Blooms Taxonomy

By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com
Updated November 21, 2025
​Bloom’s Taxonomy is a classification system of learning objectives developed by Benjamin Bloom and collaborators in the 1950s. It outlines six hierarchical levels of cognitive learning, from basic recall of facts to higher-order thinking such as evaluation and creation. This hierarchy supports educators in setting appropriate learning targets, with the understanding that mastery of foundational knowledge is essential before progressing to more complex skills.

​Action Verbs for Writing SMART Goals

​Remember / Knowledge
This level focuses on the student’s ability to recall, recognize, or retrieve previously learned facts, terms, concepts, or procedures. Goals and objectives written at this level emphasize memory, basic recognition, and foundational understanding.

​Suggested Action Verbs: count, define, identify, label, list, match, name, quote, recall, recite, recognize, record, relate, repeat, sequence, tell, underline, write

These verbs help ensure the behavior is observable and measurable, which is essential for clear IEP goal writing.
​Understand / Comprehension
​This level focuses on the student’s ability to demonstrate understanding by explaining concepts, summarizing information, interpreting meaning, or making connections. Students go beyond simple recall and begin to show that they grasp the meaning behind what they have learned.

Suggested Action Verbs: choose, cite examples, conclude, demonstrate, describe, determine, differentiate, discuss, explain, express, identify, interpret, locate, paraphrase, predict, report, restate, review, select, summarize, tell, translate, respond
​
These verbs promote observable, measurable behaviors and support IEP goals that reflect genuine comprehension rather than memorization.
​Apply / Application
At this level, the student uses learned skills or knowledge in new, practical, or real-life situations. Application demonstrates that the student can take what they know and independently apply it to tasks, problem-solving, or functional routines.

Suggested Action Verbs:
apply, calculate, change, compute, demonstrate, employ, generalize, illustrate, initiate, interpret, operate, practice, prepare, produce, relate, role-play, schedule, show, transfer, use, utilize
​
These verbs support goals that emphasize doing—showing that the student can independently carry out a skill or strategy in meaningful contexts.
​Analyze / Analysis
​This level involves the ability to break information into meaningful parts, examine relationships, identify patterns, and understand how components contribute to a larger structure or purpose. Students at this stage demonstrate deeper thinking and the ability to question, compare, and interpret information.

Suggested Action Verbs:
analyze, appraise, calculate, categorize, classify, compare, conclude, contrast, correlate, deduce, debate, detect, determine, diagram, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, draw conclusions, estimate, evaluate, examine, identify, infer, inspect, outline, predict, question, relate, research, separate, test
​
These verbs encourage higher-level thinking and support goals that focus on problem-solving, interpretation, and synthesis of information.
Evaluate
​At this level, the student demonstrates the ability to make informed judgments about the value, quality, or effectiveness of information, ideas, solutions, or methods. Evaluation requires applying criteria, standards, or evidence to support a conclusion.

Suggested Action Verbs:
appraise, argue, assess, choose, compare, conclude, critique, decide, estimate, evaluate, judge, justify, measure, predict, prioritize, prove, rank, rate, revise, score, select, validate, value, test
​
These verbs support goals that ask students to defend decisions, weigh options, or determine the best course of action based on evidence or criteria.
Create / Synthesis
At this highest level of Bloom’s Taxonomy, the student is able to combine ideas, concepts, or skills to form something new. This may involve designing original products, proposing solutions, generating new approaches, or constructing meaningful and creative work.

Suggested Action Verbs:
arrange, assemble, collect, compose, construct, create, design, develop, devise, formulate, integrate, invent, make, modify, organize, perform, plan, prepare, produce, propose, predict, reconstruct, rewrite, set up, synthesize, systematize
​
These verbs support goals that require innovation, strategic thinking, and the ability to bring together multiple skills or concepts in a purposeful way.

​Tip for IEP Goal Writing

Use this taxonomy to ensure your IEP goals and objectives are aligned with the appropriate level of learning—from recalling information to creating new solutions. Select action verbs intentionally to describe observable, measurable behaviors that clearly communicate what the student will do. Choosing precise verbs helps the IEP team monitor progress accurately and ensures goals reflect meaningful skill development.

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Blooms Taxonomy Handout
Blooms Taxonomy Handout