Framing the Lesson

Have you ever noticed all the multiple ways that teachers list the learning objectives for students in the classrooms? Examples i.e., "I can...," or just verbatim from CScope or teacher handbooks.   Have you ever had to REALLY search for them?  Have you ever wondered, does that notice really serve a purpose?
In my professional reading of "The Fundamental Five," I have found the answer to those important questions.  The learning objective is a statement of what the student can expect to learn, today.  Broken into two pieces, the second part is the closing question, product, or task.  What I want my teachers to know is that stating the objective at the very beginning of a lesson or unit must be a deliberate act on the part of the teacher.  It should be written in concrete, student-friendly language and is presented int the form of a "We will..." statement.  The closing question, product, or task is also written in concrete, student-friendly language.  It provides the students with a clear understanding of how he or she will demonstrate what was learned in the lesson.  This provides proof to both the student and the teacher that the objective of the lesson was met.  Properly constructed, the two parts together improve the rigor of the lesson.  An example, "We will identify the components of an effective lesson frame." And, "I will create and share a lesson frame with my table group."  This example of the objective is written at the Bloom's Level of comprehension with the verb, "identify."  The closing product will move the students to a higher level of rigor, synthesis with the verb "create."
Since our focus this year is to bring our students levels of thinking to higher levels, we will utilize this practice.  All of our students will benefit.