The Und er stan di ng by Desi gn G ui de t o Cre at i ng Hi gh-Q ual i t y Uni t s

M odul e A: The Bi g Ide as of UbD

Figu re A. 2

U b D in a N u t s h e ll

Stage 1: Desired Results The Eight Tenets of UbD

What long-term transfer goals are targeted? 1. UbD is a way of thinking purposefully about
What meanings should students make in order to curricular planning and school reform. It offers a
arrive at important understandings? three-stage design process, a set of helpful design
tools, and design standards—not a rigid program or
What essential questions will students explore? prescriptive recipe.
What knowledge and skill will students acquire?
2. The primary goal of UbD is student understand-
What established goals/standards are targeted? ing—the ability to make meaning of “big ideas” and
to transfer learning.
Stage 2: Evidence
What performances and products will reveal evi- 3. UbD unpacks and transforms content standards
dence of meaning-making and transfer? into the relevant Stage 1 elements and appropriate
assessments in Stage 2.
By what criteria will performance be assessed, in
light of Stage 1 desired results? 4. Understanding is revealed when students
What additional evidence will be collected for all autonomously transfer their learning through
Stage 1 desired results? authentic performance. Six facets of understand-
ing—the capacities to explain, interpret, apply, shift
Are the assessments aligned to all Stage 1 perspective, empathize, and self-assess—serve as
elements? indicators of understanding.
Stage 3: Learning Plan 5. Teachers are coaches of understanding, not
What activities, experiences, and lessons will lead to mere purveyors of content or activity. They design
achievement of the desired results and success at for and support meaning-making and transfer by
the assessments? the learner and they adjust to achieve intended
results based on constant monitoring.
How will the learning plan help students with acqui-
sition, meaning-making, and transfer? 6. Planning is best done backward from the desired
How will the unit be sequenced and differentiated to results and the transfer tasks that embody the
optimize achievement for all learners? goals. The three stages (Desired Results, Evidence,
Learning Plan) must align for the unit to be most
How will progress be monitored? effective.
Are the learning events in Stage 3 aligned with
Stage 1 goals and Stage 2 assessments? 7. Regular reviews of curriculum against design
standards enhance curricular quality and
effectiveness.
8. UbD reflects a continuous-improvement
approach. The result of curriculum designs—stu-
dent performance—informs needed adjustments.
 The Und er stan di ng by Desi gn G ui de t o Cre at i ng Hi gh-Q ual i t y Uni t s

M odul e A: The Bi g Ide as of UbD

Figu re A. 2

U b D in a N u t s h e ll (continued)

Stage 1 in a Nutshell Stage 1 in a Nutshell

A Transfer Goal 1. A focus in Stage 1 is making sure that our learn-
• States the long-term accomplishments that ing goals are framed in terms of important accom-
students should be able to do with knowledge and plishments reflective of understanding.
skill, on their own.
2. The goal of understanding has two connotations:
• Answers the questions “Why should I learn this?” (a) making “meaning” of big ideas and (b) autono-
“What can I do with this?” mous “transfer” of learning to new situations.
(Modules B, E, & G; UbD2*, pp. 39–43, 78–81) 3. Research shows that students need to grasp the
big ideas if they are to make sense of their lessons,
An Essential Question and transfer their learning to new lessons, novel
• Is open ended; has no simple right answer. problems, and real-world situations.
• Is meant to be investigated, argued, looked at 4. “Transfer” refers to the ultimate desired accom-
from different points of view. plishment: what, in the end, should students be
• Encourages active meaning-making by the learner able to do with all this content, on their own, if this
about important ideas. and other related units are successful?
• Raises other important questions. 5. It is important to state the transfer goals explicitly,
• Naturally arises in everyday life and/or in “doing” even if such goals are not explicitly noted in the
the subject. established standards.
• Constantly and appropriately recurs; it can fruit- 6. We must be mindful of potential student misun-
fully be asked and reasked over time. derstandings and transfer deficits. Establishing clear
(Modules B & H, also E & G; UbD2 Chapter 5, and explicit goals also means predicting possible
pp. 105–125) trouble spots in learning and performance.
7. Resist listing all possible knowledge and skill
Stage 1: Desired Results goals that are in any way related to the unit topic.
An Understanding Identify only those goals that you plan to directly
• Cannot be simply transmitted; it must be “earned” assess in Stage 2 and explicitly address in Stage 3.
by the learner.
• Is a meaningful “big idea” or the “moral of the
story” of the unit.
• Makes sense of otherwise-discrete facts; it “con-
nects the dots.”
• Is transferable to other contexts.
• Is usually not obvious and may be counterintuitive;
therefore prone to misunderstanding.
• Is an inference, stated as a specific generalization:
“the student will understand THAT . . . .”
(Modules B & H, also E & G; UbD2 Chapter 5,
pp. 126–145)

Knowledge and Skill

• Specify what students should know and be able
to do as a result of the unit (usually stated in estab-
lished standards and benchmarks).
• Reflect both the targeted knowledge and skill
and the enabling knowledge and skill implied in the
understanding-related goals (Module E).

*UbD2 references Understanding by Design, 2nd ed.

