Lesson Preparation

Skill: Use the lesson purpose in the curriculum to simplify your lesson preparation and guide the selection of learning experiences for your students.

young woman studying

What is my initial understanding or ability? (Assessment):

Which of the following best represents your experience with the lesson purpose that is given for each lesson in the seminary curriculum?

1. I am not sure where to find it.

2. I know where to find it but am not sure how to use it well in my preparation.

3. I use it regularly to help me in my lesson preparation.

What is it and why is it important? (Define):

One of the best ways to simplify lesson preparation and provide Christ-centered, scripture-based, and learner-focused experiences for your students is to use the lesson purpose to guide you as you prepare. Using the lesson purpose can also help you be more confident in adaptations you make about what to include, simplify, or not include from curriculum. Each lesson in the seminary curriculum includes a lesson purpose. It is found in the weekly overview and the first paragraph of each lesson. These lesson purposes are based on a careful study of the scripture block and grow out of the bolded truths that are identified in the lesson. As you study the scriptures and the lesson material, look through the lens of the lesson purpose to identify what will help fulfill that purpose for your students. Here is one way you can do this:

• Start by reading the lesson purpose for the lesson you will be teaching.

• Read the lesson in the curriculum keeping the lesson purpose in mind and evaluate how well you feel each activity will help your students fulfill that purpose.

• After reading the lesson, determine which of the activities you feel will best help your students accomplish the lesson purpose. Make those activities your priority for what you prepare and will have the students experience in class.

Who or what provides a good illustration of this? (Model):

Sister Hall begins preparing the Doctrine and Covenants 1 lesson. She begins by reading the first paragraph of the lesson looking for the purpose. At the bottom of that paragraph, she sees that it says, “This lesson can help students understand why the Lord gives warnings to the world.” As she reads the Possible Learning Activities for the lesson, she keeps the lesson purpose in mind and makes decisions about what to use, simplify, or not include from the curriculum in her lesson. As she prepares, she finds some portions of the lesson that she wants to be sure to include. For example, the self-assessment, the context for Doctrine and Covenants 1, the activity to help students identify the bolded truth, and the final activity where students demonstrate their learning are all activities she wants to be sure to include. The remaining portions of the lesson she decides to cut or simplify depending on the class time she has.

How can I practice using this skill or applying this principle? (Practice):

• Go to the curriculum for the next lesson you need to prepare.

• Identify the lesson purpose in the first paragraph.

• Scan through the Possible Learning Activities keeping the lesson purpose in mind and evaluate how well you feel each activity will help your students fulfill that purpose.

• Decide which of the activities you feel will best help your students accomplish this purpose and will be your priority.

Ponder or discuss:

• What are you learning about the importance of keeping the lesson purpose in mind as you prepare your lesson?

• In what ways do you think keeping the lesson purpose in mind can enhance the learning experience for your students?

How and when will I incorporate this?

For each lesson you prepare this coming week, begin your preparation by reading the lesson purpose. As you read the curriculum, keep the lesson purpose in mind and evaluate how well you feel each activity will help your students fulfill that purpose. Prioritize the activities which will best do so for your students.