Understanding by Design
designed by
Grant Wiggens and Jay McTighe
Understanding by Design {UbD} :
A framework used for designing the
teaching process.
Emphasis is on Backwards Design.
The practice of looking at the outcomes in
order to design units, assessments, and
instruction in the classroom. In other words
Backwards Planning.
Teaching for Understanding
Using the UbD Framework ensures that:
1. Curriculum Design will be Coherent (logical
and orderly) and Congruent.
2. Teachers make a clear distinction between
Big Ideas and Essential Questions.
3. Students can describe goals and performance
requirements of the unit
4. There are High Expectations for all students
3 Stages of Backwards Design
1. Identify Desired Results
2. Determine Acceptable Results
3. Plan Day to Day Lessons
Stage 1: Identify Desired Results
1.Deconstruction of
Standards.
Materials Needed:
• Copy of Standards
• Deconstruction Templates
• Copy of Content
Standards Key Words
3. Optional: Create a Study
Guide based on Learning
Targets.
2. Design Learning Targets.
Materials Needed:
• Deconstructed Standards
for Unit
• Learning Target Template
• Student Check List
{Divided into Knowledge
and Reasoning Targets.
Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Results
Design Assessment
1) Pre-Assessment: Assess student knowledge
about content to be taught in new unit
2) Formative Assessment: Use to help “drive”
instruction.
3) Summative Assessment: Learning Check for
the Unit
•
Determine
what students
Already know
Example: Use a 10 -20
question test to assess
students knowledge about
the new content to be taught
in the new unit. Focus on Big
Ideas and Critical Vocabulary.
A good format to use is the
Agree- Disagree Statements.
Note: This will help in
differentiating instruction.
• Involves qualitative
feedback rather than
scores.
A wide range of
•
Focuses
on
details
of
formal and informal
content and performance.
assessment
• Assessment used by
procedures that
teachers employ
teachers and students to
during the learning
enhance learning, during
process in order to
learning.
modify teaching and
learning activities to • Feedback for modification
for the teacher and the
improve student
student
attainment.
2.Formative
Assessment
3. Summative
Assessment
Is meant to
measure what a
student does or
does not know
compared to the
academic
standards of the
state or local
district at any
given time.
• Summative Assessment
occurs after learning while
Formative Assessment occurs
during learning.
• It is cumulative.
• Types include:
- Standardized Tests
- District Benchmark Tests
- Unit or Chapter Tests
- Final Exams
• Are Formal and at
predetermined dates
Stage 3: Plan Day to Day Lessons
All the activities and assessments
that will be used during the unit.
Stage 3: Day to Day Lessons
• Use the Deconstruction of Standards and the Learning
Targets to plan each days lesson and assessment.
• As the unit progresses use formative assessment
strategies to help drive instruction.
OUR DELIMMA AS TEACHERS!
How do we track student mastery of content?
Plan for
Teaching a New
Unit using UbD
The following is an
example of how to use
the understanding by
design format from
beginning to end. It is
just an example. Each
teacher will have to
modify the plan to fit
the content and grade
level they teach.
• Overall Plan
 1.Design Daily lessons using Deconstruction
and Learning Targets. [ Be sure to address
Misconceptions]
 2 Begin Unit with Pre-test.
 3.Address Big Ideas and Essential Questions.
 4.Handouts for students:
• Study Guide for Unit
• Critical Vocabulary
• Self Assessment Learning Targets (With
Formative Assessment Strategy) .
 5.Teach each lesson as planned using the
formative assessment strategies to help
drive instruction. {Modify as needed}
 6. Assessment: Exit Slips – QuizzesFormative Assessment – and Summative
Assessment : Unit Learning Check
1. Use Deconstruction and Learning
Targets to plan Day to Day Lessons.
What to do:
• Targets will guide in choosing
activities that will help
students master content
• Types of Targets
Knowledge, Reasoning, Skills, and
Products
 Misconceptions need to be
addressed. There are
resources for content areas
that identify misconceptions.
Example:
• Reasoning Target: I can explain
how traits are passed from
parents to offspring.
• Teach Lesson
• Formative Assessment
Strategy: Use a concept map
to explain the process of
fertilization or draw a model of
the process.
• Example of a misconception:
Boys get most of their traits
from their fathers and girls get
most of their traits from their
mothers
2. Pre-Test
Check for prior knowledge:
Example of Agree Disagree ?
• Agree Disagree format is one
way to design this assessment.
• Advantages include:
1. Easy to Design.
2. Easy to grade.
3. Covers Big Ideas and Critical
Vocabulary
4. Gives insight on how students
are thinking
5. Can be used several times
throughout the unit.
6. Can help with differentiation.
Statement:
Boys get most of
their traits from
their fathers and
girls get most of
their traits from
their mothers.
__ I Agree
__ I Disagree
__ It Depends
__ I Don’t Know
My Thoughts:
How can I find out?
3. Address Big Ideas & Essential Questions
Big Idea: Unity and Diversity (Biological Science)
All matter is comprised of the same basic
elements, goes through the same kinds of energy
transformations, and uses the same kinds of
forces to move. Living organisms are no
exception. In middle school, students begin to
compare, contrast, and classify the microscopic
features of organisms—the cells, as well as
investigate reproduction as the essential process
to the continuation of all species. Expected
patterns of genetic traits are predicted.
Distinctions are made between learned behaviors
and inherited traits. Emphasis at every level
should be placed upon the understanding that
while every living thing is composed of similar
small constituents that combine in predictable
ways, it is the subtle variations within these small
building blocks that account for both the
likenesses and differences in form and function
that create the diversity of life.
Essential Questions;
• 7sC-7 HEREDITY
1.Describe the relationship between cells,
tissues, and organs and explain their
function in multi-cellular organisms. (DOK 1)
2.Describe the role of genes/chromosomes in
the passing of information from one
generation to another (heredity). (DOK 2)
3.Describe the differences between learned
and inherited behaviors and characteristics,
and classify examples of each using tables,
graphs or diagrams. (DOK 3)
4.Describe and compare sexual and asexual
reproduction, including advantages and
disadvantages of each. (DOK 3)
4. Handouts for Students:
Self Assessment Learning
Study Guide and Critical Vocabulary
Targets
• Student friendly learning
targets. They need to be
broken down into
knowledge, reasoning, skill,
and product targets.
• Make 2 copies for each
student. One for the
student and one for the
teacher. This can be used in
determining if students are
mastering targets.
• Study Guide should contain
critical information for
mastery of the targets.
{ See example of Study Guide}
• Critical Vocabulary : 12 -15
words .
{ See example of Critical
Vocabulary }
5.Example of Lesson using Formative Assessment
Written On Board
•


•




1] What we are learning today.
Guiding Question: What is Heredity?
I can statement: I can explain the process of mitosis.
2] What we are doing today.
Review Previous Lesson ( Use hand signals for phases)
Video Segment( brainpop.com / Mitosis]
Cellsalive.com visual of process of mitosis
Model Mitosis using the chromosome number for a skunk(50) FA=
Pictionary
 Exit Slip ? :Formative Assessment Strategy / Frayer Model
Explain the process of mitosis using the human chromosome number
(46)
 Remediation: Home work / Options Mitosis and Frayer Model
6. Assessments
• Formative Assessments { Formal & Informal}
 Exit Slips - Graphic Organizers - Oral
Questions { See FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
STRATEGIES on Lesson Plan Template.}
 Periodic Quizzes
 District Learning Checks
Note : Use Target Method Match to help design
questions.