Learning Targets & Objectives

Objectives are for the lesson and may span over a few days. Objectives can be written as We will statements... Example: We will examine the formation of civilizations in the Indus River Valley. This will likely take more than one class period.

Learning Targets are written as I can statements and are tied directly to your standard. You may be required to write these on the board in addition to your Objective. That is a campus Principal decision.

Remember, Learning Targets are the outcomes of the Objective.

Example Learning Targets for this objective would be:

I can identify the common characteristics of a civilization.

I can explain how the development of farming impacted the growth of early civilizations.

You can have more than one Learning Target for a day and will have multiple Learning Targets for a lesson or topic that spans a few days to a week. Just be realistic as to how much your students can master in one day.

It is also acceptable for the level of rigor of the verb in the Learning Target to be higher than the standard itself. Most of the Social Studies standards are at mid to low rigor level so our Learning Targets and formative assessments are a great way to bump that up!

Learning Targets should help students demonstrate the level of mastery of the content addressed and should help you assess that mastery. To assess mastery of the Learning Targets above you could have students write the characteristics of a civilization on individual post it notes and organize them into political, social, and economic categories. Also, you could have students record a ten second commercial explaining the impact farming had on early civilizations.

Teachers do!

All teachers in the district who are teaching that grade level or course will come to a consensus about which standards should be Power Standards. By determining which standards are the most important for students to master, we can help them focus their learning.

Ask yourself, which standards do students need to master in order to be successful in the next unit of study, the next grade level, or in order to understand the world around them? It is helpful to seek the advice of the teacher your students will have next year! What skills and content do they wish their students entered the classroom with on day one?

We will continue to work together during Cadres and Campus Visits to determine the Power Standards for all SS courses here at LE.

It depends on the complexity of the standard.

For example if the standard says "locate places on the school campus and describe their relative locations" you might spend two class periods taking a tour of the school and creating basic maps that include the location of important places (the bus line, cafeteria, playground, bathrooms, siblings classrooms). Then another day discussing what relative location means and applying that to your map activity.

In a 15-20 day unit for Kinder you might only choose 4 Power Standards. These 4 Power Standards could break down to anywhere from 15 to 20 Learning Targets. It is feasible for a Kinder student to master approximately 3- 4 Learning Targets per week, again based on the complexity.

This changes depending on the grade level you teach and the unit of study. There will be some units that 5 Power Standards is plenty and others where you might be able to have 10-12.

I can... statements are the outcomes of the objective.

Example Objective: We will identify reasons why communities are formed.

Example Learning Target: I can explain reasons people form communities.

Example Formative Assessment: Create a chart that includes at least three reasons people form communities. Please add a picture to represent each reason.

LET ME KNOW!

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acampbellwyatt@littleelmisd.net

Email: acampbellwyatt@littleelmisd.net
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Location: 300 Lobo Lane, Little Elm, TX, United States