1. Understanding by Design
Angela Cunningham
Bullitt Central High School

2. Backward Design Process
Stage 1: Identify Desired Results
Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence
Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction

3. Big Picture of UbD Approach
Key Design
Design
Considerations
Filters
(Design Criteria)
What the Final Design Accomplishes
Stage 1
What is worthy and requiring of understanding?
National standards
State standards
Teacher expertise and interest
Enduring ideas.
Opportunities for authentic, discipline-based work; Uncoverage; Engaging
Unit framed around enduring understandings and essential questions.
Stage 2
What is evidence of understanding?
Six facets of understanding
Continuum of assessment types
Valid; Reliable; Sufficient; Authentic work; Feasible; Student friendly
Unit anchored in credible and educationally vital evidence of the desired understandings.
Stage 3
To what extent is the learning plan effective and engaging?
Research based repertoire of learning and teaching strategies
Essential and enabling knowledge and skill
WHERETO
Where is it going?
Hook the students
Explore &equip
Rethink & revise
Exhibit & evaluate
Tailored to student need
Organized
Coherent learning experiences and teaching that will evoke and develop the desired understandings, promote interest and make excellent performance more likely.

4. Stage 1: Identify Desired Results
Worth Being Familiar With
“Nice To Know”
Important To Know & Do
Important Knowledge
& Skills
“Big Ideas”
Enduring Understandings

5. Enduring Understandings
Are derived from or are aligned with content standards.
Are framed as full-sentence generalizations in response to the stem: “The students will understand that…”
Are not obvious or true by definition (i.e., factual knowledge). They need to be uncovered (rather than merely stated) in order for student to come to understand them.

6. Sample Enduring Understandings
Students will understand that…
Numbers are abstract concepts that enable us to represent concrete quantities, sequences, and rates.
Democratic governments struggle to balance the rights of individuals with the common good.
The form in which authors write shapes how they address both their audience and their purpose(s).
Scientists use observation and statistical analysis to uncover and analyze patterns in nature.
As technologies change, our views of nature and our world shift and redefine themselves.

7. Essential Questions
Serve as “doorways” through which students explore the key concepts, themes, theories, and issues within the content.
Elicit interesting and alternative views.
Raise other important questions.
Spark connections and promote the transfer of ideas from one setting to others.

8. Sample Essential Questions
When is error unavoidable in measurement? What margins of error are acceptable?
In what ways might a government guard against abuses of power?
To what extent can a fictional story be “true”?
How do recent developments in genetics affect the nature v. nurture argument?
In what ways does art reflect, as well as shape, culture?

9. Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence
Worth Being Familiar With
Traditional Tests
Important To Know & Do
Performance Tasks and Projects
Enduring Understandings

10. Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence
Assessments should be designed before lessons and activities and should answer the following:
What are the key complex performance tasks indicative of student understanding?
What other evidence will be collected to build the case for understanding, knowledge, and skills?
What rubrics will be used to assess student understanding, knowledge, and skills?

11. Think Like an Assessor, NOT an Activity Planner
Thinking like an Assessor
Thinking like an Activity Designer
What would be sufficient and revealing evidence of understanding?
What would be interesting and engaging activities on this topic?
What performance tasks must anchor the unit and focus the instructional work?
What resources and materials are available on this topic?
How will I be able to distinguish between those who really understand and those who don’t (though they may seem to)?
What will students be doing in and out of class? What assignments will be given?
Against what criteria will I distinguish work?
How will I give students a grade (and justify it to their parents)
What misunderstandings are likely? How will I check for those?
Did the activities work? Why or why not?

12. Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences & Instruction
Learning experiences and instruction should answer the following:
What learning experiences and instruction will promote the desired understanding, knowledge, and skill determined in Stage 1?
How will the design ensure that all students are maximally engaged and effective at meeting those goals?

13. Interrelationships between UbD and DI
Understanding by Design
Differentiated Instruction
Stage 1
Identify desired learning results emphasizing enduring understandings & essential questions.
Target essential understandings, knowledge, & skills for all students.
Expect that all students work at high levels of thought & reasoning.
Stage 2
Determine acceptable evidence of student learning.
Collect multiple sources of assessment evidence matched to learning goals.
Pre-assess student readiness.
Use on-going assessments to chart student progress & to plan instruction.
Allow students appropriate options for demonstrating mastery.
Stage 3
Align instruction with desired learning results & expected performances.
Include experiences that “uncover” the content & engage the student in making meaning of the big ideas.
Focus student tasks clearly on essential understandings .
Adjust instruction to address student readiness, interest, & learning profiles.
Utilize varied teacher presentation approaches.