Welcome students and introduce the lesson. Explain that today they’ll learn about college readiness—what it means and how to start building the skills now. Highlight that small steps today matter for future success.

Define college readiness in your own words and emphasize that it’s more than grades—it’s a set of skills and habits. Ask students to think of things they already do that help them succeed.

List several key skills on the whiteboard and briefly describe each. Encourage students to consider which they use now and which they want to improve.

Explain the paired activity. Distribute the [College Readiness Definitions Worksheet](#college-readiness-definitions-worksheet). Circulate and prompt pairs to explain their choice to each other.

Introduce the SMART framework. Model writing the example goal on the board. Hand out the [SMART Goal Planner](#smart-goal-planner-7th-grade) and guide students as they draft their own goal.

Invite 1–2 volunteers to share their SMART goal aloud. Reinforce that setting small, clear goals builds habits. Encourage students to keep their planners for future reflection.