Help your students build the executive functioning skills they need to set and achieve goals with this ready-to-use counseling and SEL lesson plan. Perfect for grades 5–8, these engaging lessons teach students what long-term goal setting looks like, the steps required to reach those goals, and how to stay motivated along the way.

Through hands-on activities, students will explore the role of flexibility, rewards, attention, progress monitoring, and breaking tasks into small steps—all key strategies for goal-directed persistence and success in school and beyond. These 2 lessons are part of a complete 20-lesson Executive Functioning Curriculum designed for classrooms, small groups, and counseling sessions.

What’s Included:

• 2 Detailed, Scripted Lesson Plans (black & white)
• Slides for Instruction & Activities (PPT file, opens in Google Slides – not editable)
• Pre/Post Test for progress monitoring
• Station Labels & Instructions (black & white + color)
• Skills Visuals (black & white + color)
• Student Handouts including:
  • Small steps activity
  • Progress monitoring tools
  • Rewards survey
  • And more!

Perfect For:

• Middle school counseling lessons (grades 5–8)
• Small group counseling or one-on-one student support
• SEL curriculum integration
• Study skills and goal-setting workshops
  

Time Required:

Each lesson takes approximately 45–50 minutes (flexible depending on your group).

FAQs:

Q: Do I need extra materials?
A: Just common classroom supplies—pencils, plastic cups, note cards, magazines, scissors, and glue.

Q: Can I use this in small groups or with an individual student?
A: Yes! These lessons are flexible for whole class, small group, or individual use.

Q: Can I open this in Google Slides?
A: Absolutely—upload the PPT file to your Google Drive to present.

Give your students the tools to set meaningful goals, stay focused, and persist through challenges with this Goal Setting & Goal-Directed Persistence lesson plan!

Get the full curriculum here!

Please Note: this is a digitally downloadable resource. You will not receive anything in the mail.