1. Patchogue-Medford UbD Curriculum Group

2. Understanding by Design Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe
What is backward design?

3. Understanding by Design Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe
“This book provides a conceptual framework, design process and template, and an accompanying set of design standards.”
“It offers a way to design or redesign any curriculum to make student understanding more likely.”

4. Enduring Understanding.
Worth being
familiar with.
Important to
know and do.
Enduring
Understanding.
Wiggins & McTighe, p. 10

5. Enduring Understanding has Six Facets
Interpretation
Explanation
Application
Enduring
Understanding
has
Six Facets
Self-
Knowledge
Perspective
Empathy
Wiggins & McTighe, Chapter 3

6. the Backward Design Process…
Suggests a planning sequence with three stages:
Identify desired results
Determine acceptable evidence
Plan learning experiences and instruction

7. Curriculum Designing versus Classroom Planning (and Classroom Management).

8. Understanding by Design Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe
Stage One: Identify desired results
What overarching understandings are desired?
What are the overarching essential questions?
What will students understand as a result of this unit
or lesson?
What essential and unit/lesson questions will focus this unit/lesson?

9. Understanding by Design Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe
Stage Two: Determine acceptable evidence
What evidence will show that students understand?
Performance tasks
Projects
Quizzes
Tests
Academic prompts
Other evidence…observations, work samples, dialogues
Student self-assessment

10. Understanding by Design Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe
Stage Three: Plan learning experiences and instruction
What knowledge and skills are needed?
What teaching and learning experiences will equip students to demonstrate the targeted understandings?
Now the activities can be developed!

11. Learning experiences and activities should evolve after identifying desired results and determining acceptable evidence.

12. “If it is worth doing, it is worth doing slowly.”
Grant Wiggins is fond of quoting Mae West:
Backward design takes time and should be planned for when time is available.
Grant Wiggins says plan on one well-designed “gourmet” lesson per year when you start and seek the support of colleagues.
“If it is worth doing, it is worth doing slowly.”

13. New York State Academy of Teaching and Learning