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Books on teaching objectives KUD (Know, Understand, Do), there are some very valuable resources to recommend, which can help teachers better design curriculum objectives and teaching strategies.

1. <Understanding by Design> by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe

Content Description: This book details the concept and method of "reverse design", emphasizing the design of the curriculum from the final learning goal.

Why you should recommend it: This book is an in-depth look at how to determine what students need to know, what concepts to understand, and what skills to be able to do, which fits very well with the philosophy of KUD.

2. <Making Thinking Visible>: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners? by Ron Ritchhart, Mark Church, and Karin Morrison

This book explores how visual thinking strategies can promote student engagement and understanding.

The strategies in the book help teachers design teaching objectives that students truly understand and master.

3. <Curriculum 21>: Essential Education for a Changing World, edited by Heidi Hayes Jacobs

What it's about: This book brings together essays from education experts on how to design a curriculum for the 21st century.

The ideas and strategies in this book are very helpful in defining KUD goals and designing innovative courses.

4. <The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units >by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe

This is a practical guide to Understanding by Design that provides specific tools and templates to help teachers design high-quality unit courses.

Recommended reason: Very practical, help teachers to concretize KUD goals, curriculum design.

5. <Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design>: Connecting Content and Kids by Carol Ann Tomlinson and Jay McTighe

This book combines the concepts of differentiated teaching and understanding design, providing concrete methods and examples.

Recommended reason: To help teachers identify KUD goals while taking into account the learning needs of different students.

6. <The Differentiated Classroom>: Responding to the Needs of All Learners by Carol Ann Tomlinson

Description: This book details the concept and practice of differentiated teaching.

Recommended reasons: To help teachers better consider the individual differences of students when setting KUD goals, and to design a curriculum that meets the needs of all students.

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Cite this guide: Bowen, R. S. (2017). Understanding by Design. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved [todaysdate] from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/understanding-by-design/.

Overview

Understanding by Design is a book written by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe that offers a framework for designing courses and content units called "Backward Design." Instructors typically approach course design in a "forward design" manner, meaning they consider the learning activities (how to teach the content), develop assessments around their learning activities, then attempt to draw connections to the learning goals of the course. In contrast, the backward design approach has instructors consider the learning goals of the course first. These learning goals embody the knowledge and skills instructors want their students to have learned when they leave the course. Once the learning goals have been established, the second stage involves consideration of assessment. The backward design framework suggests that instructors should consider these overarching learning goals and how students will be assessed prior to consideration of how to teach the content. For this reason, backward design is considered a much more intentional approach to course design than traditional methods of design.

This teaching guide will explain the benefits of incorporating backward design. Then it will elaborate on the three stages that backward design encompasses. Finally, an overview of a backward design template is provided with links to blank template pages for convenience.

The Benefits of Using Backward Design
"Our lessons, units, and courses should be logically inferred from the results sought, not derived from the methods, books, and activities with which we are most comfortable. Curriculum should lay out the most effective ways of achieving specific results... in short, the best designs derive backward from the learnings sought."
In Understanding by Design, Wiggins and McTighe argue that backward design is focused primarily on student learning and understanding. When teachers are designing lessons, units, or courses, they often focus on the activities and instruction rather than the outputs of the instruction. Therefore, it can be stated that teachers often focus more on teaching rather than learning. This perspective can lead to the misconception that learning is the activity when, in fact, learning is derived from a careful consideration of the meaning of the activity.

As previously stated, backward design is beneficial to instructors because it innately encourages intentionality during the design process. It continually encourages the instructor to establish the purpose of doing something before implementing it into the curriculum. Therefore, backward design is an effective way of providing guidance for instruction and designing lessons, units, and courses. Once the learning goals, or desired results, have been identified, instructors will have an easier time developing assessments and instruction around grounded learning outcomes.

The incorporation of backward design also lends itself to transparent and explicit instruction. If the teacher has explicitly defined the learning goals of the course, then they have a better idea of what they want the students to get out of learning activities. Furthermore, if done thoroughly, it eliminates the possibility of doing certain activities and tasks for the sake of doing them. Every task and piece of instruction has a purpose that fits in with the overarching goals and goals of the course.

As the quote below highlights, teaching is not just about engaging students in content. It is also about ensuring students have the resources necessary to understand. Student learning and understanding can be gauged more accurately through a backward design approach since it leverages what students will need to know and understand during the design process in order to progress.
"In teaching students for understanding, we must grasp the key idea that we are coaches of their ability to play the 'game' of performing with understanding, not tellers of our understanding to them on the sidelines."
The Three Stages of Backward Design
"Deliberate and focused instructional design requires us as teachers and curriculum writers to make an important shift in our thinking about the nature of our job. The shift involves thinking a great deal, first, about the specific learnings sought, and the evidence of such learnings, before thinking about what we, as the teacher, will do or provide in teaching and learning activities."

