Richard Leonard
June 26, 2017
General Points of The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units (by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe)
Content Mastery is the means, not the end.
Learning must be guided by general principles.
Avoids “mile wide and inch deep” knowledge.
Attempts to relate new and previously learned material or to chunk material into patterns the brain hasn’t yet used.
Hands-on, experiential learning stimulates multiple senses and encourages long-term memory.
What is understanding?
Understanding exists at the level of ideas and inferences (making connections, grasping core concepts, seeing the big picture) and effective use of knowledge and skill (teaching others, saying it in your own words, applying learning to a real-world setting, defending views to an audience)
RL: As I see it, the goal of Stage 1 is to identify an overarching big idea that may be returned to over an extended lesson, and frame each big idea as an essential question. This question must be circumspect enough to allow for entry from many sides. Essential questions don’t automatically have right or wrong answers, but serve as tools for students to draw connections, inferences, and conclusions based on the teacher’s selection of related--and seemingly unrelated--topics in each unit.
Understanding by Design is also called Backward Design: It starts with what we want our students to be able to do as a result of each unit lesson, not just know. Teachers carefully consider the real-world applications suggested by each unit (with the average unit taking a month to complete) and determine the unit’s transferable ideas: the big ideas or understandings relating to the students’ unit-based performance activities. The Common Core State Standards, The Archdiocesan Guidelines, textbooks, trade books, recommendations of the Spirituality Committee--and everything else that relates to content mastery--will be applied based on the needs of a given unit, with these related areas of knowledge and skill registered under Stage 1’s Acquisition.
Learning Transfer is the ultimate goal of UbD. Transfer involves students taking what they have learned to the next level, applying it to an unfamiliar situation on their own. According to pp. 93-4 of the manual, learning transfer is detectable when students can do the following (the examples are mine)
EXPLAIN: Make connections
Create a mobile representing Dante Alighieri’s nine-level Paradiso. What did
Dante’s depiction of heaven reveal about his priorities? On each of the nine rings,
paint not only the historical figures he describes, but also those who have died in
in the 700 years after he wrote The Divine Comedy. Include those whose virtues
match the descriptions of each level, whomever you think is among these
communion of saints. Show them doing the virtues they were known for.
Drawing from the list I compiled, “A Song a Day: The 365 Greatest Pop Songs of All
Time”, have students determine which (if any) of these titles could be framed into
an essential question (once this concept is presented). When the students plan
their own units (see “SELF-KNOWLEDGE--Show Metacognitive Awareness” on p. 6
of these notes) they will choose a pop song as the opening hook of their lesson (as
I will do at times).
Draw inferences:
In Lord of the Flies, what can we infer about Ralph’s state of mind from the following
passage:
''Ralph sat down and began to poke little holes in the sand. He was surprised to see that one had a drop of blood by it. He examined his bitten nails closely and watched the little globe of blood that had gathered where the quick was gnawed away.'' (145)
Good writers “show” more than they “tell.” Discuss additional passages involving two
other characters in Lord of the Flies where Golding suggests something about these
characters through description or dialogue without actually stating it.
Use apt analogies:
Kennings are a form of analogy popular in the epic poem Beowulf. They have also
been constructed by Coco the Gorilla in her attempt to name objects around her.
Write the first paragraph of a science fiction story that uses kennings to describe
unfamiliar objects in an alien environment.
There are eight standard forms of analogies used on standardized tests, such as
“Part to whole,” “Synonyms,” and “Antonyms.” Choose two nouns, two verbs, and
two adjectives from Units 4 and 5 of Vocabulary Workshop to create six different
analogy types. For example, Luggage: baggage :: hutch: cabinet (Synonyms)
Working in groups of three, write three modern parables in which the imagery is
familiar to an audience of today. Parable one will be set in a first world country,
parable two in a second world country, and parable three in a third world country.
Decide what common theme all three parables will reinforce.
Teach others:
Conduct a Titanic Expo for other classes showing the dangers of making
presumptions. Create a cause and effect chain showing how any one of a dozen
different factors might have saved the Titanic from its fate.