 The Und er stan di ng by Desi gn G ui de t o Cre at i ng Hi gh-Q ual i t y Uni t s

M odul e A: The Bi g Ide as of UbD

Figu re A. 2

U b D in a N u t s h e ll (continued)

Stage 2 in a Nutshell Stage 2 in a Nutshell

Evidence 1. The focus in Stage 2 is “valid evidence”—mak-
Performance Task(s) ing sure that what we assess and how we assess
• Are needed as evidence of understanding follows logically from the Stage 1 goals.
because we have to see if the learners can apply
their learning to various issues, problems, situa- 2. Assessing for understanding requires evidence
tions, and contexts. of the students’ ability to insightfully explain or
interpret their learning—to “show their work” and to
• Reflect the six facets of understanding: explana- “justify” or “support” their performance/product with
tion, interpretation, application, perspective, empa- commentary.
thy, and self-understanding.
• Establish real-world contexts, demands, messi- 3. Assessing for understanding also requires evi-
ness, audiences, and purposes. dence of the students’ ability to apply their learning
in new, varied, and realistic situations—transfer—in
• Should be written in the GRASPS format to make which they must “do” the subject as opposed to
assessment tasks more authentic and engaging. merely answering pat questions.
• Are evaluated using valid criteria and indicators,
reflective of not only quality performance but related 4. The six facets of understanding provide a helpful
to the Desired Results of Stage 1. framework for building appropriate assessment
tasks:
(Modules B & F; UbD2, pp. 146–171) • Explain: the student generalizes, makes connec-
tions, has a sound theory, can put in his own words.
Other Evidence
• Interpret: the student offers a plausible and sup-
• Identifies needed assessments of Stage 1 goals; ported account of text, data, experience.
includes conventional tests, quizzes, assignments,
and observations to round out the assessment. • Apply: the student can transfer, adapt, adjust,
address novel issues and problems.
• Can overlap the performance-based evidence,
thereby increasing the reliability of the overall • Perspective: the student can see from different
assessment (especially if the performance task was points of view.
done by a group). • Empathy: the student can walk in the shoes of
people/characters.
(Module B)
• Self-understanding: the student can self-
assess, see the limits of her understanding, reflect
metacognitively.
5. GRASPS is an acronym to help designers con-
struct authentic scenarios for performance tasks:
• Goal: the goal or challenge statement in the
scenario
• Role: the role the student plays in the scenario
• Audience: the audience/client will address the
student
• Situation: the particular setting/context and its
constraints and opportunities
• Performance: the specific performance or product
expected
• Standards: the standards/criteria by which the
work will be judged
(Modules B & F; UbD2, pp. 146–171)
 The Und er stan di ng by Desi gn G ui de t o Cre at i ng Hi gh-Q ual i t y Uni t s

M odul e A: The Bi g Ide as of UbD

Figu re A. 2

U b D in a N u t s h e ll (continued)

Stage 3 in a Nutshell Stage 3 in a Nutshell

Learning Plan and Learning Events 1. The focus in Stage 3 is making sure that what we
• Should be derived from the goals of Stage 1 and teach and how we teach follows logically from and
the assessments of Stage 2 to ensure alignment aligns with the Stage 1 and Stage 2 goals.
and effectiveness of the activities.
2. The learning events are designed to address
• Should highlight student acquisition, meaning- three interrelated goals: acquisition, meaning-
making, or transfer. making, and transfer.
• Are enhanced when the WHERETO elements are
included. 3. Teaching for understanding requires that students
be given numerous opportunities to draw inferences
• Should be checked/coded against various best and make generalizations for themselves (with
practices to ensure maximal engagement and teacher support). Understandings cannot be simply
effectiveness. told; they have to be actively constructed by the
learner.
Teaching
• Should reflect the instructional approaches most 4. WHERETO is an acronym for considering and
appropriate to the goals (not what is easiest or most self-assessing the key elements and logic of a
comfortable for the teacher). learning plan:
• Should employ resources most appropriate to the • Where: ensuring that the student sees the big
goals (not simply march through a textbook or com- picture, has answers to the “Why?” questions, and
mercial program). knows the final performance expectations as soon
as possible
• Be responsive to differences in learners’ readi-
ness, interests, and preferred ways of learning. • Hook: immersing the student immediately in the
ideas and issues of the unit, engaging the student
(Modules B, D, & H; UbD2 Chapters 9 & 10, in thought-provoking experiences/challenges/ques-
pp. 197–222) tions at the heart of the unit
• Equip and Experience: providing the student with
the tools, resources, skill, and information needed
to achieve the desired understandings and suc-
cessfully accomplish the performance tasks
• Rethink: enhancing understanding by shifting per-
spective, considering different theories, challenging
prior assumptions, and introducing new evidence
and ideas; also provides the impetus and opportu-
nity for revising and polishing prior work.
• Evaluate: ensuring that students get diagnostic
and formative feedback, and opportunities to self-
assess and self-adjust
• Tailor: personalizing the learning through differenti-
ated instruction, assignments, and assessments
without sacrificing validity or rigor
• Organize: sequencing the work to suit the under-
standing goals (e.g., questioning the flow provided
by the textbook, which is typically organized around
discrete topics)
(Modules B, D, & H; UbD2 Chapters 9 & 10;
WHERETO, pp. 197–222)
Fi gur e H . 1

A-M-T Learning Goals and Teaching Roles

Three Interrelated ACQUISITION MEANING TRANSFER

Learning Goals 

The Und e rst andi ng by Desi gn G ui de t o Cre at i ng Hi gh-Q ual i ty U ni ts

This goal seeks to help students construct This goal seeks to support the learners’
This goal seeks to help learners acquire
meaning (i.e., come to an understanding) of ability to transfer their learning autono-
factual information and basic skills.
important ideas and processes. mously and effectively in new situations.

