Closure and Anticipatory Set

Closure:
The purpose of a lesson plan closure is to review the day's lesson and essentially wrap-up the day. During closure students are reminded what they have learned (or what they should have learned). In the Salem-Keizer district teachers are required to write and go over their learning target throughout the lesson. The learning target is essentially the big picture of what students should know and accomplish throughout the lesson. If closure is done correctly students will be able to see the importance and relevance of their learning target. Additionally, closure will help evaluate the effectiveness of the lesson, not the strength of the way it was presented.

Throughout my research I also picked up that closure of a lesson is not "a teacher activity, but an act of a learner" (http://www.okbu.net/ed/398/set.htm). Students should internalize the lesson during the closure. That is not something I really knew about closure, but I definitely see the importance. If students are able to internalize the lesson then students should be able to retain the information to a higher capacity.

Closure will also help the teacher decide if:
1. additional practice is needed
2. whether you need to reteach
3. whether you can move on to the next part of the lesson (http://www.edulink.org/lessonplans/closure.htm).

Anticipatory Set:
The purpose of an anticipatory set is to draw focus and get the attention of the students. It is also suppose to generate interest of the next lesson. Additionally, it is "provide a brief practice and/or develop a readiness for the instruction that will follow" (http://www.edulink.org/lessonplans/anticipa.htm).

An important point about an anticipatory set is that it should be done in student-friendly terms and should be engaging and not simply the teacher talking at the students.

I like to use warm-ups as an anticipatory set. Students are able to realize that there is a routine with warm-ups and help them settle down from earlier in the day, whether it be whatever happened at home prior to school or the prior classes they have attended. Also, I could also throw in questions that students may not be able to answer in the warm-ups. I can throw in a question from a unit that has not been covered to get students thinking about how to solve the problem which will increase their critical thinking skills as well wet the student's appetite on how to solve the problem.

Resources:
http://www.edulink.org/lessonplans/closure.htm
http://www.okbu.net/ed/398/set.htm
http://www.edulink.org/lessonplans/anticipa.htm
Madeline Hunter's Lesson Plan
http://k6educators.about.com/od/lessonplanheadquarters/g/anticipatoryset.htm