Model Lesson Development - Part 2

Video Transcription

In this tutorial, we'll take a closer look at designing instruction using Understanding by Design. We'll be focusing on stages 2 and 3 of UbD After reviewing the second and third stages of Understanding by Design, we'll take a look at an example unit that will help you to see these stages in action.

Recall that UbD stage 2 is when we determine acceptable evidence. In this stage, you'll develop the main performance task that students will complete. This should be a summative assessment that is aligned to the understandings, competencies, and essential questions of the unit. You'll then develop any other formative assessments that are going to be used throughout the unit. Again, these formative assessments need to be aligned with the knowledge and skills that occur throughout the unit.

Next, in UbD stage 3, you develop the learning plan that students will follow throughout the unit. This is where you'll list all of the individual learning experiences that will help to lead students toward mastery of the desired goals. As you're developing these learning experiences, you can consider the WHERETO elements, or the specific elements of Wiggins and McTighe's WHERETO acronym.

You need to be sure that students know Where the unit is headed and Why it's headed there. You need to Hook the students right away in the beginning, and then Hold their attention throughout the unit. It's important to Equip students with the experiences, tools, knowledge, and know-how that are necessary in order for them to achieve those performance goals. Students need opportunities to Rethink the big ideas, to Reflect on their progress, and to Revise their work as necessary.

There should also be opportunities for students to Evaluate their own progress, through self-reflection. Instruction should be Tailored to reflect individual learning styles, talents, interests, and needs. And finally, instruction needs to be Organized in order to really optimize deep understanding, instead of just superficial coverage of the information.

In the sample Constitutional Rights unit, under the assessment evidence heading, we can see a description of the performance assessment that will be used to determine whether students have mastered the desired skills and competencies. Remember, this performance assessment needs to be a summative assessment task that is aligned to the competencies, understandings, and essential questions in the unit.

We can also see here, the list of various formative assessments that will be used throughout the unit in order to measure students' progress. Remember these formative assessments also need to be aligned to the identified skills and knowledge in the unit.

Finally, we can see all of the individual elements of the learning plan. This is a list of the learning experiences that students will be participating in, throughout each lesson in the unit. For example, in lesson 1, students will be defining the term Constitutional Rights. And in lesson 2, students will be applying the principles of the Bill of Rights to a court case.

Remember to keep the WHERETO elements in mind as you're developing this list. Try to include a good variety of activities that will apply to all sorts of learning preferences, learning styles, and individual student needs.

Now it's your turn to stop and reflect. If you already began the planning process using the tutorial that focused on stage 1 of Understanding by Design, here's your opportunity to now complete stages 2 and 3.

To dive a little deeper and learn how to apply this information, be sure to check out the Additional Resources section associated with this video. This is where you'll find links targeted toward helping you discover more ways to apply this course material.

Thanks for joining me today. Have a great day.