Getting Started
One of the most important steps in lesson planning is setting a clear, meaningful learning goal or outcome. A strong goal helps you focus your lesson, connect it to essential skills, and guide students toward deeper understanding.
What is a Learning Goal?
A learning goal is a short statement that describes what students will understand, know, or be able to do by the end of the learning experience. It’s not about what they’ll make or complete — it’s about what they’ll walk away with.
Think:
- What skill will they build?
- What concept will they grasp?
- What insight will they gain?
When learning goals are rooted in your students’ developmental stage and aligned to a competency, they become a roadmap for purposeful, engaging instruction.
Here are a few examples:
Ages 2–3: Building Awareness of Others
- Literacy: Real-world Readiness
- Competency: Collaborate and work with others
- Learning Goal: Students will begin to develop an understanding of how their actions affect others and recognize the value of taking turns and following routines.
Ages 4–5: Expressing Ideas Creatively
- Literacy: Creative Arts & Expression
- Competency: Express ideas through art and design
- Learning Goal: Students will develop the ability to express personal thoughts, feelings, or ideas through creative forms like drawing, movement, or dramatic play.
Ages 6–7: Asking and Exploring
- Literacy: Innovation and Design
- Competency: Explore how things work and why
- Learning Goal: Students will develop an understanding of how simple machines make work easier and begin to recognize how systems function.
Ages 8–9: Collaborating and Considering Others
- Literacy: Community Action & Leadership
- Competency: Collaborate across differences
- Learning Goal: Students will develop collaboration skills by listening to others’ ideas and working cooperatively to solve problems or explore shared goals.
Ages 10–11: Explaining and Justifying Ideas
- Literacy: Language & Communication
- Competency: Communicate to inform, persuade, or inspire
- Learning Goal: Students will strengthen their ability to organize and communicate ideas clearly, using evidence and reasoning to support their thinking.
Ages 12–13: Exploring Identity and Making Connections
- Literacy: History & Culture
- Competency: Understand cultures and identities
- Learning Goal: Students will build self-awareness and empathy by examining how their own experiences relate to the experiences, identities, or perspectives of others.
Ages 14–15: Thinking Critically and Evaluating Perspectives
- Literacy: Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
- Competency: Evaluate evidence, perspectives, and ethics
- Learning Goal: Students will deepen their critical thinking by evaluating diverse viewpoints and using that analysis to develop informed conclusions or solutions.
Ages 16–18: Applying Knowledge to Real-World Change
- Literacy: Science & Sustainability
- Competency: Act to protect Earth’s future
- Learning Goal: Students will apply scientific knowledge to analyze the impacts of climate change in their community and develop an action plan that supports the long-term health and sustainability of the environment.
Quick Tips for Writing Great Goals
- Focus on what students will learn, not just what they’ll do
- Connect to a competency and literacy domain
- Think about the age group you’re working with
- Support critical thinking, creativity, and real-world application
Starting with a clear purpose, whether for a creative experience or an academic lesson, helps focus the learning and supports deeper student understanding. It allows you to be intentional about what students are developing, such as the skills, concepts, or ways of thinking that matter most. It also helps learners see why the work is meaningful and how it connects to the bigger picture.