Transform Goal Setting
At the beginning of this year, we decided as a school to focus our goal setting on writing. We hoped to help our students learn how to set individual goals to support their writing.
Starting Off
When starting off, we went through the students’ writing at the beginning of each month and talked about what goal they should set for themselves based on a writing rubric we used. At the end of each month, we review the kids’ writing and the rubric once again to analyze how their goal is going. After review, students have an option to keep their goal or decide on a new goal. Because the rubric was the only reference, it started to limit my students when they were setting their goals each month.
The Transformation
I recently stumbled upon a product on Teachers Pay Teacher called “Writing Goal Getters” from Teach Love and Iced Coffee’s. It was EXACTLY what I needed as the reference for my students. As soon as I bought it, I started to brainstorm how I was going to intertwine this new discovery with the rubric I was already using.
I decided to create a board to help display the goals. I printed the goals on Astrobright paper and slipped them in the Target Dollar Spot label pouches. I then stuck the labels to a foam board to display each goal. My students now are able to meet with me and decide their goal based on options other than the rubric. They are not limited to these goals but it helps the brainstorming process.
After choosing their goal, I taped it to the inside lid of their pencil boxes. This was so they would have a constant reminder of their goal throughout the day. Another way to display their goals would be to use a clip chart. You could print and laminate the goals and then hot glue the goals to a thick piece of ribbon. You could then number or write the student’s name on each clothes pin and have them clip their pin on the goal that they choose. This product has really transformed the way I do goal setting in the classroom and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in writing goals.
Thank you so much for sharing my Writing Goal Getters! Love all that you are doing with it. We are loving using it in my first grade classroom.