Writing Instructional

Objectives
Guidelines for Effective Lesson
Planning
 Instructional Goals
Before beginning to
write your
instructional
objective(s), consider
the larger educational
goal to which the
objective leads.
 Instructional Goals
There are certain
expectations that
people have for
individuals who have
completed twelve
years of school.
Instructional Goals
We expect high
school graduates to
be able to solve
problems
Instructional Goals
And to critically
evaluate issues and
make decisions.
 Instructional Goals
Students do not
achieve these goals
at one grade level or
in one class.
Instructional Goals
One teacher cannot
be responsible for
students achieving
these goals.
 Instructional Goals

A team of teachers is
required.
Instructional Goals
Begin by identifying
the part of the goal to
be achieved in the
lesson you are
teaching.
Standards
The state standards
are a good place to
start.
 Task Analysis
Writing instructional
objectives for a
complex goal such as
problem-solving or
critical thinking
requires completion of
a task analysis.
 Task Analysis
Consider this Students will be able
educational goal. to write a complete
sentence .
 Task Analysis
What must a student be able to do to
complete this task?
 Task Analysis
Students will be able to write a complete
sentence.
Students are able to distinguish parts of
speech.
Students are able to distinguish subject and
predicate.
Students are able to distinguish a complete
thought.
 Task Analysis
Students will be able to write a complete
sentence.
Students are able to distinguish a clause.
Students are able to distinguish a subordinate
clause.
Students are able to distinguish a phrase from
a clause.
 Task Analysis:
Determining Student Abilities
After the task analysis
is complete, you need
to determine which
tasks students have
already mastered and
which they continue
to need work. This is
often referred to as
formative evaluation
or formative
assessment.
Writing Instructional Objectives
Think about what a
student who achieved
the objective would
look like.
 Writing Instructional Objectives
A student who can Distinguish a complete
write a complete thought
sentence can Distinguish a
subordinate clause
Distinguish a phrase
from a clause
Express a complete
thought in a sentence
that includes a
subordinate clause
Writing Instructional Objectives
Now think about what
the weakest students
in your class can do.
Writing Instructional Objectives
Now you should have
an idea of the
learning tasks to
establish for your
students.
 Writing Instructional Objectives
The sample of tasks
you select should
reflect the level at
which students are
operating in the
cognitive,
psychomotor, and/or
affective domains.
 Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Knowledge
Recalls the names of the parts of speech
States the definition of noun and verb
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Comprehension
Identifies subordinate clauses in a sentence
States the difference between a clause and a
phrase in his/her own words
 Cognitive Domain: Application
Application
Writes a sentence with a subordinate clause
 Cognitive Domain: Analysis
Analysis
Identifies errors in a set of sentences and
corrects those errors.
 Cognitive Domain: Synthesis
Synthesis
States reasons for requiring a subordinate
clause to be included within a complete
sentence
 Cognitive Domain: Evaluation
Evaluation
Critiques a set of communications for their
ability to communicate clearly.
 Writing Instructional Objectives
As you write instructional objectives, you
should remember the following :
 Guidelines for Instructional
Objectives
Instructional
objectives guide the
use of instructional
activities
 Guidelines for Instructional
Objectives
Instructional
objectives guide the
selection of
instructional
resources
Not Vice Versa
Guidelines for Instructional
Objectives
Instructional
objectives focus on
learning outcomes
for students,
NOT actions by the
teacher
 Guidelines for Instructional
Objectives
Instructional General learning
objectives are aimed outcome:
at general learning Students are able to
outcomes. use grid lines on a
map to find locations.
 Guidelines for Instructional
Objectives
Learning outcome
They are not specific specific to a set of
to a given set of resources:
Students are able to use
resources
the grid lines on a map
of Wisconsin to find
Birchwood.
 Guidelines for Instructional
Objectives
Instructional Students will
objectives are stated understand the law of
in terms of observable supply and demand.
student outcomes. is not a statement of
an observable
outcome.

 Guidelines for Instructional
Objectives
Students will use the law of supply and
demand to explain the pricing of consumer
products.
is a statement of an observable outcome
Students can be asked to provide an
explanation of the pricing of a consumer
product.
 Guidelines for Instructional
Objectives
If you are going to use a broad
instructional objective such as
understands, then provide sub-objectives
that describe what a student who
understands looks like.
 Guidelines for Instructional
Objectives
Example:
Understands the requirements for a complete
sentence
States the rule for writing a complete sentence
Identifies examples of complete and incomplete
sentences
Identifies statements that express a complete thought
Writes complete sentences
 Guidelines for Instructional
Objectives
Instructional objectives determine
assessment and evaluation.
Choosing Appropriate Instructional
Objectives
Which of these two Students will be
statements is more shown the steps for
appropriate as an solving a word
instructional problem.
objective?
Students will identify
the steps in solving a
word problem.
Choosing Appropriate Instructional
Objectives
The first statement identifies what the
teacher will do, not what the learning
outcomes for students will be.
Therefore, the second statement is the
more appropriate statement of an
instructional objective.
Choosing Appropriate Instructional
Objectives
Your unit examination requires students to
pick out groups of words that express a
complete thought.
Which of the following is an appropriate
instructional objective for the unit?
Choosing Appropriate Instructional
Objectives
A) Students will be B) Students will be
able to write a able to identify
complete sentence. statements that
express a complete
thought.
Choosing Appropriate Instructional
Objectives
B is the appropriate instructional objective
for the examination item identified.
Statement A requires a different level of
development and a different form of
evaluation.
 Instructional Objectives Summary

Start the process of determining

instructional objectives by reviewing the
subject area standards for the grade level
you are teaching.

Identify the standard your lesson is

focused upon.
 Writing Instructional Objectives
Summary
If the standard involves learning a
complex concept, generalization, or skill,
complete a task analysis.

Identify the steps in the task the lesson will

address.
 Writing Instructional Objectives
Summary
The statement of an objective should
reflect an appropriate level in the
cognitive, affective, or psychomotor
domain.
The statement identifies learning
outcomes for students and not actions by
the teacher
 Writing Instructional Objectives
Summary
The statement guides the selection of
instructional resources and activities.
The statement determines the
assessment or evaluation that will be
used.
 Writing Instructional Objectives
Conclusion
Instructional objectives
guide the remaining steps
in planning a lesson.
No lesson can be
effective without effective
instructional objectives
A lesson without effective
objectives is like a trip
without a destination,
 Writing Instructional Objectives
Conclusion
You dont know where
you are going
You have no means
to determine how to
get there
And, you dont know
when you have
arrived