Free learning target generator
TeacherHero's learning target generator turns a standard into one student-facing target plus the three success criteria that make it checkable. Below is real output for a Grade 7 ELA standard. Inside a full lesson, that target is what all six sections are then generated backwards from.
One target students can read, plus the three success criteria that make it something you can actually check.
Learning target — developing a central idea
One target in student-facing language, plus the criteria that turn it from a topic into something you can grade.
Learning target
I can trace how an author develops a central idea across a text, and use specific details to show where it changes.
Success criterion 1
I can state the central idea in one sentence, in my own words.
Success criterion 2
I can point to at least two places in the text where the author adds to or shifts that idea.
Success criterion 3
I can explain how the second detail changes the idea rather than just repeating it.
The third criterion is where the standard actually lives. If your task only produces the first two, the lesson is one level below the standard.
Frequently asked questions
What is a learning target?
A statement of what a student will be able to do by the end of one lesson, written in language the student can read. It is narrower than a standard — a standard usually takes several lessons — and it is what the lesson's final task must produce evidence for.
What is the difference between a learning target and a standard?
A standard is the destination and is written for adults; a learning target is one day's step toward it, written for students. One standard normally spans several targets. The standard says what must be true by the end of the unit; the target says what is true by the bell.
Why do I need success criteria?
Because a target on its own is not checkable. Success criteria say what the evidence looks like, which is what lets a student self-assess and what stops a lesson from drifting one level below the standard. They are also the fastest way to spot that drift while planning.
Does TeacherHero need a learning target to plan a lesson?
Yes, along with what students will produce. Every one of the six lesson sections is generated backwards from those two answers, so a blank one is blocked in code rather than quietly generating something generic. The target is the first thing you set.
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See the outputThis is one section of six.
A whole TeacherHero lesson generates all six with your course, unit, and week in context — along with the packet, slides, printables, and answer keys.
Plan a whole lesson free