The Backward Design Template

A link to the blank backward design template is provided here ( https://jaymctighe.com/resources/), and it is referred to as UbD Template 2.0. The older version (version 1.0) can also be downloaded at that site as well as other resources relevant to Understanding by Design. The template walks individuals through the stages of backward design. However, if you are need of the template with descriptions of each section, please see the table below. There is also a link to the document containing the template with descriptions provided below and can be downloaded for free.

Backward Design Template with Descriptions (click link for template with descriptions).

References

1. Sample, Mark. (2011). Teaching for Enduring Understanding. Retrieved from http://www.chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/teaching-for-enduring-understanding/35243.

2. Wiggins, Grant, and McTighe, Jay. (1998). Backward Design. In Understanding by Design (pp. 13-34). ASCD.

This teaching guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
by Ryan S. Bowen Print Version Cite this guide: Bowen, R. S. (2017). Understanding by Design. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved [todaysdate] from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/understanding-by-design/. Overview The Benefits of Using Backward Design The Three Stages of Backward Design The Backward Design Template Overview Understanding by Design is a book written by Grant Wiggins and Jay...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Cite this guide: Bowen, R. S. (2017). Understanding by Design. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved [todaysdate] from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/understanding-by-design/.

Overview

Understanding by Design is a book written by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe that offers a framework for designing courses and content units called "Backward Design." Instructors typically approach course design in a "forward design" manner, meaning they consider the learning activities (how to teach the content), develop assessments around their learning activities, then attempt to draw connections to the learning goals of the course. In contrast, the backward design approach has instructors consider the learning goals of the course first. These learning goals embody the knowledge and skills instructors want their students to have learned when they leave the course. Once the learning goals have been established, the second stage involves consideration of assessment. The backward design framework suggests that instructors should consider these overarching learning goals and how students will be assessed prior to consideration of how to teach the content. For this reason, backward design is considered a much more intentional approach to course design than traditional methods of design.

This teaching guide will explain the benefits of incorporating backward design. Then it will elaborate on the three stages that backward design encompasses. Finally, an overview of a backward design template is provided with links to blank template pages for convenience.

The Benefits of Using Backward Design
"Our lessons, units, and courses should be logically inferred from the results sought, not derived from the methods, books, and activities with which we are most comfortable. Curriculum should lay out the most effective ways of achieving specific results... in short, the best designs derive backward from the learnings sought."
In Understanding by Design, Wiggins and McTighe argue that backward design is focused primarily on student learning and understanding. When teachers are designing lessons, units, or courses, they often focus on the activities and instruction rather than the outputs of the instruction. Therefore, it can be stated that teachers often focus more on teaching rather than learning. This perspective can lead to the misconception that learning is the activity when, in fact, learning is derived from a careful consideration of the meaning of the activity.

As previously stated, backward design is beneficial to instructors because it innately encourages intentionality during the design process. It continually encourages the instructor to establish the purpose of doing something before implementing it into the curriculum. Therefore, backward design is an effective way of providing guidance for instruction and designing lessons, units, and courses. Once the learning goals, or desired results, have been identified, instructors will have an easier time developing assessments and instruction around grounded learning outcomes.

The incorporation of backward design also lends itself to transparent and explicit instruction. If the teacher has explicitly defined the learning goals of the course, then they have a better idea of what they want the students to get out of learning activities. Furthermore, if done thoroughly, it eliminates the possibility of doing certain activities and tasks for the sake of doing them. Every task and piece of instruction has a purpose that fits in with the overarching goals and goals of the course.

As the quote below highlights, teaching is not just about engaging students in content. It is also about ensuring students have the resources necessary to understand. Student learning and understanding can be gauged more accurately through a backward design approach since it leverages what students will need to know and understand during the design process in order to progress.
"In teaching students for understanding, we must grasp the key idea that we are coaches of their ability to play the 'game' of performing with understanding, not tellers of our understanding to them on the sidelines."
The Three Stages of Backward Design
"Deliberate and focused instructional design requires us as teachers and curriculum writers to make an important shift in our thinking about the nature of our job. The shift involves thinking a great deal, first, about the specific learnings sought, and the evidence of such learnings, before thinking about what we, as the teacher, will do or provide in teaching and learning activities."

The Backward Design Template

A link to the blank backward design template is provided here ( https://jaymctighe.com/resources/), and it is referred to as UbD Template 2.0. The older version (version 1.0) can also be downloaded at that site as well as other resources relevant to Understanding by Design. The template walks individuals through the stages of backward design. However, if you are need of the template with descriptions of each section, please see the table below. There is also a link to the document containing the template with descriptions provided below and can be downloaded for free.

Backward Design Template with Descriptions (click link for template with descriptions).

References

1. Sample, Mark. (2011). Teaching for Enduring Understanding. Retrieved from http://www.chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/teaching-for-enduring-understanding/35243.

2. Wiggins, Grant, and McTighe, Jay. (1998). Backward Design. In Understanding by Design (pp. 13-34). ASCD.

This teaching guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
by Ryan S. Bowen Print Version Cite this guide: Bowen, R. S. (2017). Understanding by Design. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved [todaysdate] from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/understanding-by-design/. Overview The Benefits of Using Backward Design The Three Stages of Backward Design The Backward Design Template Overview Understanding by Design is a book written by Grant Wiggins and Jay...

