Purposeful Classroom: How to Structure Lessons with Learning Goals

How can teachers guarantee that what they teach results in students learning what they really need to know? In The Purposeful Classroom: How to Structure Lessons with Learning Goals in Mind, Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey present a variety of strategies that teachers at all levels can use to ensure that students clearly understand the purpose behind every lesson. They provide step-by-step guidance to help teachers

* Understand the difference between standards, objectives, and purpose statements, and craft the latter in terms that students can easily grasp.

* Involve students in understanding and "owning" the purpose of every lesson.

* Motivate students by conveying the relevance of content to students' lives.

* Develop classroom activities and assessments that allow students to demonstrate both their mastery of lesson content and their understanding of the lesson's core purpose.

From initiating lesson plans to evaluating student work, all aspects of lesson development and implementation are discussed in this lively and practical book. Filled with specific examples of effective purpose statements, assignments, and tests across grade levels and content areas, The Purposeful Classroom is essential reading for all teachers who want their students to truly understand what they are learning and why.

Nancy Frey, Ph.D., a Professor at San Diego State University received the 2008 Early Career Achievement Award from the National Reading Conference. Dr. Frey has published in The Reading Teacher, English Journal, Remedial and Special Education, and Educational Leadership. She has co-authored more than fifty books on English Learners (Language Learners in the English Classroom), assessment (Checking for Understanding), writing (Scaffolded Writing Instruction), literacy (Reading for Information in Elementary School) and vocabulary (Learning Words Inside and Out). Dr. Frey teaches a variety of courses on reading instruction and literacy in content areas, classroom management, and supporting students with diverse learning needs. She also was a third grade classroom teacher.