ Corner! I love to share activities that I’m doing with my students and well as ideas that I just can’t get enough of…of course, I need to share real life stories, too!
I teach at a charter school, and student-led goal setting is a HUGE requirement for us. Last year, I was super skeptical about how I would even make that happen with my kinders, but as the year went on, I realized it was totally possible, and it wasn’t nearly as difficult as I thought it was going to be.
Setting Goals With Kindergarteners
I wanted to share what I use and how I’m adapting it this year to make student-led goal setting a REAL thing in my classroom!
What I Use:
*Miss Ricca’s Goal Setting Packet
*colored stickers
How I’m using them:
Students are working on three goals at a time. These goals can be academic OR behavioral. For example, the first week of school, ALL students will are working on the same goals: “I can share with my friends”, “I can write my name”, and “I can work quietly”. This way, they can learn how to use their goal setting notebook, and we can incorporate those goals in to becoming successful students.
When the student accomplishes a goal, they can check it off in their spiral notebook, pick out a new goal with you, and wear a lanyard around the school for the rest of the day. This allows them the opportunity to brag on themselves!
The students get SO EXCITED to wear their lanyards around the school. Our staff is really great about asking the students how they met their goal, and cheering them on as they meet a goal. I love it!
Once the students have accomplished FIVE goals, they’ll get a sticker that coordinates with the “level” at which they just moved up the Super Improvers Wall. (For the behavioral goals, I’ll need to “sign off” on them performing the designated goal FIVE times before they can check off that they’ve accomplished it.)
You could have students literally move up the wall, but I find it’s easier to keep their “markers” (caterpillars in my case, which haven’t been added to my board yet) where they are. That keeps the board display neater, and let’s be honest, students love stickers!!)
I’ll be updating and sharing more photos as the year goes on, over at Carnes’ Corner. Make sure you stop by, and let me know how YOU use student goal setting in your classroom!
Thank you Emily for the awesome guest post! Find all of her amazing products at her TPT store, Carnes’ Corner!
I love these ideas, I am just wondering does each child have a spiral book each for the goal setting? would love to know as I am looking for ideas for my kindy’s
Yes, each child has their own spiral notebook, to keep track of their own personal goals.
Where do students store the goals they have not selected yet? Will there be more goals added?