Write the Objective

The first step to designing a lesson is to determine the expected outcome, what students will know or be able to do. The outcome is described in the objective. The objective should include

• Action – what the student will be able to do at the end of the lesson
• Conditions – how it will be done
• Mastery level – how well it must be done

Action:

When deciding what the student will be able to do at the end of the lesson, it is critical to think in terms of an action, a behavior you can observe. It helps to use the phrase “The student will…” and supply a verb to describe what the student will do. You can use a list of action verbs to prompt your thinking about what students will be able to do.

Conditions:

This part of the objective describes the circumstances in which you want the action to occur, or how the action will be done. These circumstances may describe the location, format, time limits, context, or directions. They may also describe the types of assistance that will be provided, such as prompts, tools, or materials.

Mastery level:

Mastery refers to the expected level of performance, or proficiency, expected of the students. It can be expressed numerically (with 90% accuracy) or descriptively (with accurate vocabulary). It is important to determine the mastery level before the lesson to guide the students’ progress, if needed. Student achievement can be monitored and instruction can be adjusted.

Accommodations are changes to the way student access instruction and demonstrate performance. They are not generally used with objectives. Students in need of accommodations are expected to learn and master the lesson objective.

Modifications are changes to what students learn. For students working on a modified curriculum, changes can be made to the lesson objective.

Accommodations in Lesson Design

Go to sample lessons: Elementary School | Middle School | High School

Present Content | Introduce | Practice & Feedback | Summarize | Assess