Learning Targets Helping Students Aim for Understanding in Every Lesson! Part II

Learning Targets (Part 2) I can develop comprehensive Learning Targets for an objective in a unit of study For Understanding I will show this by… Breaking apart an objective into “chunkable” lessons – sequencing learning Creating a clear, specific, and descriptive student-friendly target statement.

How do I design the right learning target for each day’s lesson, and use it along with my students to aim for and assess understanding  Start with the curriculum Standard(s) or Goal(s)  Identify key Skills and Concepts students must know and be able to do (already part of curriculum)  Develop Objectives  Order the Objectives  Determine how long it will take to teach each objective  Develop Learning Targets for each day’s lesson Essential Question and the Work

What it looks like… Standard Objectives Learning Target Objectives Learning Target Let’s try one together…

Curriculum Standard or Curriculum Goal Curriculum Goal Discuss Abraham Lincoln’s presidency and his significant writings and speeches and their relationship to the Declaration of Independence, such as his “House Divided” speech (1858), Gettysburg Address (1863), Emancipation Proclamation (1863), and inaugural address (1861 and 1865).

Identify Objectives EExplain the literal meaning of the text of the Emancipation Proclamation [comprehension level] EExplain the literal meaning of the “House Divided” speech [comprehension level] EExplain the literal meaning of the text of the Gettysburg Address [comprehension level] EExplain the literal meaning of the text of the inaugural addresses (1861 and 1865) [comprehension level] MMake connections among ideas in the Gettysburg Address and other historical and/or contemporary ideas (e.g., in the Declaration of Independence or other documents and/or in current events). [Higher Order Thinking]

Using your curriculum… 1.Select a standard in an upcoming unit 2.Create the lesson objectives required to teach to this standard 3.Identify the objective(s) you would like to develop learning target(s) for. Your Turn [10 Minutes] o Make your notes on questions 1 and 2 of your handout

Selected Objective(s) Explain the literal meaning of the text of the Gettysburg Address [comprehension level] Make connections among ideas in the Gettysburg Address and other historical and/or contemporary ideas (e.g., in the Declaration of Independence or other documents and/or in current events). [Higher Order Thinking]

List the Essential Learning Content For Today’s Lesson (Knowledge and Skills) If my objectives are… a.Explain the literal meaning of the text of the Gettysburg Address [comprehension level] b.Make connections among ideas in the Gettysburg Address and other historical and/or contemporary ideas (e.g., in the Declaration of Independence or other documents and/or in current events). [Higher Order Thinking] The Knowledge and Skills I need to consider are… Essential knowledge. My students must learn that… – There are relationships between writings and speeches that have influenced the world, past and present. Essential skills. My students must be able to… – Understand and discuss main ideas from each document and speech – Make connections among speeches and documents – Demonstrate the impact each has had, past and present.

What Knowledge and Skills must your students learn for this objective? – Make your notes on question 3 of your handout Your Turn [10 Minutes]

Learning Trajectory Where does this lesson occur in the unit or group of lessons?  Beginning  Middle  End  Explain the literal meaning of the text of the inaugural addresses (1861 and 1865) [comprehension level]  Explain the literal meaning of the “House Divided” speech [comprehension level]  Explain the literal meaning of the text of the Emancipation Proclamation [comprehension level]  Explain the literal meaning of the text of the Gettysburg Address [comprehension level]  Make connections among ideas in the Gettysburg Address and other historical and/or contemporary ideas (e.g., in the Declaration of Independence or other documents and/or in current events). [Higher Order Thinking]

What is this lesson’s “reason to live?” MY THINKING   What have they learned?  What do I need to consider? What experiences have my students had practicing analyzing documents and speeches to extract the main idea and details? How can I connect this concept to something relevant and meaningful to them? Can my students connect information and demonstrate their understanding in multiple ways? How will I ensure my students understand the historic and current impact of these documents and speeches? Essential for Students to Know and Be Able to Do… My students must learn to analyze a sequence of speeches and writings to understand the connections between those documents or speeches, and how that impacts myself and others.

