Setting lesson plan objectives for a group of mixed ages and mixed
levels can be challenging. However, goals are worth articulating because they will help you to do many things which can make
your job both easier and more rewarding. Articulating your goals can help you:
· Focus your teaching
· Remember to keep your expectations realistic
· Measure your students’ progress
· Measure your own progress and know when you have achieved an important success—however small
or big.
Your goals for each lesson can be simple and can certainly
be repeated as appropriate over multiple classes. Set no more than 1-2 goals for each class and remember that indicators of
success will vary based on the ages and levels of your students. For example, if your goal is “children will define
and practice biography writing”, an indicator of success for a 9 year old might be several biographical sentences while
for a 4 year old it might be a self-portrait.
The Providence Public Schools literacy standards are
a good place to start in order to set grade-appropriate goals for your students.
If you did not receive a copy at the recent children’s teacher training, you can contact Naomi at nninneman@provlib.org or 455-8016 and she can e-mail or mail the document to you.
