Genre IEP goals: poetry, drama, folktales and informational text

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

A genre IEP goal names the genre, the text level, what the student does with the genre's features, and a rubric or item criterion. Example: given a grade 4 poem, the student will paraphrase each stanza and name one sound device, scoring at least 6 of 8 on a poetry response rubric on 3 of 4 monthly probes. Sixteen goals follow.

Knowing the genre tells a reader what to expect: a fable ends with a lesson, a play is carried by dialogue and stage directions, an article puts the main idea in headings. Students with reading disabilities often read every text the same way, so the features that should help them become noise. Genre goals teach students to use those features to understand.

Teaching students to recognize and use how a text is organized is one of the recommendations in federal guidance on early reading comprehension.^[1] The 16 goals below are grouped by genre. Each has a fictional baseline and a template link. Numbers are illustrations, not benchmarks. For the full set of comprehension strategies, see the pillar guide on reading comprehension strategies.

Decision table: from student profile to goal

What you see	Sub-skill to target	Measure
Reads all texts the same way; cannot say what kind of text it is	Identify genre by features	Passages sorted correctly
Reads poems as run-on sentences; misses meaning	Poetry structure and meaning	Rubric points
Confuses stage directions with dialogue; loses who is speaking	Drama structure	Questions correct; rubric
Retells events of a folktale but misses the lesson	Traditional tales: lesson and pattern	Rubric points
Reads articles word by word; ignores headings and graphics	Informational text features and structure	Questions correct

Identifying genre

1. Sort by features. Baseline: 4 of 10 passages sorted correctly. Goal: Given 10 short passages (poem, play scene, fable, folktale, myth, informational article, biography), the student will name the genre and one feature that shows it on 9 of 10 passages on 3 consecutive monthly probes. Template: sort passages into genres.
2. Fiction or informational. Baseline: 6 of 12 correct. Goal: Given 12 short texts or book covers, the student will sort them as fiction or informational and point to one clue for each on 11 of 12 items on 3 of 4 biweekly probes.
3. Graphic novel features. Baseline: 2 of 6 questions correct. Goal: Given a graphic novel page, the student will answer 5 of 6 questions about panel order, speech bubbles, thought bubbles and captions on 3 consecutive monthly probes. Template: questions about a graphic novel page.

Weak: "Will identify genres." Measurable: goal 1. The weak version has no text set, no feature requirement and no criterion.

Poetry

4. Paraphrase a stanza. Baseline: 2 of 6 on the paraphrase rubric. Goal: Given a grade 4 poem of 3 to 4 stanzas, the student will paraphrase each stanza in one sentence, scoring at least 6 of 8 on a poetry response rubric on 3 of 4 monthly probes. Template: paraphrase a stanza.
5. Poem structure. Baseline: labeled 3 of 8 parts. Goal: Given a poem, the student will label the stanzas, lines, rhyme scheme and one repeated line or refrain, with 7 of 8 labels correct on 3 consecutive probes. Template: find structure parts in poems and plays.
6. Sound and image devices. Baseline: 3 of 10 correct. Goal: Given 10 lines of poetry, the student will name the device (rhyme, alliteration, onomatopoeia, simile, metaphor, personification) and say what it adds, on 8 of 10 lines on 3 of 4 biweekly probes. Template: name the device in a figurative sentence.

Weak: "Will understand poetry." Measurable: goal 4. For figurative language beyond poems, see figurative language IEP goals.

Drama

7. Stage directions and dialogue. Baseline: 4 of 10 correct. Goal: Given a 1-page play scene, the student will highlight stage directions in one color and dialogue in another and name the speaker of each line, with 9 of 10 lines correct on 3 consecutive probes.
8. Character from dialogue. Baseline: 1 of 4 on the rubric. Goal: After reading a play scene, the student will describe one character's feelings and cite 2 lines of dialogue or stage directions as evidence, scoring 3 of 4 on a short-response rubric on 4 of 5 monthly probes.
9. Dramatic irony. Baseline: explained 0 of 3. Goal: Given a scene where the audience knows something a character does not, the student will explain what the audience knows and why it matters, scoring 3 of 4 on the rubric on 3 of 4 monthly probes. Template: explain dramatic irony.

Weak: "Will read plays." Measurable: goal 7. Readers' theater builds fluency with the same texts; see readers' theater for fluency.

