A SET is the introduction to your lesson. It serves three main purposes: it lets students know the objective for the day, engages them, and ties the topic to their lives. Think of it as similar to the opening song for a TV show (like the Friends intro). The goal is to get students ready for the day’s learning.

S: Statement of learning (your objective)
At some point during the SET, the statement of learning needs to be made. This can be read by the teacher or a student. Sometimes the objective is simplified so that students can easily understand it.

E: Engages the learner (involves them)
The students need to be involved in some way (other than passively sitting and listening). This could include them answering the teacher’s questions, sharing something from their bellringer, etc.

T: Ties into the lives of students
The teacher needs to explain how this learning will impact the lives of students. For example, learning how to calculate percentages will help them determine the cost of future loans they may encounter. The explanation needs to go beyond “this will be on a test.”

Facts about SETs:

• A SET typically lasts 3-5 minutes
• The bellringer is not the SET (but they can be related)
• If you have a bellringer, the SET can happen right after that
• The SET has a clear start and end