Things that you hope will be achieved during a lesson or sequence of lessons are called what?

• A. Aim
• B. Objective
• C. Goal
• D. Target

Answer: (A)

The broad, guiding outcome you want for a lesson is called the aim. It states the overall purpose or direction of the teaching and what you hope students will understand or be able to do by the end of the lesson or sequence. Because aims describe a wide, long-range intention rather than specific, measurable steps, they fit the idea of what you hope will be achieved in a lesson.

Aims are the larger target that informs planning, while objectives break that down into concrete, observable skills or understandings students will demonstrate. Targets are particular performance criteria used to judge success, and goals are often used interchangeably with aims in everyday use, but in this framing the emphasis is on the aim as the broad intended outcome.