INTERPRET Make sense of, provide a revealing historical or personal dimension to ideas,
data, and events:
For Women’s History Month, seventh graders will research women’s suffrage and
answer women’s rights pioneers Lucy Stone’s and Henry Blackwell’s
correspondence to each other both before and after their marriage. They will
write a Prologue for Loving Warriors, the couple’s collection of letters, describing
the defining moments in the Women’s Rights Movement up to the present,
revealing how marriage, property, and voting rights have evolved, while
recognizing areas still in need of reform
Make product personal or accessible through images, anecdotes, analogies,
and stories:
Seventh graders will write personal narratives centered around a Joycean
epiphany or self-discovery for possible publication in Stone Soup’s online or
print edition.
Later in the first trimester students will write a short story that showcases many
of the 70 literary elements subdivided into five genre-based categories of
assessment (with many terms occupying more than one category: short story
elements, novel properties, poetry terms, drama terms, and other communication
devices. These stories will be submitted to online websites for publication.
Students in the seventh grade will--in the second trimester--create 8-page
(minimum) illustrated children’s books on an assigned science theme on an
Individual basis. They will make the seventh grade Archdiocesan or Next
Generation science standards more “personal and accessible” by framing an
assigned science topic as an entertaining mystery, adventure, science fiction,
or mythical story.
Turn data into information:
In lesson on the circulatory system, students will be given a sample blood test--or
bring in their own--to interpret the 30 categories of blood data contained on the
test, deciphering what each of the abbreviated letters means. They will consider
which of the data fall within the acceptable range of health, and which--by being
too high or low--may lead to health issues. These possible health issues and their
treatments will then be clarified for the student “patient” by the student “doctor”
In both oral and written form.
Provide a compelling and coherent theory:
Include discussions on existing as well as student-proposed theories.
Contrary to being fact, an understanding is a “theory in the broadest sense.
It is the result of inference--the developing and testing of ideas by learners,
culminating in an idea that seems useful and illustrative to the learner.”
(pp. 14-15)
It would follow, then, that different learners may develop different understandings.
In a smart board presentation, select students will trace how
Newton, Farrady, Maxwell, and Einstein helped to shape the Special Theory of
Relativity.
A second small group will produce a puppet show for middle school students
showing how Schlieden, Schwann, and Virchow independently developed the
Cell Theory
A third group, using dry erase animation, will delineate the origin and current
status of TOE (the Theory of Everything) that Einstein devoted his last twenty
years to at Princeton, showing its relationship to string theory
A fourth group will elaborate on its own fledgling theory, using a communication
vehicle of their choice, and discussing what makes an idea a theory
Compare The Butterfly Effect with conflicts in your life and in society.
Who’s right: Isaac Newton or Chaos Theory?
How does art cause us to reexamine some of our theories of justice and
peace?
APPLY/ADJUST Use what they have learned in varied and unique situations:
Design a weebly page that provides a critical review of Quintessence
Theatre’s adaptation of Julius Caesar, for which the seventh and eighth
grade will be in attendance (tentative date: April 19, 2018 @ 10 AM
performance). Each student may weigh in with the strengths and
weaknesses of each aspect of the play (acting, directing, costumes,
lighting, special effects, casting, etc.) Eighth graders may also be inclined
to make comparisons to last year’s Shakespeare adaptation of Love’s
Labours Lost by Quintessence.
Physical and Vocal Aspects of delivery covered in Communication in
Trimester one may be alluded to. Make certain eighth graders responsible
for maintaining the website and any words or images that appear on it by
their peers.
Go beyond the the context in which they learned to new units, courses,
and situations beyond the school:
Write a vignette about a situation in which you applied something you learned
in a safe environment training class, during Say Something Week, or in one
of our class’ Fambol Toks or peace circles. Take turns being the facilitator of
these peace circles based on behaviors you’ve seen outside the scope of
teacher supervision. Play “Homeschool” (an exercise used by Mrs. Beatty
During and after school) to create scenarios of “occasions of sin” and
character-defining moments that might arise in high school. What is the
best way to defuse each situation?
HAVE PERSPECTIVE See the big picture:
Students will continuously be encouraged to look at all content
and apply the question “Why does this matter?” not “Is this on the
test?” Unless we can find a suitable answer to the former question,
students will not be assessed on these subtopics.
