UbD Stage 1: Identify Desired Results Essential Questions, Enduring Understandings, Key Knowledge and Skills

Brain Booster Before we dig in to curriculum, take 3 minutes and draw a pig. Don’t peek at anyone else’s pig!

Objectives Identify and describe components of Stage 1 in Understanding by Design –Essential Questions –Enduring Understandings –Key Knowledge and Skills Identify and critique (or create) Stage 1 components for first unit plan

Norms and Expectations Embrace (or at least anticipate) the pain. –Growth + Pain = Change Engage in the content and break during the breaks. Computers are only needed during the “Application” portions of the session. Cell phones are only needed during breaks. Challenge by choice.

Essential Questions “It is through the process of actively interrogating the content that students strengthen and deepen their understanding.” Standards Big Ideas Essential Questions

Essential Questions - Inquiry Look at the handouts in your binder. Examine the “Essential Questions” vs. the “Not Essential Questions” and the Additional examples for your content. What traits to the essential questions have in common? How do they differ from the others?

Essential Questions – Defining Characteristics 1.Open-ended: no single, final, and correct answer 2.Thought-provoking and intellectually engaging: sparks discussion and debate 3.Require higher-order thinking: analysis, inference, evaluation, prediction 4.Include important, transferable ideas within or across disciplines 5.Raise additional questions: spark inquiry 6.Require support and justification 7.Recur over time: should be revisited frequently

Essential Questions – Identify Activity 1.In what year was the Battle of Hastings fought? 2.How do effective writers hook and hold their readers? 3.Is biology destiny? 4.Onomatopoeia – what’s up with that? 5.What are examples of animals adapting to their environment? 6.What are the limits of arithmetic?

Essential Questions – 3 Types Overarching: frame entire courses and programs of study; provide conceptual framework for curriculum that spirals around the same EQs unit to unit and grade to grade. Topical: help students come to particular understandings around specific topics and skills; specific to the topic of a unit. Metacognitive and Reflective: essential to effective learning and performance

Elevator Speech You run into Grant and Jay, the creators of UbD on the elevator one day. They ask what you know about essential questions. You have 45 seconds to convey how knowledgeable you are. Go! –Develop your elevator speech that conveys: What essential questions are The different types of EQs One example from your content You have 3 minutes before you “go live”!

Essential Questions – Intent Trumps Form Why you ask a question matters more than how you phrase it. “What’s the pattern?” A 2nd grade teacher asks, "Boys and girls, look at the numbers 2, 4, 6, 8, ___. What comes next? What's the pattern?" A science teacher shows a data table of incidents of AIDS cases over a 15-year period, disaggregated by age, gender, region, and socioeconomic status. His question to students is "What's the pattern (or patterns)?"

Essential Questions - Application Log in to Atlas and select your course and first unit. Examine the essential questions for that unit: –Do they fit the characteristics we’ve identified? –Are they overarching, topical, or metacognitive? –Is the number of questions sufficient for the unit of study (do more need to be added or do some need to be deleted)? Make any necessary adjustments.

Understanding-The Bridge from Essential Questions to Understanding How do essential questions and understandings relate? –Our essential questions point toward important transferable ideas that are worth understanding, even as they provide a means for exploring those ideas. Essential Questions Understanding

Understanding-The Bridge from Essential Questions to Understanding Essential QuestionsUnderstandings How does where you live influence how you live? The geography, climate, and natural resources of a region influence the economy and lifestyle of the people living there. What will happen next? How sure are you? Statistical analysis and data display often reveal patterns. Patterns enable prediction. How can a diet that is "healthy" for one person be unhealthy for another? People have different dietary needs based on age, activity level, weight, and various health considerations. How can motion express emotion? Dance is a language of shape, space, timing, and energy that can communicate ideas and feelings.

Understanding-The Big Ideas Understandings synthesize what students should understand, —not just know or do— as a result of studying a particular content area.

