Learning Objective

The learning objective is the academic purpose for the lesson that will be taught by the teacher.

Learning ObjectiveCorrectly designed Learning Objectives drive the whole lesson, ensuring grade level instruction and setting up the lesson for high student success.

Learning ObjectiveCorrectly designed Learning Objectives produce great lessons where you know exactly what is being taught and your students know exactly what they are learning.

Learning ObjectiveA learning objectiive is different from the content standards.•Content standards describe what students are to be taught over the course of the year•Learning objective is a statement that describes what students will be able to do successfully and independently at the end of a specific lesson as a result of your instruction.

Learning ObjectiveExamples:•Add fractions•Describe the process of mitosis•Calculate profit and loss•Plot linear equations•Identify characters.

Why do we need Learning Objectives?

•Effective lessons are built on Learning Objectives•Clear Learning Objectives make students more successful•Learning Objectives allow teachers to measure if students achieve the expected outcome•LO’s tell students what they are expected to do•Correctly designed standards based LO ensure that lessons are on grade level

Components of good Learning Objectives…

LO’s contain the concepts (main ideas), the skills (measureable behavior), and sometimes a context (restricting behavior).

Concept…The main idea of the LO. It is usually a noun (not always though).•In the LO, Write a summary of a newspaper article, summary is the concept.

Skill…Skill is the verb in the LO. In the previous example, write is the skill. In that lesson, students are NOT reading summaries or evaluating summaries. They will learn exactly HOW to write summaries.

Skill continued…LO’s must contain measureable skills…Words like solve, identify, write, compute, describe.Words like learn, understand, really understand, know, or appreciate are NOT measureable.

Skill continued…The skill in the LO must always match the independent practice. If we saw in our LO that students will identify and correctly use synonyms, then we must expect to have our I.P. be this.

Context…Is any specific condition under which the LO will be executed. In “Students will write a summary of a newspaper article,” the newspaper article is the context. To correctly meet this LO, students must write a summary of a newspaper article, not a narrative or poem.

Where do Learning Objective come from?

Standards based LO’s come directly from the content standards.•They are NOT the content standards since LO’s are objectives and content standards have multiple objectives.

Let’s look at deconstructing an Learning Objective

Identify and represent on a number line decimals, fractions, mixed numbers, and positive and negative integers.•Identify decimals on a number line•Identify fractions on a number line•Identify mixed numbers on a number line•Identify negative integers on a number line•Identify positive integers on a number line•Represent fractions on a number line•Represent mixed numbers on a number line•Represent negative integers on a number line•Represent positive integers on a number line•Represent decimals on a number line

Let’s look at deconstructing an Learning Objective…Why is this important?

We have pacing calendars. On our calendar, we use textbooks that reference the standards. For example, they might be asked to identify negative and positive integers on a number line and the publisher will write the standard Identify and represent on a number line decimals, fractions, mixed numbers, and positive and negative integers. We then feel that we have taught the standard, when in reality, we’ve only taught a portion of it.

Why should the LO’s be on grade level?

Content standards are intended to advance the students’ knowledge each year. The grade level of many standards is determined by the skill, not the concept. Here are some examples across grade levels…

Why should the LO’s be on grade level?

•1st Grade-Demonstrate the ability to identify characters in a literary work•2nd Grade-Demonstrate the ability to describe characters in a literary work•3rd Grade-Demonstrate the ability to analyze characters in a literary work(Analyze in the 3rd grade example might mean to break down the character’s physical characteristics and personality characteristics)

Writing Learning ObjectivesFour steps1. Select a grade level content standard2. Identify all the concepts and skill in the

standard3. Deconstruct the standard into specific

LO’s4. Create a matching Independent Practice

Example of a LOIdentify structural patterns found in information text (e.g. compare and contrast, cause and effect, sequential or chronological order, proposition, and support) to strengthen comprehension (4th grade).

Example of a LOIdentify structural patterns found in information text (e.g. compare and contrast, cause and effect, sequential or chronological order, proposition, and support) to strengthen comprehension (4th grade).

What are the skills, concepts and contextSkill-IdentifyConcept-Structural pattersnContext-Information text

Example of a LOLet’s deconstruct the LO:Identify compare and contrast patterns in information textIdentify cause and effect patterns in informational textIdentify sequential order patterns in informational textIdentify chronological order patterns in informational textIdentify proposition and support patterns in informational text

Example of a LOWe see that the context (special condition) for the objectives is informational text. We will ONLY use information (expository) text for these lessons.

Example of a LOIdentify or create an Independent Practice to match the LO.

Example of a LO continued…

During the lesson we will teach our students what a sequential order text pattern is. We will teach them methods to identify it. We will show them how to look for clue words that show things done in order. We will show students to check if the selection still makes sense if the order of the sentence is changed. We will provide examples of sequential order text and non- examples that are not sequential order text.

Example of a LO continued…

We will then provide additional lessons for the other LO’s for the other types of informational text structures. It is easier for students to learn if the standard is broken down into smaller lessons rather than trying to teach everything at once. In culminating lessons, all four types of text structures can be included in the IP.If the lesson is too long, you are probably trying to teach too many LO’s.

What if we already have an independent practice?

1. Look at the IP and align it to a content standard.

2. Look for the skills that students will need to master in the standard

3. Create your LO!

Teaching the LO to the students…

1. You have to teach the LO to the students

2. You tell the students before the lesson what they are going to learn

3. Then you check for understanding to verify that they can describe what they are going to learn

How we DON’T teach LO…

•We don’t place the content standard for the students to see or learnNot to teach a LO to the students

Teaching the LO

1. Present the LO to the students2. Have the students interact the

objective3. Use TAPPLE to check that

students can describe the LO.

Why teach the LO

•Refocuses the students when they are transitioning from activities that might include recess or lunch•Promotes interaction with each other•Promotes development of grade level academic language•Promoting ELL strategies in the presentation of the LO•Choral reading improves fluency•Pair sharing promotes student interaction•You can gesture the LO, another ELL strategy•Taking notes