Are aware of, and consider, various points of view:
In line with “Provide a Compelling and Coherent Theory” already
discussed, two small groups of three will debate whether
Shakespeare did, in fact, author all thirty-seven plays for
which he’s credited.
Take a critical or disinterested stance:
Part 1: In pairs, students will watch at least four internet videos featuring
tutorials on smartboard features. Assuming the role of a grade school
principal, they will take the position that each of these four presenters
is seeking employment at OMC in the upcoming school year. They
will file a report with the pastor and Academic Steering Committee
making recommendations on which candidate to hire based upon
each speaker’s level of professionalism, purposeful speech, and
effective communication skills. Consider all other traits you will want
to follow up on in making a final decision.
Part 2: Create a manual that peers may access from Chromebooks
that explains the most important features of the Smartboard for an
assigned grade level
Recognize and avoid bias in how positions are stated:
If each individual grade of Our Mother of Consolation participated in
a sports competition with three events--footrace around the convent,
shot-put and class tally of push-ups--could a winning class be
determined? (After class has done exercises with measurements of
central tendency). --Based on example in Understanding by Design
SHOW EMPATHY Perceive sensitively:
In May, conduct performance evaluation in which students in
small groups research the Seven Social Justice Issues of the Catholic
Church and consider the obstacles to achieving them in society.
Each three person group will design a seven issue Prayer of the Faithful
addressing these concerns, and compile a brochure (with a Table of
Contents) on the factors that would help bring about any two of these
Justice matters, complete with visual illustrations (Grade 8)
Grade seven will individually compile performance assessments that
find biblical precedents to clarify how Jesus lived out his own
Beatitudes. They will identify individuals within their own communities
that they feel best exemplify any two Beatitudes, weighing in with
evidence to back their claims.
In the eighth grade, we will revisit the principles of “Say Something
Week” in October, modeling the types of behaviors we would like to
follow through on in high school. Conduct ongoing peace circles.
Can “walk in another’s shoes”:
Eighth grade Student Council members will keep bar graph for
each month’s service project, revealing Grades 6-8 participation patterns.
Some months, such as January, may have more than one service
opportunity, explaining the need for a stacked, color-coded bar graph.
Participants should sign the back of each calendar under their assigned
grade (for purposes of letters of recommendation and candidates for
Vincent de Paul Award).
Find potential value in what others might find odd, alien, or
implausible:
Play the role of public defender in a trial in which your client, a
conspiracy theorist, has finally been awarded a forum for his views.
With classmate posing as this “Truth seeker”, show which aspects
of this theory might actually be considered thought-provoking, and
deliver your arguments without irony or indignation.
Note: Some theories will be off the table.
HAVE SELF-KNOWLEDGE Show metacognitive awareness:
Students will not only be able to identify the elements of backward
design learning in a lesson, they will be able to plan an assigned
lesson around the understanding goals, essential questions,
content considerations on knowledge and skills, and how peers
will transfer these new understandings in uncharted areas.
They will also be responsible for fashioning creative assessments
for one of six small groups based on the Six Facets of Under-
standing illustrated on pp. 93-98 of the UbD Guide.
Reflect on the meaning of new learning and experiences:
In grammar exercise laid out under the unit on “How Does
Communication Break Down?”, students will consider the
common causes for poor written expression, and what parts
of grammar are essential for clarity, as opposed to less relevant
exercises like naming how words are used within their case.
For instance, communication becomes a problem when a
pronoun’s antecedent is unclear, or when a sentence exhibits
initial ambiguity (where something written is unclear until it is
qualified at a later point).
Teachers and students will be learning together the best ways
to connect current with previous learning, and differentiating
between essential goals and simple content.
Students will be asked to fill the instructor in on how the big
ideas and essential questions can be related to what they are
learning in other classrooms (as a periodic Writing Journal
assignment). These excerpts from student copybooks should
aid instructor in planning for even greater cross-curricular
exercises each successive year.
Recognize the prejudices, projections, and
habits of mind that both shape and impede their own
understanding;
are aware of what they do not understand in this context:
What types of generalizations are useful, and which are
harmful?
After first unit lesson, complete survey on how Understanding
by Design has influenced your ability to “make meaning” by
fostering healthy generalizations and inferences.
