Understanding by
Design
Stage 3
Understanding by Design Professional Development
Workbook by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins
Classroom Instruction that Works by Robert J.
Marzano, Debra J. Pickering, Jane E. Pollack
Integrating Differentiated Instruction and
Understanding by Design by McTighe and Tomlinson
Stage 3 Plan learning
experiences and instruction
Think through most appropriate instructional
activities. Make teaching engaging and
effective for learners while keeping the end in
mind.
What enabling knowledge and skills will
students need to perform effectively and
achieve the desired results?
What activities, sequence, and resources are
best suited to accomplish our goals?
Stage 3 Template
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Plan purposeful learning activities and
directed teaching to help all students reach
the desired achievements
W – Where the unit is going, What is expected
H – Hook and hold the students
E – Equip students, Experience, Explore
R – Rethink and Revise
E – Evaluate and reflect
T – Tailored learning to varied needs, interests, styles
O – Organize and sequence learning
W
Know where they’re going (the learning
goals)
 Know why (reason for learning)
 Know what is required of them (unit goal,
performance requirements, and evaluative
criteria)
Include goals, expectations, relevance and
value and diagnosis (pre-test, KWL)
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Beginning
Include strategies for setting learning goals
 Identify clear learning goals “I can……”
 Allow students to identify and record their
own learning goals “I will……”
 May share Big Idea, Essential Question or
performance task and criteria
 Give a pre-test, access prior knowledge
H
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Hook students at the beginning of a new
learning experience and hold their interest
throughout.
Engage students in the topic and point
toward Big Ideas, Essential Questions, and
performance tasks
Ideas for Hook
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Odd fact, anomaly, counterintuitive example
Provocative entry question
Mystery
Challenge
Problem or issue
Experiment – predict outcome
Role-play or simulation
Personal experience
Student choice
Emotional Connection
Humor
During Unit
Include strategies for:
 Monitoring progress toward learning goals
 Introducing new knowledge
 Practicing, reviewing, and applying
knowledge
E
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Experiential and Inductive Learning
Concept attainment
Research/I-Search project
Historical investigation
Scientific experimentation
Problem-based learning
Creative expression
Exploration of issues
Construction project
Simulation
E
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Direct instruction to help students
Compare ideas and information
Find, organize, and evaluate information
Generate and test hypothesis
Communicate ideas
Monitor their understanding
Review and revise each others and own work
Use problem solving strategies
Summarize key ideas
E
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Homework and Other Out-of-Class
Experiences
Practicing skills
Reading with a purpose
Working on project or performance task
Studying and synthesizing information
Reflecting on ideas, process, or product
Revising work
R
Rethink
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Shift perspective
Reconsider key assumptions
Confront alternative versions
Take the roles of…
Reexamine the argument and evidence
Conduct research
Consider new information
R
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Revise or Refine
Drafting and editing sessions
Peer critiques
Rehearsals
Peer response groups
Practice sessions
Self-assessment
R
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Reflect
Reflective journals and think logs
Regular self-assessments
Metacognitive prompts
Think-alouds
I-Search papers
E
Build in opportunities for ongoing evaluation,
including opportunities for students to selfevaluate and set goals
 What do you really understand about…?
 What worked/didn’t work?
 What will you do differently next time?
 How could you improve?
T
Tailoring the design to address student
differences in background knowledge and
experiences, skill levels, interests, talents,
and learning styles
 Consider how lessons, activities, resources,
and assessments may be personalized
without changing goals
 Appropriate differentiation of content, process
and product
T
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Content
At the beginning of the unit, assess prior
knowledge and skills, and develop
differentiated activities to accommodate
different knowledge and skill levels
Provide students with open-ended questions,
activities, and assessments
Appeal to various modalities
Use a variety of resource materials
T
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Process
Accommodate students with different learning
styles by providing opportunities for them to
work alone and in groups
Encourage students to develop their own
research questions for in-depth exploration of
a key idea or question
T
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Product
Allow students choices of products (e.g.,
visual, written, oral) for activities and
assignments
Provide students with options for
demonstrating understanding through various
products and performances without
compromising the goals or standards
Applying Differentiation
McTighe and Tomlinson
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Stage 1 – Desired Results
Established Goals, Understandings and Essential
Questions – Should not be differentiated
Knowledge and Skill – May be differentiated
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Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence
May be differentiated
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Stage 3 – Learning Plan
Should be differentiated
Basic Approaches to
Responsive Teaching
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Find ways to get to know students more
intentionally and regularly
Incorporate small-group teaching into daily or
weekly teaching routines
Learn to teach to the high end
Offer more ways to explore and express
learning
Teach in multiple ways
Cont.
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Regularly use informal assessments to
monitor student understanding
Use basic reading strategies throughout the
curriculum
Allow working alone or with peers
Use clear rubrics that coach for quality
Cultivate a taste for diversity
Backward Design and
Differentiated Instruction Teachers
1.
2.
3.
4.
Identify desired learning results for the
subject and topics they teach.
Determine acceptable evidence of student
learning.
Plan learning experiences and instruction
based on the first two principles.
Regard learner differences as inevitable,
important, and valuable in teaching and
learning.
Cont.
5.
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7.
Address learners’ affective needs as a
means of supporting student success.
Periodically review and articulate clear
learning goals as a result of each segment
of learning.
Use systematic pre-assessment and ongoing assessment aligned with goals to
make instructional decisions and
adaptations.
O
Organize learning activities to enable students
to achieve the desired results
 Think of the unit as an unfolding story
 Begin with a hook and teach on an asneeded basis
 Ensure that there are ongoing cycles of
model, practice, feedback, and adjustment
built into the unit
 Focus on transferable Big Ideas
End of the Unit
Include strategies for helping students
determine how well they have achieved their
goals.
 Assess progress on each learning goal
 Articulate what they have learned about the
content and about themselves as learners
The End or Just the
Beginning?
“UbD and DI provide structures, tools, and
guidance for developing curriculum and
instruction based on our current best
understandings of teaching and learning.”