Literary Analysis & Author's Craft IEP goals for grades 3 to 5
10 of the literary analysis & author's craft templates in the library are written for grades 3 to 5. Each opens in the builder, where the grade band is a starting point and the baseline comes from your own assessment.
10 templates · 1 skill · 3–5 · How we write and review goals
Goals by skill
Numbers are illustrative; set targets from the student's own baseline.
Pick the theme statement that fits a story
Theme and central idea
By the annual IEP review date, after reading or listening to a short instructional-level story, given four statements (a theme, a topic word, a plot event and an off-target lesson), the student will choose the statement that gives the story's lesson about life and point to one event that shows it independently with at least 80% accuracy on theme choice items, on 3 of 4 consecutive biweekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected every two weeks.
Sort short texts by why they were written
Author's purpose
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 short texts (ads, recipes, letters, stories, how-to pages and news briefs) at the instructional level, the student will sort each text as written to persuade, inform, explain how, or entertain and underline one clue for each independently with at least 80% accuracy on short texts sorted by purpose, on 3 of 4 consecutive biweekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected every two weeks.
Label narration as first or third person
Point of view
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 short instructional-level passages, some told in first person and some in third person, the student will label each passage first person or third person and circle the pronoun that shows it independently with at least 90% accuracy on point-of-view passages, on 3 of 4 consecutive biweekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected every two weeks.
Name the device in a figurative sentence
Figurative language and literary devices
By the annual IEP review date, given 12 sentences from instructional-level texts, each containing a simile, metaphor, personification or hyperbole, the student will name the device in each sentence and underline the words that make it independently with at least 80% accuracy on figurative language sentences, on 3 of 4 consecutive biweekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected every two weeks.
Explain idioms met during a read-aloud
Figurative language and literary devices
By the annual IEP review date, during a class read-aloud, when the teacher pauses after an idiom in the text, the student will say what the idiom means in the story in their own words or with a picture choice before an adult prompt in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, on 3 of 4 consecutive weekly sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Sort passages into genres by their features
Genre features
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 short excerpts from poems, plays, fables, myths and informational texts, the student will name the genre of each excerpt and point to one feature that shows it independently with at least 80% accuracy on genre excerpts, on 3 of 4 consecutive biweekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected every two weeks.
Grades 3 to 5 literary analysis & author's craft goals build on foundational skills and begin to use longer tasks, multi-step work, and independence as the target. Measurement shifts toward curriculum-based probes, work samples, and rubrics the student can see.
Matching data sheets
Each goal above links to the blank sheet built for its measure. These are the sheets this set of goals uses:
- Accuracy trackerNumber correct out of number attempted, with percent accuracy and support level.Used by 8 goals here
- Opportunity trackerRecords each opportunity as independent, prompted, or not demonstrated.Used by 1 goal here
- Rubric trackerScores each rubric criterion and totals the score for each sample.Used by 1 goal here
Frequently asked questions
What changes in literary analysis & author's craft goals between the early and upper elementary grades?
Tasks get longer and more independent, and the support level in the goal moves from prompts toward checklists and self-monitoring. The measure often changes too, from direct observation to work samples and probes.
Can an upper elementary goal include self-monitoring?
Yes. Students at this age can check their own work or rate their own behavior, and the goal can measure both the skill and the accuracy of the self-rating.
How do I set a criterion for a grade 3 to 5 student working below grade level?
Use the student's baseline on the measure and expected growth for that measure, not the grade-level benchmark. The goal should be ambitious for the student, as Endrew F. requires, and reachable within the year.
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