Colorado Quality Standard 3: Board Objectives
I change the class objectives daily to ensure that students have a good idea of what is going to happen during class. I include an essential question (main unit of study), reading objective, and language objective. We focus on different reading strategies and language/grammar topics that both relate to the essential question, tying everything together. When our day’s plan is spelled out for students, they know what to expect. If students have homework, or other things to work on, they know the work expectation first. This helps keep students focused on learning English first, and then formulate questions for me about other subjects in a rather complex high school setting.
My classroom is often busy and has many different things going on at a time. I may have students taking a test in alternative setting, while also teaching a full hour of English. Keeping my objectives clear in a complex environment helps keep students on task, with an end goal in mind (Element G). This also indicates where we are starting and what we will accomplish within the hour. This is a practice that is also developmentally appropriate for adolescent students who need more structure and predictability than adults (Element A).
Starting class out by pointing out our objectives really sets the mood for class. I have found that standing next to our objectives, pointing them out, and explaining them clarifies what is expected, and what we will learn today. When I forget to stand right next to my objectives board, but simply explain what we will do, students seem a bit more off-task and unclear about expectations. Because I teach ELLs, it is always helpful to have a visual while speaking, because second language learners go through far too much of their day with little visual support for spoken directions.