One of the essential factors that accounts for learning (rather than mere participation) is instructional alignment, a factor often overlooked in the richly complex arena of the gymnasium. "Instructional alignment exists when there is a match in the stimulus conditions of intended outcomes, instructional processes, and instructional assessment" (Siedentop, 1991). In other words, what the teacher intends to teach (objectives) matches the practice activities (various tasks and games), and is checked during assessment or closure. While instructional alignment is usually referred to on a curricular level-agreement between unit or program goals, learning activities, and more formal summative assessments--it is equally important on a smaller scale, such as in a lesson. When instruction is aligned on all levels, students will learn much more effectively. With the use of a few basic strategics, a clear sense that students have learned something becomes more likely, and what they have learned will be readily apparent to the instructor, the students, and outside observers. In this article, the authors describe a process for establishing instructional alignment at the lesson level and illustrate how to apply it to a specific lesson. (Contains 1 table.)