Identify the Learning Trajectory – Make your notes on question 4 of your handout Your Turn [10 Minutes]

Performance of Understanding for today’s lesson – How will the students be asked to show they can do this? What will my students say, write, do or make ???? My Thinking  My students need to: – put information into their own words – demonstrate the impact a written document or speech has on myself and others, both past and current. – generate ideas and design a product that represents those ideas My students must engage in a performance of understanding where they can:  Demonstrate their understanding of text,  Connect main ideas from the Gettysburg Address to the Declaration of Independence and other sources,  express the relevance of main ideas through both past and current perspectives

Develop the Performance of Understanding – What will your students do, say, write or make during today’s lesson to deepen their understandings?  Use question 5 from your handout Your Turn [10 Minutes]

My learning target today is to understand what the Gettysburg Address meant in 1863 and what it means today. I will know I have hit the target when:  I can put the speech into my own words.  I can explain how the Gettysburg Address echoes some ideas from the Declaration of Independence and other Historical documents.  I can explain why the Gettysburg Address still affects people today. State the Learning Target

 I can…  To be able to do this, I will…  I will show I can do this by…  Use question 6 from your handout  Also, review questions 7 – 9 to consider your Success Criteria and how you will weave the learning target into the lesson. Your Turn [10 Minutes]

What Instructional Activities could Students Engage In? - Opportunity to differentiate!!!  Group "unpacking" of text. Sentence by sentence, students in pairs or small groups put the text into their own words. They either look up or figure out the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary. [Oral or written activity]  Give students the text of the Declaration of Independence. Ask them to identify as many points as they can in the Gettysburg Address that refer to something in the Declaration of Independence, and show and explain the connections. Possible adaptation: ask students with below-grade reading skills to concentrate on the first sentence in the Gettysburg Address and the preamble to the Declaration.  Pretend you are making a bulletin board for a class that is studying the Gettysburg Address. In the style of a graphic novel, draw panels that illustrate the speech. Be prepared to explain your drawings. [Note: This project is even better if students create a real bulletin board.]  What effect does the message of the Gettysburg Address have on you, reading it today? Can you find any quotes from more recent presidents expressing similar ideas about soldiers who gave their lives in wars? What do you think are the effects of these comments on family members of the soldiers and on U.S. citizens in general?  Lincoln's phrase "government of the people, by the people, for the people" became a very famous expression about democracy. (1) Using the Internet and the selected literature, find out what sources historians think influenced him to use that phrase. Describe these sources and how they relate to Lincoln and his speech. (2) Although this phrase is not in the Declaration of Independence, show how the phrase also echoes some of the ideas in the Declaration. (3) Given what you know about Lincoln's political views, why do you think he decided to end his speech with this powerful rhetorical device?

What are some possible assessments? - Opportunity to differentiate!!! Conduct in-class oral questioning, preparing questions ahead of time. Build performance assessment opportunities into instructional activities 2, 3, 4, or 5 (above). – Use criteria to construct rubrics for giving feedback during work. – Use the same rubrics to score or grade the final product. Use selected- or constructed-response questions. Exit slip – How does the Gettysburg Address impact me, today?

Possible Rubric or Checklist 210 Evidence from the Gettysburg Address All (or most) relevant points are selected from the Gettysburg Address and correctly interpreted. Some relevant points are selected from the Gettysburg Address and correctly interpreted Few (or no) relevant points are selected from the Gettysburg Address and/or points are not correctly interpreted. Evidence from the Declaration of Independence All (or most) relevant points are selected from the Declaration of Independence Some relevant points are selected from the Declaration of Independence Few (or no) relevant points are selected from the Declaration of Independence Logic and clarity of explanation The way in which the points are connected is clear, logical, and well explained The way in which the points are connected is mostly clear and logical. Some explanation is given. The way in which the points are connected is unclear, illogical, and/or not explained.

Take Aways Learning Targets are a research-based effective instructional strategy proven to improve student performance. The student and teacher must know what they are aiming for and how to achieve success! Effective Planning for Active Learning (Domain 1) can yield a significant improvement in instructional delivery to increase student outcomes (Domains 2 & 3)

Next Steps… Get Started! Start Small… with the essential content areas (reading and math) Think about how you will make the Learning Target visible and “alive” throughout the lesson Learning Walks:  Gather Baseline Data  Ensure that we put-in-practice A Shared Vision of Effective Teaching  Calibrate Administrator's instructional “lens” EXIT SLIPS

Reflecting on Today! What did you feel were the strengths and weaknesses of your learning today?

Reflecting on Today! Bull’s-eye! I can do this well all the time. Close! I know what I am doing, just need practice. Getting better. I’m starting to understand what to do. Just beginning. I’m not sure how to do this yet