Understandings-The 6 Facets When we truly understand, we… –Can explain- via generalization and principles; make insightful connections and provide examples or illustrations –Can interpret- tell meaningful stories, make the object of understanding personal or accessible –Can apply- effectively use and adapt what we know in diverse and real contexts –Have perspective- see and hear points of view through critical eyes and ears; see the big picture. –Can empathize- find value in what others might find odd or different; perceive sensitively on the basis of prior experience –Have self-knowledge- show metacognitive awareness; perceive the factors that shape and impede our own understanding

Understanding-Knowledge vs. Understanding Knowing is not understanding. There is a great difference between knowing and understanding: you can know a lot about something and not really understand it.” -Charles KetteringCharles Kettering Knowledge: is what you know (facts and information) Understanding: is the ability to apply what you know and use it to develop a deeper meaning-an inference drawn from facts

Understanding-The Difference Between Knowledge and Understanding KnowledgeUnderstanding The factsThe meaning of the facts A body of coherent factsThe “theory” that provides coherence and meaning to those facts Verifiable claimsFallible, in-process theories Right or wrongA matter of degree or sophistication I know something to be trueI understand why it is, what makes it knowledge I respond on cue with what I know I judge when to and when not to use what I know

Understandings-Identify Activity 1.An effective story engages the reader by setting up tensions about what will happen next. 2.Water covers three-fourths of the earth’s surface. 3.Things are always changing. 4.Correlation does not ensure causality. 5.Decoding is necessary but not sufficient in reading for meaning.

Understanding-Defining Characteristics An understanding: –Is an important inference, drawn from experience –Refers to transferable, big ideas having enduring value beyond a specific topic. –Involves abstract ideas –Is best acquired by “uncovering” and “doing” –Summarizes important strategic principles in skill areas

Types of Understanding Overarching: frame entire courses and programs of study; provide conceptual framework for curriculum that spirals around the same Understandings unit to unit and grade to grade. Topical: help students come to particular understandings around specific topics and skills; specific to the topic of a unit. Metacognitive/ Reflective: essential to effective learning and performance

Understanding-Application Log in to Atlas and select your course and first unit. Examine the understanding for that unit: –Do they fit the characteristics we’ve identified? –Are they overarching, topical, or metacognitive? –Is the number of understandings sufficient for the unit of study (do more need to be added or do some need to be deleted)? –Do your understandings align to the essential questions? Make any necessary adjustments.

Knowledge and Skills In order for students to perform well on assessments and competently answer essential questions, we must ask … –What should they KNOW? –What should they BE ABLE TO DO?

Key Knowledge and Key Skills Open the envelopes at your tables. Sort the statements into two different piles. Be ready to explain your rationale to the group.

Key Knowledge—Defining Characteristics What you want students to know and understand about the unit or topic you are teaching The facts, concepts, generalizations and principles that are the focus of the curriculum Consciously understood factual information What students can explain to others

Key Knowledge—Defining Characteristics What key knowledge will the learner acquire during this unit? –Students will know… Vocabulary/terminology Definitions Key factual information Important events and people Sequence/timeline

Key Skills—Defining Characteristics What you want students to be able to do. The skills and processes students will acquire or practice as they work with the content of the unit. Think of daily objectives. Contain the processes, procedures, and skills the students will possess that will allow them to apply the knowledge they have gained. Always begin with an action verb.

Key Skill Statements Action Verbs Define Describe Compute Interpret Distinguish Sort Predict Solve Construct Create Not Action Verbs Know Learn Memorize Understand Appreciate Watch Observe

Key Knowledge and Key Skills--Examples Formulas for calculating surface area and volume –The formula for calculating the volume of a pyramid is 1/3 (B X h). General health problems caused by poor nutrition The steps in the writing process Calculate surface area and volume for various 3- dimensional figures Plan balanced diets for themselves and others Apply the writing process to produce

Key Knowledge and Key Skills Develop a key knowledge statement and a key skills statement for your content area. Share them at your table.

Key Knowledge and Key Skills— Application Open your Atlas to your first unit map. Review the key knowledge and key skills to determine if: –They are valid and aligned to current unit standards? –Key Knowledge is factual? –Key Knowledge is written as a statement? –Key Skills begin with an action verb? –Key Skills contain processes, procedures and skills?

Key Takeaways and Questions Summarize each section of Stage 1 Most difficult/challenging component The importance of alignment and backwards thinking Questions?