1. Defining Your Dreams
6th Grade
Smart Goals #1

2. On Your Own… Read the quotes on the next slide.
Choose one quote to reflect on -
What does it mean? What message do you think the speaker of the quote was trying to get across? How does the quote apply to you?

3. Quotes
Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.
Gloria Steinem
Nothing happens unless first we dream.
Carl Sandburg
I have learned, that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.
Henry David Thoreau
There is nothing like a dream to create the future.
Victor Hugo

4. Think-Pair-Share Pair up
Share the quote you selected and what you believe it means.
Direct students to share the quote they selected and what they believe it means with a peer.
Ask for volunteers to share with the class.
Microsoft, 2011

5. Objective
Today’s lesson is about defining your own dreams and considering what it is you’re working toward in your life.
Setting goals starts with discovering your dreams.
The first step in setting goals is to discover what you really want in life – what you dream you can accomplish in your future.
Remind students that one habit to success in middle school and in postsecondary school is to set goals for yourself
Reach for Your Dreams!
Microsoft, 2011

6. Activity
Complete a timeline of your past, present, and future life events.
Fill in past and present events that impacted your life to the left of the age when they occurred.
Fill in future events to the right of the age when they might occur.
Handout the timeline worksheet and inform students that they will complete a timeline of their past, present, and future life events.
Instruct students to begin with the past events and fill in important events or events that they think impacted their lives somehow next to the corresponding age on the left of the timeline.
Microsoft, 2011

7. High School, Driver’s Permit
Lifeline Example
Born
Learned to Talk
Learned to Walk
Learned my ABCs and 123s 5
Started School
Sister Born
Grandma passed away
First ten-speed
Car accident
Middle School
Won the Geography Bee
High School, Driver’s Permit
Driver’s License, First job
Graduated from high school, Started college
Won a scholarship, declared an English major
Grandpa passed away
Graduated from college, Obtained a teaching job
Niece born
Got Married
Bought a house 10 15 20 25
Start a family
Go to Europe
Become a principal
Retire
30+

8. Share
What are some of your most valued past experiences or those your feel impacted you the most?
What are some of the most important present experiences to you?
As students are wrapping up their past and present events, ask for volunteers to share their most valued/important past and present events.
Instruct students to move to the right side of the line and fill in their “Future Events,” which are the events they want to happen in the future and when they think they might occur.

9. High School, Driver’s Permit
Lifeline Example
Born
Learned to Talk
Learned to Walk
Learned my ABCs and 123s 5
Started School
Sister Born
Grandma passed away
First ten-speed
Car accident
Middle School
Won the Geography Bee
High School, Driver’s Permit
Driver’s License, First job
Graduated from high school, Started college
Won a scholarship, declared an English major
Grandpa passed away
Graduated from college, Obtained a teaching job
Niece born
Got Married
Bought a house 10 15 20 25
Start a family
Go to Europe
Become a principal
Retire
30+

10. Future Events What do you enjoy doing? What don’t you enjoy doing?
What do you like to read about?
What gives your life meaning and purpose?
What are your talents and skills?
What do you daydream about most often?
Describe three people you admire. What do they do that you think is great? What makes them special?
What matters to you more than anything else?
If you could be anything, what would it be? Why?
Students may get stuck on the future events.
Inform students that dreams are often big and fueled by emotions and that many people don’t have a big dream for their life, so they’re not alone if they’re in this situation.
If they’re searching, they can consider the questions above.
Ask for volunteers to share some of their future events.

11. Next Step
Circle three future events that are most important to you now.
Which 3 events do you most want to occur?
Microsoft, 2011

12. Share Share your lifeline with a classmate.
Point out the most important events in your past and present and the three events you circled in the future.
Explain why you circled those 3 events.

13. Reflect Log in to Naviance Click the “My Planner” tab
Click the “Tasks Assigned to Me” tab
Complete the “Lifeline Reflection” survey

14. Reminders
Bring your lifeline to class next time to help you with setting long-term and short-term goals.
We will explore colleges and careers in the future and your dreams for the future will be a good starting place.
Eventually, we’ll add your goals for the future to your Postsecondary Plan

15. References
Microsoft Office Images. (2011). Retrieved from