June 26, 2017
General Points of The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units (by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe)
Content Mastery is the means, not the end.
Learning must be guided by general principles.
Avoids “mile wide and inch deep” knowledge.
Attempts to relate new and previously learned material or to chunk material into patterns the brain hasn’t yet used.
Hands-on, experiential learning stimulates multiple senses and encourages long-term memory.
What is understanding?
Understanding exists at the level of ideas and inferences (making connections, grasping core concepts, seeing the big picture) and effective use of knowledge and skill (teaching others, saying it in your own words, applying learning to a real-world setting, defending views to an audience)
RL: As I see it, the goal of Stage 1 is to identify an overarching big idea that may be returned to over an extended lesson, and frame each big idea as an essential question. This question must be circumspect enough to allow for entry from many sides. Essential questions don’t automatically have right or wrong answers, but serve as tools for students to draw connections, inferences, and conclusions based on the teacher’s selection of related--and seemingly unrelated--topics in each unit.
Understanding by Design is also called Backward Design: It starts with what we want our students to be able to do as a result of each unit lesson, not just know. Teachers carefully consider the real-world applications suggested by each unit (with the average unit taking a month to complete) and determine the unit’s transferable ideas: the big ideas or understandings relating to the students’ unit-based performance activities. The Common Core State Standards, The Archdiocesan Guidelines, textbooks, trade books, recommendations of the Spirituality Committee--and everything else that relates to content mastery--will be applied based on the needs of a given unit, with these related areas of knowledge and skill registered under Stage 1’s Acquisition.
Learning Transfer is the ultimate goal of UbD. Transfer involves students taking what they have learned to the next level, applying it to an unfamiliar situation on their own. According to pp. 93-4 of the manual, learning transfer is detectable when students can do the following (the examples are mine)
EXPLAIN: Make connections
Create a mobile representing Dante Alighieri’s nine-level Paradiso. What did
Dante’s depiction of heaven reveal about his priorities? On each of the nine rings,
paint not only the historical figures he describes, but also those who have died in
in the 700 years after he wrote The Divine Comedy. Include those whose virtues
match the descriptions of each level, whomever you think is among these
communion of saints. Show them doing the virtues they were known for.
Drawing from the list I compiled, “A Song a Day: The 365 Greatest Pop Songs of All
Time”, have students determine which (if any) of these titles could be framed into
an essential question (once this concept is presented). When the students plan
their own units (see “SELF-KNOWLEDGE--Show Metacognitive Awareness” on p. 6
of these notes) they will choose a pop song as the opening hook of their lesson (as
I will do at times).
Draw inferences:
In Lord of the Flies, what can we infer about Ralph’s state of mind from the following
passage:
''Ralph sat down and began to poke little holes in the sand. He was surprised to see that one had a drop of blood by it. He examined his bitten nails closely and watched the little globe of blood that had gathered where the quick was gnawed away.'' (145)
Good writers “show” more than they “tell.” Discuss additional passages involving two
other characters in Lord of the Flies where Golding suggests something about these
characters through description or dialogue without actually stating it.
Use apt analogies:
Kennings are a form of analogy popular in the epic poem Beowulf. They have also
been constructed by Coco the Gorilla in her attempt to name objects around her.
Write the first paragraph of a science fiction story that uses kennings to describe
unfamiliar objects in an alien environment.
There are eight standard forms of analogies used on standardized tests, such as
“Part to whole,” “Synonyms,” and “Antonyms.” Choose two nouns, two verbs, and
two adjectives from Units 4 and 5 of Vocabulary Workshop to create six different
analogy types. For example, Luggage: baggage :: hutch: cabinet (Synonyms)
Working in groups of three, write three modern parables in which the imagery is
familiar to an audience of today. Parable one will be set in a first world country,
parable two in a second world country, and parable three in a third world country.
Decide what common theme all three parables will reinforce.
Teach others:
Conduct a Titanic Expo for other classes showing the dangers of making
presumptions. Create a cause and effect chain showing how any one of a dozen
different factors might have saved the Titanic from its fate.
