New Year, New Goals in The Classroom: Setting Students Up for Success
New year, new goals! Creating goals in the classroom after the holidays always seemed like the best way to readjust to our school routines. I wanted students to feel that fresh start of the new year as they came back from break. With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season coming to a close, reflecting on the year and our goals was a perfect way to ease back into the classroom.
Honestly, this was always my favorite time in the classroom as a teacher. It mirrored the beginning of school when students were new and anything was possible! But now, there was a key difference that really got me excited as we began thinking about where we wanted to be by the end of the school year – I knew my students much better, and they knew themselves and what they needed to accomplish in fifth grade a little bit better, too. That made making goals much more exciting and much more accurate.
The How & Why
When thinking about creating goals, modeling this skill is important. Students need to see that creating goals in the classroom is more than just stating a hope for the future. Setting clear and measurable goals takes it to the next level and enhances accountability for students. Have students create their goals (up to 3 academic goals seems to be a good number to aim for). Then, have them think about what it would look like when they hit their goal. They can brainstorm how they would feel and what would happen if they reached their goals. Then, they come up with an action plan. This can be a tricky skill for students and this is where modeling comes in. If their goal is to learn their multiplication tables with automaticity by the end of the year one of their action steps might be “complete 1 round of Xtramath fact practice 3 times a week for the remainder of the year.” They can track their progress by creating a checklist and marking off a square each time they complete a round of fact practice.
The hype of the holiday season is a magical time. Let’s get in on that magic with our students by allowing them to dream big. Check out my 2023 new year goal packet for a great and easy way to incorporate that into your classroom!
Psst! Hey teacher friend! Do you want to try out a super fun math game with your fifth grade students? Tic-Tac-Math Mixed Review Game is a great way to help your students practice math skills and reach some of the math goals!
