1. Understanding by Design:
Backwards Design

2. A lesson planning/curriculum model that includes:
Backwards Design
What is “Backwards Design”?
A lesson planning/curriculum model that includes:
Teacher delivery of instruction
Student learning
Setting instructional priorities
Authentic assessment

3. An overview: Step 1: Identify desired results.
(What do I want my students to know and be able to do)
(content) (skills)
Step 2: Determine acceptable evidence.
(How will I know what they know? How do I assess it?)
Step 3: Plan learning experiences and instruction.
(How do I teach it so they will learn it?)

4. Stage One: Identify desired results
What do I want my students to know and be able to do?
What knowledge and skills do they need?
Set priorities (use the core curriculum)

5. Step One ENDURING UNDERSTANDING
Is the CORE STANDARD. (So for the class you teach, you’ll have as many units as you have standards.)
Represents “big idea” that will endure beyond the classroom.
Is what you want your students to remember about the topic in 10 years

6. Step One: Identify desired results
WRITING “ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS”
A statement that usually starts, “Students will be able to…”
Just restate the core curriculum standard!

7. Step One: Identify desired results
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
Raises important questions about the enduring understanding.
These are the OBJECTIVES under each standard.
Can effectively provoke & sustain student inquiry and critical thinking, while also focusing work & final performance

8. US History I, 8th grade
Standard VIII Students will examine the expansion of the political system and social rights before the Civil War.
Objective 1: Investigate the development of the American political party system.
a. Examine the differences between the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.
b. Trace the development of new political parties throughout the 18th and 19th centuries; e.g. Whigs, Jacksonian Democrats, Republicans.
c. Determine the role of third parties as an agent of reform.
d. Investigate the role of political parties in the electoral process.
Objective 2: Analyze the evolution of democracy and extension of democratic principles.
a. Examine how the Supreme Court strengthened the national government.
b. Analyze how states’ rights issues led to growing sectionalism
c. Investigate the relationship between national and state governments in expanding democracy.
d. Appraise how the political process changed to involve more people.
Objecti ve 3: Analyze the impact of social reforms on American during the 19th century.
a. Examine the abolitionist movement; e.g., Sojourner Truth, William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglas, the Grimke sisters.
b. Investigate the impact of reform in education, religion, prisons, and the treatment of the mentally ill during this period.
c. Examine the extension of women’s political and legal rights.

9. US History I, 8th grade
Standard VIII: Students will examine the expansion of the political system and social rights before the Civil War. This is the ENDURING UNDERSTANDING
Objective 1: Investigate the development of the American political party system. In green are the ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
a. Examine the differences between the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.
b. Trace the development of new political parties throughout the 18th and 19th centuries; e.g. Whigs, Jacksonian Democrats, Republicans.
c. Determine the role of third parties as an agent of reform.
d. Investigate the role of political parties in the electoral process.
Objective 2: Analyze the evolution of democracy and extension of democratic principles.
a. Examine how the Supreme Court strengthened the national government.
b. Analyze how states’ rights issues led to growing sectionalism
c. Investigate the relationship between national and state governments in expanding democracy.
d. Appraise how the political process changed to involve more people.
Objective 3: Analyze the impact of social reforms on American during the 19th century.
a. Examine the abolitionist movement; e.g., Sojourner Truth, William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglas, the Grimke sisters.

10. US History I, 8th grade
Standard 8: Students will examine the expansion of the political system and social rights before the Civil War. This is the ENDURING UNDERSTANDING
Objective 1: Investigate the development of the American political party system. In green are the ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
a. Examine the differences between the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.
b. Trace the development of new political parties througout the 18th and 19th centuries; e.g. Whigs, Jacksonian Democrats, Republicans.
c. Determine the role of third parties as an agent of reform.
d. Investigate the role of political parties in the electoral process. What is in red, now becomes the content you teach (Learning activities)

11. By state rule, you are required to teach all standards and objectives.
The indicators are there to help teachers know what should be taught under the objective concepts.

12. Please take out your core curriculum and highlight or underline all the standards for one course you teach.

13. Generally, standards are indicated with Roman numerals
Generally, standards are indicated with Roman numerals. [I, II, III, IV]
Objectives are indicated with cardinal numbers. [ 1, 2, 3, 4]
Indicators are shown with lower case letters. [a, b, c, d]
This may not be the case for EVERY core curriculum, but it generally holds true.

14. Look at your first standard
Look at your first standard. Using a different color highlighter, highlight all the objectives under that standard.
Then using a 3rd color, please highlight the indicators under each objective.

15. Your enduring understanding and essential questions must come directly from your core curriculum not your textbook.
Note: Besides the core objectives, you will also add two more essential questions to each unit to strengthen student engagement and learning:

16. Step one: Identify desired results
1ST question/HOOK:
This question must be BROAD and require very limited background knowledge. It is often an opinion question or a “what if” question. It “hooks” students to your topic.

17. Step one: Identify desired results
The middle questions:
These questions must be your core objectives put into question format.
Please note this example:

18. Step One: Identify desired results
Objective 1: Investigate the development of the American political party system. Becomes: Essential Question #2: Why and how did the American political party system develop?

19. Step One: Identifying desired results
Last question/RELEVENCE:
This question helps bridge the content to make it relevent to students’ lives. Students must make personal connections to the learning.
It answers the question: “Why did we spend time studying this topic?”

20. What questions do you have about Step 1, identifying desired results by writing your enduring understanding and essential questions?

21. Step two: Assessment
Determine acceptable evidence or: How will I know that students have learned?
Authentic evidence assessment
Traditional quiz/test
Performance tasks and projects
Portfolios
Presentations
Essay
Self-assessment
Other classroom activities

22. Step two: Assessment How will you know that students have learned?
Authentic evidence assessment
Come up with a list of several assessments you could do that would really assess what you are teaching.
Think like an assessor—not an activity designer
Use multiple sources of assessment

23. Step two: Assessment Each of the essential questions must be assessed.
You should use formative and summative assessment
Usually, you’ll have more than one assessment for each essential question

24. What questions do you have about Step 2, assessing the students’ learning?

25. Step three: Plan instruction
Plan learning activities
How do I teach it?
What will you as the teacher do to help students achieve the knowledge and skills necessary to answer the essential questions and enduring understandings?

26. Stage three
Each of the essential questions must be instructed. Plan learning activities that will lead students to being able to answer the essential questions and enduring understanding.
What and how do you teach the topic to get them there?

27. What questions do you have about Step 3, planning instruction and learning activities?

28. Please note how the following unit is set up using the core curriculum standard as the ENDURING UNDERSTANDING, the core objectives plus the hook and the relevance questions as ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS.

29. 1. Are you a person who likes change? Why? Why not?
Enduring Understanding: Students will examine the expansion of the political system and social rights before the Civil War.
Essential Questions
Assessment
Learning Activities
Materials,
notes, etc.
1. Are you a person who likes change? Why? Why not?
Think, pair, share, square
None
needed
2. How and why did the American political party system develop?
Poster
Debate
3. How did democratic principles evolve in the U.S.?
Brochure
Essay
4. What impact did social reforms have on America during the 19th century?
iMovie + group share w/ graphic org.
5. How would your life today be different without your ability to participate in government and the social reforms that took place in the 19th century?
Essay showing 3 ways. Must include social and political.

30. It’s that simple!
Using backward design will not only help you teach the important concepts but it will help students learn the important concepts!