INTERPRET Make sense of, provide a revealing historical or personal dimension to ideas,
data, and events:
For Women’s History Month, seventh graders will research women’s suffrage and
answer women’s rights pioneers Lucy Stone’s and Henry Blackwell’s
correspondence to each other both before and after their marriage. They will
write a Prologue for Loving Warriors, the couple’s collection of letters, describing
the defining moments in the Women’s Rights Movement up to the present,
revealing how marriage, property, and voting rights have evolved, while
recognizing areas still in need of reform
Make product personal or accessible through images, anecdotes, analogies,
and stories:
Seventh graders will write personal narratives centered around a Joycean
epiphany or self-discovery for possible publication in Stone Soup’s online or
print edition.
Later in the first trimester students will write a short story that showcases many
of the 70 literary elements subdivided into five genre-based categories of
assessment (with many terms occupying more than one category: short story
elements, novel properties, poetry terms, drama terms, and other communication
devices. These stories will be submitted to online websites for publication.
Students in the seventh grade will--in the second trimester--create 8-page
(minimum) illustrated children’s books on an assigned science theme on an
Individual basis. They will make the seventh grade Archdiocesan or Next
Generation science standards more “personal and accessible” by framing an
assigned science topic as an entertaining mystery, adventure, science fiction,
or mythical story.
Turn data into information:
In lesson on the circulatory system, students will be given a sample blood test--or
bring in their own--to interpret the 30 categories of blood data contained on the
test, deciphering what each of the abbreviated letters means. They will consider
which of the data fall within the acceptable range of health, and which--by being
too high or low--may lead to health issues. These possible health issues and their
treatments will then be clarified for the student “patient” by the student “doctor”
In both oral and written form.
Provide a compelling and coherent theory:
Include discussions on existing as well as student-proposed theories.
Contrary to being fact, an understanding is a “theory in the broadest sense.
It is the result of inference--the developing and testing of ideas by learners,
culminating in an idea that seems useful and illustrative to the learner.”
(pp. 14-15)
It would follow, then, that different learners may develop different understandings.
In a smart board presentation, select students will trace how
Newton, Farrady, Maxwell, and Einstein helped to shape the Special Theory of
Relativity.
A second small group will produce a puppet show for middle school students
showing how Schlieden, Schwann, and Virchow independently developed the
Cell Theory
A third group, using dry erase animation, will delineate the origin and current
status of TOE (the Theory of Everything) that Einstein devoted his last twenty
years to at Princeton, showing its relationship to string theory
A fourth group will elaborate on its own fledgling theory, using a communication
vehicle of their choice, and discussing what makes an idea a theory
Compare The Butterfly Effect with conflicts in your life and in society.
Who’s right: Isaac Newton or Chaos Theory?
How does art cause us to reexamine some of our theories of justice and
peace?
APPLY/ADJUST Use what they have learned in varied and unique situations:
Design a weebly page that provides a critical review of Quintessence
Theatre’s adaptation of Julius Caesar, for which the seventh and eighth
grade will be in attendance (tentative date: April 19, 2018 @ 10 AM
performance). Each student may weigh in with the strengths and
weaknesses of each aspect of the play (acting, directing, costumes,
lighting, special effects, casting, etc.) Eighth graders may also be inclined
to make comparisons to last year’s Shakespeare adaptation of Love’s
Labours Lost by Quintessence.
Physical and Vocal Aspects of delivery covered in Communication in
Trimester one may be alluded to. Make certain eighth graders responsible
for maintaining the website and any words or images that appear on it by
their peers.
Go beyond the the context in which they learned to new units, courses,
and situations beyond the school:
Write a vignette about a situation in which you applied something you learned
in a safe environment training class, during Say Something Week, or in one
of our class’ Fambol Toks or peace circles. Take turns being the facilitator of
these peace circles based on behaviors you’ve seen outside the scope of
teacher supervision. Play “Homeschool” (an exercise used by Mrs. Beatty
During and after school) to create scenarios of “occasions of sin” and
character-defining moments that might arise in high school. What is the
best way to defuse each situation?
HAVE PERSPECTIVE See the big picture:
Students will continuously be encouraged to look at all content
and apply the question “Why does this matter?” not “Is this on the
test?” Unless we can find a suitable answer to the former question,
students will not be assessed on these subtopics.
