Psychological Corollary

A successful person will choose tasks that are within his or her level of competence to ensure continued success.

Lesson Objective

Students will identify goals that people are able to achieve. For example, a student who is a good mechanic may choose to help a person fix a motorcycle, while declining to work on a computer.

Social Behaviors

This lesson shows students that successful people:

Social Vocabulary

• handicaps realistic

Other Vocabulary

• washing machine reporters
• basement apprentice
• install mechanic
• furniture

Suggested Lesson Plans

Introduction

• Ask each student to list five goals he or she would like to achieve.
• Introduce vocabulary.

Group Use of Student Workbook

• For each vignette, have students:
• Read the vignette.
• Identify the consequences if the characters succeed or fail.
• Decide what the characters should do.
• Justify/explain their choices.
• Have students complete the puzzle independently; review answers with the class
1. Problems
2. Efforts
3. Goals
4. Learn
5. Choices
6. Success
7. Try
8. Raise
9. decide

The hidden message is realistic.

Follow - Up

• Ask students to identify two reasons why people set new goals; for example,
• because they want to learn new things, and
• because they are bored and want new experiences.
• Ask students to identify three reasons why we don't want to choose impossible goals. For example:
• We will become terribly frustrated.
• We won't be able to succeed.
• We'll end up feeling bad about ourselves.

Behavior Development Activity

To encourage students to understand their own limitations, set realistic goals, and be satisfied with achievements that may seem modest compared to the achievements of others:

• Have students use the five goals they established in this lesson's introductory activity to complete this activity.
• Ask students to select the two goals they want to achieve most.
• Ask students to identify two or three reasons why they can achieve each goal.
• Ask students to identify two or three problems they might run into as they try to achieve each goal; ask students to consider their own limitations as they identify potential difficulties.
• Have students examine the pros and cons for each goal to decide if each goal is realistic.
• If a student's goal is unrealistic, have him/her revise it to make it attainable.
• If appropriate, have students share their goals with other students; have the class brainstorm two reasons why each student's goal is important or helpful to people in your community or your society (e.g., Kim's skills can help Kathie, Carlos has skills that are helping handicapped people live independently, and Bill's skills help people get to work so they can do other things for other people).
• Discuss why all work is valuable.

Review

• Ask students to
• state two reasons why people set new goals (e.g., to learn new things and to broaden their experiences).
• state three reasons why people try to set attainable goals (e.g., to avoid frustration, to feel good about themselves, and to be able to succeed).
• Ask students to identify two things to consider when evaluating whether or not success is attainable (e.g., difficulty of task and personal limitations).

Homework (Optional)

• Have students identify the following in writing or drawings:
• Three tasks that are easy for them but difficult for other people whom they know.
• Three tasks that are difficult for them but that seem easy for others.