Using Backward Design In
the Gifted Classroom
LBSD Gifted Program
2012-2013
Why Use UbD in Gifted?
Teachers tend to design curriculum
around content rather than design
learning experiences around the
Overarching Concepts and Essential
Questions that relate to standards
and are at the heart of learning.
Overarching or Unifying Concept
The “Big Idea”- To begin your lesson,
broaden the thought process to what
you want your students to know and
critically think about in a discipline as
they mature into adults in society.
You need a statement under the topic
listing the overarching or unifying
concept and the topic.
Examples:
Overarching/Unifying Concept Topic
Nature in the Balance
Global
Warming
Global Connections
Power
Conflict
The Internet
Hitler
The Civil War
Standards
You use the gifted process skills as
outlined in our LBSD Scope and
Sequence for your standards.
Put numbers and write out the
objective for your lesson.
Summative Assessment
A main premise of backward design is
to begin by determining what is
mastery of the final goals or
standards.
You need a statement of expectation.
What assessment or measurement
can be used to determine if students
have learned the most vital
information?
Formative Assessment
The teacher should have formative
assessment in key junctures of a unit
to understand student needs and
learning. This can drive differentiated
instruction.
Affective Assessment
You can create assessments that:
Support student metacognition
Support a positive classroom atmosphere
Support affective understanding
Support self-directedness
Support self-efficacy or the belief in one’s
ability to succeed (working collaboratively)
Enduring Understandings
What has enduring value in your unit?
This may take critical thinking and
research for you to determine what
has endured in your unit of study.
Examples:
Topic/Concept
Understandings
Ecosystems/Nature
in the balance
Everything in
nature in interrelated.
Weather and Water/
Systems
Systems are interconnected
Essential Questions
Should:
Be important to the past, present, and
future of a discipline as they are crafted
from the enduring understandings.
Be under the umbrella of the overarching
concept
Describe the way the unit will unfold
Be open-ended
Create student interest and be thought
provoking
Address standards as needed
Examples:
Enduring Understanding: There is
unexplained evil in the world.
Essential Questions: Why are we
sometimes confronted with
unexplained evil?
Why does evil exist in the world?
Discovery and Uncoverage Ideas
While “telling” or lecturing may be
more efficient time-wise, learning is
an active process. Students learn
best when they are allowed, as much
as possible, to research, examine,
create, judge, draw conclusions,
make connections, inquire, and find
the answer to important questions.
Key word: Authentic learning
Engaging Students Though
Invitation and the Learning
Experience
You want active learning instead of passive
learning.
Examples:
Active Learning:
Creating
Critical thinking
Choice
Passive Learning:
Teacher-centered
Memorization
Teacher makes all
learning choices
Understanding by Design
Wiggins and McTighe (1998;2005)