Folktales, fables and myths

10. Lesson of a fable. Baseline: stated the lesson for 1 of 5 fables. Goal: Given a fable read aloud or independently, the student will state the lesson and name the event that teaches it on 4 of 5 fables on 3 consecutive monthly probes. Template: pick the theme statement.
11. Story patterns. Baseline: 2 of 6 on the rubric. Goal: Given a folktale, the student will identify the pattern (repeated events in threes, a trickster, a magical helper or a quest) and the problem and solution, scoring at least 5 of 6 on a story elements rubric on 3 of 4 monthly probes.
12. Myth explanations. Baseline: 1 of 4 correct. Goal: Given a myth, the student will state what natural event or custom the myth explains and cite one sentence as evidence on 4 of 4 myths across 3 of 4 monthly probes.

Weak: "Will identify the theme." Measurable: goal 10. For theme in longer stories, see theme IEP goals, and for character, setting, problem and solution, story elements IEP goals.

Informational text

13. Use text features. Baseline: 3 of 8 questions correct. Goal: Given a grade 5 informational article, the student will use headings, captions, bold words and the glossary to answer 7 of 8 questions on 3 consecutive biweekly probes. Template: use headings, the index and the glossary.
14. Charts, maps and diagrams. Baseline: 2 of 6 correct. Goal: Given an article with a chart, map or diagram, the student will answer 5 of 6 questions that need the graphic on 3 of 4 biweekly probes. Template: answer questions using a chart, map or diagram.
15. Text structure. Baseline: identified the structure of 1 of 5 paragraphs. Goal: Given 5 informational paragraphs, the student will name the structure (sequence, compare and contrast, cause and effect, problem and solution, description) and the signal word that shows it, on 4 of 5 paragraphs on 3 consecutive probes. Template: problem and solutions in informational text.
16. Biography. Baseline: 2 of 6 on the timeline rubric. Goal: Given a 2-page biography, the student will build a timeline with 5 key life events in order and one sentence on why the person is known, scoring at least 5 of 6 on the rubric on 3 of 4 monthly probes.

Weak: "Will read nonfiction." Measurable: goal 13. More on structure is in text structure signal words and text features IEP goals.

The comprehension goals page holds 100 templates, and the literary analysis page has goals for theme, point of view and comparing versions of a story.

How to measure progress: rubric scoring

Most genre goals produce a response, not a single right answer, so rubric scoring fits. Use the same rubric all year, with 3 to 4 criteria and 2 points each. Probe once a month for response goals and every two weeks for item goals (sorting, labeling, questions). Use an unfamiliar text at the same level each time.

A 4-criterion poetry rubric for goal 4, 2 points each (8 total): paraphrase of each stanza accurate; own words, not copied; meaning of the whole poem stated; one device named with its effect.

A filled-in rubric scoring sheet for goal 4:

Probe date	Poem (grade 4)	Paraphrase	Own words	Whole poem	Device	Total
Sept 18 (baseline)	Poem A	1	0	1	0	2 of 8
Oct 16	Poem B	1	1	1	1	4 of 8
Nov 13	Poem C	2	1	1	1	5 of 8
Dec 11	Poem D	2	2	1	1	6 of 8

The low column shows what to teach next: stating what the whole poem means. Building a rubric that two adults score the same way is covered in how to create a rubric for IEP goals. Paste adapted goals into the goal checker.

Writing short-term objectives

Split by support or text length, not by percent. For goal 4: paraphrase a 2-stanza poem with a sentence starter; then a 3-stanza poem without a starter; then a 4-stanza poem with one device named.

Adapting by grade

Grade band	Genres to target	Goals on this page
Grades K to 2	Fiction vs informational, fables, simple poems	2, 5, 10, 13
Grades 3 to 5	Poetry, folktales, myths, text features	1, 4, 6, 11, 12, 14
Middle school	Drama, graphic novels, text structure	3, 7, 8, 9, 15
High school	Biography, drama, poetry analysis	9, 16, plus literary analysis goals for middle school

Students who read the words but miss meaning in every genre may need the broader approach in decodes but doesn't comprehend. For older students, federal guidance on adolescent literacy also supports direct, explicit comprehension strategy instruction.^[2]

Frequently asked questions

What is a good IEP goal for genre?

One that names the genre, the text level, a task with the genre's features and a criterion. For example: given 10 short passages, the student will name the genre and one feature that shows it on 9 of 10 passages on 3 consecutive monthly probes.

How do I measure a poetry or drama goal?

Use a short rubric with 3 or 4 criteria scored the same way each time, on an unfamiliar text at the same level. Probe monthly for written responses and record each criterion so you can see which part to teach next.

Should genre goals be separate from comprehension goals?

Usually they are comprehension goals that use genre features. Write one only if genre confusion is blocking understanding. Otherwise, a main idea, inference or theme goal can include texts from several genres.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade, What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences
Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices, What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences

Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.