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What is Understanding by Design? Author Jay McTighe explains.

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A framework for planning curriculum, instruction, and assessment is provided in Understanding by Design (McTighe), with 2 key ideas:

1. a focus on teaching and assessing for understanding and transfer

2. a design curriculum 'backward' from those ends.

The deliberate use of backward design for planning curriculum units results in:

more clearly defined goals

more appropriate assessments

more tightly aligned lessons, and more purposeful teaching.

The 7 principles

The 7 principles outlined in Understanding by Design (UbD) are encapsulated in W.H.E.R.E.T.O. - a mnemonic that assists in remembering them:

W: Where and why

H: Hook and hold

E: Explore, experience, enable and equip

R: Reflect, rethink, revise

E: Evaluate work and progress

T: Tailor and personalise the work

O: Organise for optimal effectiveness.

What W.H.E.R.E.T.O. means

1. W: Where and why - UbD is a way of thinking purposefully about curriculum planning - it is not a rigid program or prescriptive recipe.

2. H: Hook and hold - the primary goal of UbD is student understanding, that is, the ability to make meaning of 'big ideas' and transfer their learning.

3. E: Explore, experience, enable and equip - understanding is revealed when students autonomously make sense of and transfer their learning through authentic performance. There are 6 facets of understanding which indicate understanding: the capacity to explain, interpret, apply, shift perspective, empathise, and self-assess.

4. R: Reflect, rethink, revise - effective curriculum is planned 'backward' from long-term desired results through a 3-stage design process: desired results, evidence, and learning plan. This process helps avoid 'textbook coverage' and 'activity-oriented' teaching, in which no clear priorities and purposes are apparent.

5. E: Evaluate work and progress - teachers are coaches of understanding, not just providers of content or activity. They focus on ensuring learning, not just teaching (and assuming that what was taught was learned); they always aim - and check for - successful meaning making and transfer by the learner.

6. T: Tailor and personalise the work - regular reviews of units and curriculum against design standards enhance curricular quality and effectiveness.

7. O: Organise for optimal effectiveness - UbD reflects a continuous improvement approach to achievement where the results of lesson design/ planning, that is student performance, informs teachers of any needed adjustments to curriculum and instruction.

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Explore the 7 key principles and the big picture of backward design outlined in McTighe's Understanding by Design.

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Stage 3: Important Questions to Answer

What activities, experiences, and lessons will lead to achievement of the desired results and success in the assessments?

How will the learning plan help students acquisition, evaluation, and transfer?

How will the unit be sequenced and differentiated to optimize achievement for all learners?

Stage 3: W.H.E.R.E.T.O.

WHERETO is an acronym to help execute Stage 3 and is explained below. (Another acronym to help with the process of writing Stage 3 is GRASPS) When considering your unit you must recognize what is expected of your students throughout the process. This table includes how will they be evaluated, judged, and graded:

E

EQUIP students, help them EXPERIENCE the key ideas and EXPLORE the issue.

R

Provide opportunities to RETHINK and REVISE their understandings and work.

E

Allow students to EVALUATE their work and its implications.

T

TAILOR the unit to the different needs, interests, and abilities of learners.

O

ORGANIZE to maximize engagement, as well as effective learning.

Stage 3 Worksheet

Stage 3 Completed Worksheet

Learning Activities and Planned Lesson Instruction:

Sources

Front Loading

Activities - Worksheets and Handouts

Lesson 1 - What is an Essay?

Lesson 2 - What are Different Styles of Essays?

Lesson 3 - Taking a Peek at an Essay

Lesson 4 - The Bing, Bang, Bongo Method: 5 Paragraph Essay

Lesson 5 - Check Out My Body...Type

Lesson 6 - MCAS/PARCC

Lesson 7 - Audience Importance

Lesson 8 - Introducing the Introduction

Lesson 9 - "Girl, Look at the Body...I Work Out": Writing SEXI Body Paragraphs

Lesson 10 - Conclusion Confusion

Lesson 11 - IYOW (Write Your Own)

Lesson 12 - Self Editing

Lesson 13 - Peer Editing

Lesson 14 - Final Draft

Lesson 15 - Reflection

Works Cited

Ray, Rebecca L. CURRICULUM UNIT Composition Writing 10th Grade English Language Arts. 14 July 2012. Lesson Plan. Fitchburg State University, Fitchburg, Massachusetts.

Wiggins, Grant P., and Jay McTighe. The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 2011. Print

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What is UBD? | Understanding By Design in the Classroom

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What activities, experiences, and lessons will lead to achievement of the desired results and success in the assessments? How will the learning plan help students acquisition, evaluation, and transfer? How will the unit be sequenced and differentiated to optimize achievement for all learners? WHERETO is an acronym to help execute Stage 3 and is explained below.