-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
German Playwright, Poet, Novelist and
Dramatist. 1749-1832
Adapted from McWilliams, 2009

The teacher’s job is to “uncover” the big ideas
contained in content standards and to ensure
they are understood, not to provide merely fun
activities or cover a textbook or cover a
textbook’s content.

The job of the teacher requires “thinking like
an assessor” – doing research into one’s
practice, and adjusting practice and designs in
light of sought-after results/feedback.
Wiggins, Grant, & McTighe, Jay. (1998).
Understanding by Design. ASCD.
When thinking like an activity
designer (only), we ask…
When thinking like an assessor, we
ask…





What would be sufficient and
revealing evidence of understanding?
Given the goals, what performance
tasks must anchor the unit and focus
the instructional work?
What are the different types of
evidence required by Stage 1 desired
results?
Against what criteria will we
appropriately consider work and
assess levels of quality?
Did the assessments reveal and
distinguish those who really
understood from those who only
seemed to? Am I clear on the reasons
behind the learner mistakes?

What would be fun and interesting
activities on this topic?

What projects might students wish to
do on this topic?

What tests should I give, based on the
content I taught?

How will I give students a grade (and
justify it to their parents)?

How well did the activities work?

How did students do on the test?
The
DOK level is determined by
the degree of mental processing
required, and meets the
requirements of academic rigor
for our new Alaska Standards.
The
DOK level describes the
complexity of the task, rather
than its difficulty. It describes the
kind of thinking involved in a task.
How can DOK be applied in unit planning?
…
Level 4 - Extended Thinking
Level 3 - Strategic Thinking
Level 2 - Skill/Concept
Level 1 - Recall
Level - Recall
Requires recall or reproduction of
information, such as a fact,
definition or term.
The response is automatic. The
student either knows the answer or
not.
Key Words:
Recite, Recognize, Name, Use, Illustrate,
Measure, Define, Draw, List, Identify, Memorize
Recall, Repeat, State, Tell
 Identify
various types of traditional clothing
and the materials out of which they are
made
 Match pictures of animals with clothing made
from those animals
 Give a definition of a vocabulary word
 Measure various distances using hand
measurements
 Locate or recall facts or details explicitly
presented in text
 Identify or describe characters, setting,
sequence of events
Level - Recall
Requires the use of some mental
processing beyond recalling or
reproducing a response.
Items require students to make some
decisions as to how the approach the
question or problem.
Level 2 tasks require more than one
step.
Key Words:
Compare, Classify, Infer, Categorize,
Construct, Predict, Interpret, Relate,
Estimate, Distinguish, Summarize, Show






Assemble the appropriate clothing necessary for an
outdoor expedition or fieldtrip and explain the role
of each item toward survival
Extend a pattern
Refine and adjust patterns for clothing and footwear
Consistently wear clothing suited for the elements
and describe the function of each item of clothing as
it relates to survival
Predict what would happen if the zipper on your
parka won’t close in freezing temperatures; your
socks become wet, etc.
Identify the characteristics of prepared (ready to be
sewn) and unprepared (not yet ready to make into
clothing) skins as they are presented and type animal
each skin from
Level - Recall
Requires reasoning, developing a
plan or a sequence of steps, some
complexity.
Items have more than one possible
answer and require students to
justify their response.
Key Words:
Revise, Assess, Construct, Investigate,
Differentiate, Formulate, Draw
Conclusions, Develop a Logical Argument,
Cite Evidence, Hypothesize
Teach younger people (e.g., through a booklet) the
appropriate respectful behavior and speech toward
the various animals whose skins provide our clothing
 Purchase, choose, and obtain his/her own clothes
within a given budget
 Differentiate between skins that are prepared (ready
to be sewn) and skins that are unprepared (not yet
ready to make into clothing)
 Contribute to the procurement of materials from a
variety of locations, produce sewn items from those
materials, and acknowledge those who helped in the
project
 Explain thinking when more than one response
is possible

Level - Recall
Requires high cognitive demand
and is very complex.
Students are expected to make
connections, relate ideas within
or among content areas, and have
to select or devise one approach
among many alternatives on how
to solve the problem.
Level 4 often requires an
extended period of time;
however, time alone is not a
distinguishing factor.
Key Words:
Create, Prove, Analyze,
Critique, Apply Concepts,
Synthesize, Connect,
Design

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Independently design and complete a parka by the
end of the school year/course
Create/design patterns for clothing and footwear
Make clothing with furs that are appropriate for
wearing in wet, very cold, and mild conditions using
sinew, skins, and appropriate tools (e.g. skin scraper,
small sewing ulu)
Mend torn clothing and improvise solutions to
damaged clothing
Conduct a project that specifies a problem, identifies
solution paths, solves the problem, and reports
results
Relate mathematical concepts to other content areas
Gather, analyze, organize, and interpret information
from multiple sources for the purpose of drafting a
reasoned report
The depth of knowledge level is NOT
determined by the verb, but by the context in
which the verb is used and the depth of
thinking required.
For example:

DOK 3: Describe a model you might use to
represent the relationships that exist within the
rock cycle. (requires deep understanding of rock cycle and a determination of how
best to represent it)

DOK 2: Describe the difference between
metamorphic and igneous rocks. (requires cognitive processing to
determine the differences in the two rock types)

DOK 1: Describe three characteristics of
metamorphic rocks. (simple recall)
GRASPS
Assessment Methods
Traditional
quizzes & tests
•Paper-andpencil
•Selectedresponse
•Constructed
Response
Performance
tasks & projects
• Complex
• Open-ended
• Authentic
Worth being
familiar with
Important to
know and do
Big Ideas and
Overarching
Understandings
p. 141 Professional Development Workbook
Goal for UbD Units
Goal
At
Role
least one core
performance task for
assessing understanding
in a major unit or course
be developed using
GRASPS
Not
every performance
assessment needs to be
framed by GRASPS.
Audience
Situation
Product,
Performance,
and Purpose
Standards and
Criteria for
Success
 Use
the GRASPS Task Design Prompts
worksheet making sure all elements of
GRASPS are included
 Assign DOK Levels making sure you meet the
goal of a Level 3 or 4
 Write the prompt in student friendly terms
Building an Arctic Sled
Your class has been asked to build an arctic sled to donate to your village. A local
organization will pay for all of the materials, if the class builds it as a project.
The organization needs an estimate on how much the materials will cost. Provide
a cost estimate that includes all materials needed and their prices as well as the
cost for shipping calculated at 20% of the cost of the materials. Because your
class is donating the sled, you will not charge for labor to build the sled.
Sample list of tasks:

Draw a diagram of the sled.

Develop a list of materials needed (wood, fasteners, tools, etc.).

Determine the quantities of materials needed. (DOK 2) Use your diagram to
explain your determination of the amount of materials needed. (DOK 3) Show
your mathematical thinking on your drawing. (DOK 3)

Determine the price of the materials. (DOK 2) Figure out how much shipping
will cost if it is 20% of the cost of the materials. (DOK 2)

Complete the estimate. (DOK 3)

How much will three sleds cost to build? (DOK 3)