Write the lesson and language and unit objectives clearly and in student-friendly language. A learning objective should clearly state student learning goals and how they will achieved them. For example, the objective, "Students will use graphic organizers to pre-write for an expository essay," tells students they will write an essay and start by completing a graphic organizer. Language objectives are slightly more specific. A language objective for this lesson might state, "Students will use key vocabulary to complete a graphic organizer." This way, students know they must use certain terms in the graphic organizer. Unit objectives merely state the overall essential knowledge students should have by the end of the unit, such as, "Students will write expository essays."
Write the order of activities on the board beneath each objective. It's not necessary to break each objective down into individual steps. However, students want to know what you expect of them for each class period, and a list of tasks helps them to keep track of what they have done and what they haven't. For example, if you have graphic organizer completion as the end goal, the list of tasks might look like this: "Notes on expository writing tips," "Paired graphic organizer work," "Individual writing time." This way, students know they will see an example of expository writing as it should look when finished, work with a partner to discuss their graphic organizers and then have time to complete some writing in class.
Assign any homework and clearly write the due date to avoid confusion and misinterpretation. Saying a due date aloud is the surest way to have students fail or forget to complete an assignment. Post the due date for any homework clearly beside the homework assignment title. If students start a graphic organizer in class, you might state when the graphic organizer is due and when the final essay will be due so that those students that are organized and conscientious have a chance to demonstrate it.