We all want our students to build real proficiency. We want them to use language in meaningful ways, not just complete activities. But when we are handed a unit Can-Do Statement like:
"I can compare my daily eating habits to those of the target culture."
it can feel a little big. For teachers and for students.
Not because students cannot get there, but because the path is not always clear. What does this look like day to day? How do we help students build the skills they need, not in one giant leap, but in small, manageable steps?
This month I have been digging into this question with a group of teachers and I wanted to share what we talked about in our first session - how to break down a unit Can-Do into digestible, student-friendly daily targets that layer together to create meaningful progress.
Why Daily Learning Targets Matter
Daily learning targets are more than objectives. When framed as Can-Do Statements, they help students:
- understand the purpose behind what they are doing
- see their own progress
- stay focused on communication
- prepare for bigger, more complex tasks
- build confidence through small wins
Daily Can-Do learning targets also help teachers stay aligned to the unit's end goals so each task becomes purposeful, and progress is intentional, not accidental.
Start With the Big Can-Do
Every unit has one or more culminating performance goals. Think of these as the destination. For example a novice unit Can-Do might be something like:
"I can compare my daily eating habits to those of the target culture."
Before we think about lessons or activities, we pause and ask:
What does success actually look like?
What would a student say or do to show they can do this?
Here are a few examples:
- "In the U.S., I eat dinner at 6:00, but in Spain, people eat later."
- "I eat cereal for breakfast. In Nicaragua, people often eat gallo pinto."
- "We have short lunches at school. In France, lunch is a longer meal."
These small example performances help us clarify the elements students need to build.
Break It Down - Step by Step
We looked at how this Can-Do Statement naturally breaks into smaller sub-skills. In our session, we identified four things students would need to know and be able to do to successfully meet this objective.
- Identify their own eating habits
- Interpret information about the target culture
- Use simple comparison language
- Make a clear comparison with one similarity or difference
Each of these become a Daily learning target. Each is a small goal that moves students one step closer to the final destination.
Four Days of Daily Can-Do Statements
Here is what that looks like in practice.
Day 1. My Own Eating Habits
Daily Can-Do:
"I can describe what I usually eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner using simple words or phrases."
Students focus on their routines first. This is accessible and confidence-building.
Day 2. Target Culture Eating Habits
Daily Can-Do:
"I can identify key details about eating habits in the target culture from a short text, image, or video."
Students gather cultural knowledge through interpretive input.
Day 3. Building Comparison Language
Daily Can-Do:
"I can use simple words and phrases like 'in ___ but...' or 'both...' to show a similarity or difference."
Students practice the function of comparing
Day 4. Putting It Together (Mini Performance)
Daily Can-Do:
"I can state one similarity or one difference between my eating habits and those of the target culture."
This is a small, achievable bridge task before the full performance.
Why This Works
Instead of treating the final Can-Do as a big task at the end, daily learning targets:
- make learning visible
- build skills in a logical sequence
- ensure students get the right scaffolds at the right time
- make instruction more intentional
- help students stay focused on communication
And most importantly, students feel successful every day, not just at the end.
Try This With Your Next Unit
Here is a simple process you can use anytime:
- Choose your unit Can-Do
- Describe what student success looks like in the real world
- List the sub-skills, knowledge and understandings that students need
- Turn these smaller into a Daily Can-Do Statement
- Align tasks to each daily target
This turns one big goal into a clear, manageable learning journey.
Want to Learn More?
Download the slide deck here with additional resources and examples.
Together, we can make learning more meaningful, more communicative, and more student-centered. One Daily Can-Do at a time.
Coming soon…Aligning tasks to Can-Do statements.