What is a Target Lesson?
Target Lessons are short, easy-to-use, highly engaging lessons that support reading, writing, and classroom discussion. Target Lessons are available for grades 3-12 and for standards RI.1-RI.6 and RL.1-RL.6. Target Lessons are 100% free for teachers and students, forever. Read more about why and how these lessons are free on the CommonLit blog.
Each Target Lesson is designed to be completed in one 50-minute class period and teaches students a key reading skill through skill instruction and skill-aligned questions that they can use to deeply understand the text. Target Lessons are available for the following skills:
- Finding the best evidence
- Main Idea and Central Idea
- Connecting Ideas
- Cause and Effect
- Problem and Solution
- Theme and summarizing
- Finding the meaning of unknown words
- Analyzing Text Structure
- Identifying Author’s Point of View
- Analyzing Character Point of View
- Analyzing Characters
Target Lessons are designed to be flexibly used. They are wonderful for a whole class or small group teacher-led lesson, but they are also appropriate for more independent work. We recommend reading the Teacher Copy for a lesson before deciding how you will use it. Target Lessons also include scaffolded Pre-Reading, During Reading, and Post-Reading activities that are designed to build students' engagement and knowledge as they move through the lesson.
Target Lessons may be appropriate for use as Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions. We recommend consulting with your school or district's Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) liaison for specific guidance.
Read more about how to use Target Lessons in your classroom on the CommonLit blog.