Essential Learning 101
I can develop ten learning standards for my students.
By the end of this lesson, I will have developed ten essential learning statements for my students.
Essential learning: as teachers we hear it all of the time, but what does it really mean? Is it just the latest educational jargon mean to bamboozle us and the public into thinking that we're really accomplishing something?
What are Essential Learning Statements?
Essential Learning Statements are learning statements expressed in kid-friendly terms that outline the learning that will be demonstrated by the end of the course of study.
Essential Learning Statements are a result of answering the following question:
Why should a student take this course?
In my case, I want to know why my students should take my sixth-grade writing course.
Here are my learning statements for my sixth-grade writing course:
I can write a piece of text with a beginning, middle, and end.
I can write a paragraph that answers a question by citing evidence.
I can interpret instructions by employing a "do-what" chart.
I can write a thesis or claim based on the writing prompt.
I can identify the six purposes for writing.
I can prewrite and analyze text using RAFT.
I can use RADAR to revise my writing.
I can proofread and edit my writing for the conventions of Standard English.
I can write pieces of text for the following purposes: reflect and express, inform and explain, and evaluate and judge.
I can create and use an outline to organize my writing.
I can write an essay and then publish it as an alternative genre of writing.
I can read independently and write responses to show my understanding.
I can create questions to guide my research.
These statements guide my learning team's planning. We use these to keep us focused on what we really want to assess in each lesson. We give students copies of these statements at the beginning of the year, and we have posters in each of our classrooms to reinforce the learning.
Sometimes, the learning overlaps. That is expected in the writing classroom. Rarely are they taught out of context. Reading and writing are the core activities in every lesson.
Here are my learning statements for my sixth-grade writing course:
I can write a piece of text with a beginning, middle, and end.
I can write a paragraph that answers a question by citing evidence.
I can interpret instructions by employing a "do-what" chart.
I can write a thesis or claim based on the writing prompt.
I can identify the six purposes for writing.
I can prewrite and analyze text using RAFT.
I can use RADAR to revise my writing.
I can proofread and edit my writing for the conventions of Standard English.
I can write pieces of text for the following purposes: reflect and express, inform and explain, and evaluate and judge.
I can create and use an outline to organize my writing.
I can write an essay and then publish it as an alternative genre of writing.
I can read independently and write responses to show my understanding.
I can create questions to guide my research.
These statements guide my learning team's planning. We use these to keep us focused on what we really want to assess in each lesson. We give students copies of these statements at the beginning of the year, and we have posters in each of our classrooms to reinforce the learning.
Sometimes, the learning overlaps. That is expected in the writing classroom. Rarely are they taught out of context. Reading and writing are the core activities in every lesson.
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