Home›Lesson Plans›PE & Health›Fitness · Grade 8

Setting a SMART Fitness Goal

Eighth graders learn how to turn a vague wish to get fitter into a SMART goal, from making it specific and measurable to setting a deadline and tracking progress, and put the steps in order.

Grade 8Setting a SMART Fitness Goal45 minutes1 class periodSHAPEExplicit teaching4 StandardsSHAPE
Start the Lesson
Assign or share this lesson
Share to Google Classroom Share to Microsoft Teams

Copy link works with Canvas, Schoology, Moodle and any other LMS — paste it in as a resource or assignment.

Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Make a goal specific.
  • ✓Make it measurable.
  • ✓Set a deadline.
  • ✓Order the steps.
Essential Question

A wish and a goal are not the same thing. What are the steps that turn 'I want to get fit' into a goal you can actually reach?

0
Lesson Phases
0
Vocabulary Terms
0
Standards Aligned
0
Interactive Task
Put in Order · Interactive

Order the Steps

Project this and put the steps of setting a SMART fitness goal in order — tap each step from specific to time-bound.

🎯 Put the steps of setting a SMART goal in orderTry it
Tap the steps in order, starting with naming exactly what you want.
The Lesson · Health & PE Flow (Warm-Up · Learn · Practice · Apply · Cool-Down)

45 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Hook — Get Fit... How?

5 min

Saying 'I want to get in shape' sounds good but leads nowhere. What turns a vague wish into a goal you can actually reach?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show a vague goal.
  • Ask what's missing.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Think.
  • Share.
  • Get ready.
2

Use — Order the Steps

12 min

Students put the SMART-goal steps in order.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Order the Steps.
  • Order the steps.
  • Name each one.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Order.
  • Say.
  • Note it.
3

Modify — Fix the Goal

13 min

Students sharpen a weak goal.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Read a vague goal.
  • Add the missing SMART part.
  • Rewrite it.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Read.
  • Add.
  • Rewrite.
4

Create — My Fitness Goal

15 min

Students write a SMART goal.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Pick a fitness target.
  • Write it as a SMART goal.
  • Plan how to track it.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Pick.
  • Write.
  • Plan.
5

Reflect — Make It Count

5 min

Students reflect on goal-setting.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Why make a goal measurable?
  • Why set a deadline?
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the SHAPE America National Standards for Health Education and Physical Education.

SHAPE
PE.3

Set a specific, measurable fitness goal.

SHAPE
PE.4

Plan and track progress toward a goal.

SHAPE
HE.6

Use goal-setting to support personal health.

SHAPE
PE.5

Value planning for a physically active life.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • SMART letter cards.
  • Sentence frame: “My goal is to ___ by ___ .”
  • Order two steps at a time.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with 'specific'.
  • Build one goal together.
  • Add one SMART part at a time.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Write goals for several fitness areas.
  • Add milestones to a goal.
  • Critique and improve a sample goal.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 🖼️SMART-goal cards
  • 💻Order the Steps
  • 📓Goal / tracker sheets
  • ✏️Pencils
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

SMART goala goal that is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-boundspecificclear and exact, not vaguemeasurablesomething you can track with a numberachievablerealistic for where you are nowrelevanta goal that matters to youtime-boundhaving a deadlineprogressthe improvement you make over timetrackingrecording progress toward a goal
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What does SMART stand for in goal-setting?
Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
QUESTION 2
Why make a fitness goal measurable?
So you can track your progress with a number and know whether you are actually improving.
QUESTION 3
Why set a deadline for a goal?
A time limit keeps you motivated and gives you a point to check whether you reached it.

Create: my fitness goal.

Have students pick a fitness target, write it as a full SMART goal, and plan exactly how they will track progress toward it. A printable goal-setting worksheet is in the PE & Health library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Setting a SMART Fitness GoalFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
0

Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Setting a SMART Fitness GoalQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Setting a SMART Fitness GoalPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: achievable, measurable, progress, relevant, SMART goal, specific, time-bound, tracking
  1. realistic for where you are now
  2. a goal that matters to you
  3. the improvement you make over time
  4. recording progress toward a goal
  5. something you can track with a number
  6. having a deadline
  7. a goal that is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound
  8. clear and exact, not vague

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What does SMART stand for in goal-setting?
  2. Why make a fitness goal measurable?
  3. Why set a deadline for a goal?
Answer key — Part A: 1) achievable · 2) relevant · 3) progress · 4) tracking · 5) measurable · 6) time-bound · 7) SMART goal · 8) specific
Part B: 1) Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. 2) So you can track your progress with a number and know whether you are actually improving. 3) A time limit keeps you motivated and gives you a point to check whether you reached it.