Are aware of, and consider, various points of view:
In line with “Provide a Compelling and Coherent Theory” already
discussed, two small groups of three will debate whether
Shakespeare did, in fact, author all thirty-seven plays for
which he’s credited.
Take a critical or disinterested stance:
Part 1: In pairs, students will watch at least four internet videos featuring
tutorials on smartboard features. Assuming the role of a grade school
principal, they will take the position that each of these four presenters
is seeking employment at OMC in the upcoming school year. They
will file a report with the pastor and Academic Steering Committee
making recommendations on which candidate to hire based upon
each speaker’s level of professionalism, purposeful speech, and
effective communication skills. Consider all other traits you will want
to follow up on in making a final decision.
Part 2: Create a manual that peers may access from Chromebooks
that explains the most important features of the Smartboard for an
assigned grade level
Recognize and avoid bias in how positions are stated:
If each individual grade of Our Mother of Consolation participated in
a sports competition with three events--footrace around the convent,
shot-put and class tally of push-ups--could a winning class be
determined? (After class has done exercises with measurements of
central tendency). --Based on example in Understanding by Design
SHOW EMPATHY Perceive sensitively:
In May, conduct performance evaluation in which students in
small groups research the Seven Social Justice Issues of the Catholic
Church and consider the obstacles to achieving them in society.
Each three person group will design a seven issue Prayer of the Faithful
addressing these concerns, and compile a brochure (with a Table of
Contents) on the factors that would help bring about any two of these
Justice matters, complete with visual illustrations (Grade 8)
Grade seven will individually compile performance assessments that
find biblical precedents to clarify how Jesus lived out his own
Beatitudes. They will identify individuals within their own communities
that they feel best exemplify any two Beatitudes, weighing in with
evidence to back their claims.
In the eighth grade, we will revisit the principles of “Say Something
Week” in October, modeling the types of behaviors we would like to
follow through on in high school. Conduct ongoing peace circles.
Can “walk in another’s shoes”:
Eighth grade Student Council members will keep bar graph for
each month’s service project, revealing Grades 6-8 participation patterns.
Some months, such as January, may have more than one service
opportunity, explaining the need for a stacked, color-coded bar graph.
Participants should sign the back of each calendar under their assigned
grade (for purposes of letters of recommendation and candidates for
Vincent de Paul Award).
Find potential value in what others might find odd, alien, or
implausible:
Play the role of public defender in a trial in which your client, a
conspiracy theorist, has finally been awarded a forum for his views.
With classmate posing as this “Truth seeker”, show which aspects
of this theory might actually be considered thought-provoking, and
deliver your arguments without irony or indignation.
Note: Some theories will be off the table.
HAVE SELF-KNOWLEDGE Show metacognitive awareness:
Students will not only be able to identify the elements of backward
design learning in a lesson, they will be able to plan an assigned
lesson around the understanding goals, essential questions,
content considerations on knowledge and skills, and how peers
will transfer these new understandings in uncharted areas.
They will also be responsible for fashioning creative assessments
for one of six small groups based on the Six Facets of Under-
standing illustrated on pp. 93-98 of the UbD Guide.
Reflect on the meaning of new learning and experiences:
In grammar exercise laid out under the unit on “How Does
Communication Break Down?”, students will consider the
common causes for poor written expression, and what parts
of grammar are essential for clarity, as opposed to less relevant
exercises like naming how words are used within their case.
For instance, communication becomes a problem when a
pronoun’s antecedent is unclear, or when a sentence exhibits
initial ambiguity (where something written is unclear until it is
qualified at a later point).
Teachers and students will be learning together the best ways
to connect current with previous learning, and differentiating
between essential goals and simple content.
Students will be asked to fill the instructor in on how the big
ideas and essential questions can be related to what they are
learning in other classrooms (as a periodic Writing Journal
assignment). These excerpts from student copybooks should
aid instructor in planning for even greater cross-curricular
exercises each successive year.
Recognize the prejudices, projections, and
habits of mind that both shape and impede their own
understanding;
are aware of what they do not understand in this context:
What types of generalizations are useful, and which are
harmful?
After first unit lesson, complete survey on how Understanding
by Design has influenced your ability to “make meaning” by
fostering healthy generalizations and inferences.