In schools, a lesson functions as an individual building block to support the learning of new material. Experts have identified key elements in an effective lesson, and education leaders--including school based administrators, instructional coaches, department and grade-level chairs--usually look for these elements when reviewing lesson plans and observing lessons being implemented in classrooms. While there is certainly value in examining individual lessons, the authors offers a cautionary note: Don't miss the forest for the trees. Specifically, the author contends that school and district leaders need to consider lessons in the context of the overall curriculum unit those lessons are part of. In the spirit of "backward design," leaders need to clearly have the end in mind--the overall goals of a unit--before they analyze and evaluate individual lessons--the means to those ends. Think of the role of reviewing lesson plans like being a restaurant reviewer. The entire meal (a full unit) needs to be sampled in order to better understand and appreciate the qualities of a single course (lesson).