October 15, 2013

I CAN Posters – Displaying the National Standards

In my district all teachers are required to post objective questions and “I CAN” statements for every lesson. Each I CAN statement is intended to help your students understand the point of the lesson focus learning so that kids know what they’re supposed to be able to do at the completion of that lesson/unit. The statements are truly meant to guide student learning and should be simple enough to be read and understood by students.

I wanted to create something that would be quick and easy to change (often during long class periods I’ll change the focus in my lesson from reading to singing to something else) and still focused enough to address what we’re learning in class. I also a system that was general and versatile enough that I could use it for all my classes, Kinder through 5th grade.

I simplified my I CAN statements to revolve around the National Standards for Music Education (1994). I put the overarching national standard in a small white box but also included a simplified version in slightly larger print below. The idea was that older students could refer to the larger and more complex standard (ex. I can sing by myself and with others) while younger students could look to the simplified version (I CAN sing).

With this bulletin board set I included different numbers for each grade level. If a grade was focusing on one of the standards I would move their number to that poster. If I needed to change the I CAN in the middle of the lesson all I had to do was move their number to the new standard. Kids knew to look for their number on the I CAN board to figure out what specific thing they were working on in that lesson.

I printed the posters on card stock and then laminated them. Before I stapled the posters on the bulletin board I taped three large paperclips on the back on the bottom right of every page. Then I cut out each class’s number (also printed and laminated) and taped magnets on the back of it. With the paper clips and magnets in place, I can easily attach a number to a poster and move it whenever needed. For instance, if first grade is singing then I’ll take their number “1” and use the magnet to stick it to the corner of the “I CAN Sing” poster. If we switch to reading rhythms I’ll move the “1” from “I CAN Sing” to “I CAN Read.”

If you want an easy click, print, laminate, and post version of this set you can download the posters for FREE on my Teachers Pay Teachers Store. If you have comments, questions, or stories about how you made this resource work in YOUR classroom just leave a comment below!