Teacher Role Direct Instruction Facilitative Teaching Coaching

and Instructional In this role, the primary role of teachers Teachers in this role engage the learners in In a coaching role, teachers establish clear

M odul e H: Le arni ng for Unde rst andi ng

Strategies  is to inform the learners through explicit actively processing information and guide performance goals, supervise ongoing
instruction in targeted knowledge and skills; their inquiry into complex problems, texts, opportunities to perform (independent
Note: Like the above differentiating as needed. projects, cases, or simulations, differentiat- practice) in increasingly complex situations,
learning goals, these three ing as needed. provide models, and give ongoing feedback
teaching roles (and their (as personalized as possible). They also
Strategies include
associated methods) work provide just-in-time teaching (direct instruc-
• Lecture Strategies include
together in pursuit of iden- tion) when needed.
tified learning results. • Advance organizers • Diagnostic assessment
• Graphic organizers • Using analogies Strategies include
• Questioning (convergent) • Graphic organizers • Ongoing assessment, providing spe-
• Demonstration/modeling • Questioning (divergent) and probing cific feedback in the context of authentic
• Concept attainment application
• Process guides
• Inquiry-oriented approaches • Conferencing
• Guided practice
• Problem-based learning • Prompting self-assessment and reflection
• Feedback, corrections
• Differentiation • Socratic seminar
• Reciprocal teaching
• Formative (ongoing) assessments
• Understanding notebook
• Feedback/corrections
• Rethinking and reflection prompts
• Differentiated instruction
 The Und er stan di ng by Desi gn G ui de t o Cre at i ng Hi gh-Q ual i t y Uni t s

Modul e H: Le arni ng for Unde rst andi ng

Figu re H . 2

Action Verbs for A-M-T

Use these action verbs to help plan teaching and learning according to your A-M-T goals.

Goal Types Action Verbs

• Apprehend
• Calculate
• Define
• Discern
• Identify
• Memorize
Acquisition
• Notice
• Paraphrase
• Plug in
• Recall
• Select
• State

• Analyze
• Compare
• Contrast
• Critique
• Defend
• Evaluate
• Explain
• Generalize
Meaning
• Interpret
• Justify/support
• Prove
• Summarize
• Synthesize
• Test
• Translate
• Verify

• Adapt (based on feedback)

• Adjust (based on results)
• Apply
• Create
• Design
Transfer
• Innovate
• Perform effectively
• Self-assess
• Solve
• Troubleshoot
 The Und er stan di ng by Desi gn G ui de t o Cre at i ng Hi gh-Q ual i t y Uni t s

Modul e H: Le arni ng for Unde rst andi ng

Figu re H . 3

Coding Learning Events Using A-M-T

After reviewing the examples below, try coding your learning events in terms of their primary intent—
Acquisition, Meaning, or Transfer of knowledge and skill.

Science—Physics
• Students observe four demonstrations of physical events (pendulum, pellet shooter, car slowing down,
sling) and are asked to explain them in terms of the question “Why does that move the way it does?” M
• Students read the section in their physics textbook on the three laws of Newton and take a quiz on
the content. A
• Students generalize from laboratory data related to cars going down inclined planes at varied heights
and angles. M
s3TUDENTSDESIGNA2UBE'OLDBERGnTYPEMACHINETOILLUSTRATEPRINCIPLESOFFORCEWITHSPECIlCREFERENCE
to relevant Newtonian laws. T

English/Language Arts—Reading
• Students memorize words from a vocabulary list of those words. A
• Students make a web of the words’ relationships and concepts. M
• Students group the words and consider, “What do these have in common?” M
• Students critique and edit a paper in which the new words are misused. M
• Students read a story containing the new words and explain their meaning in context. T
• Students use the recently learned words in various speaking and writing situations. T

Mathematics—Linear Equations
• Students study different graphs and data plots, and generalize about the patterns. M
• Students learn the formula y = mx + b for linear equations. A
• Students solve practice problems using the formula to calculate slope. A
• Students compare linear and nonlinear relationships and explain the difference. M
• Students examine various real-world relationships (e.g., relationship of height to age, distance to
speed, CD sales over time) and determine which ones are linear. M
• Students develop equations and graphic displays for representing relational data (with outliers and
errors contained in the data). T
The Und er stan di ng by Desi gn G ui de t o Cre at i ng Hi gh-Q ual i t y Uni t s

Modul e H: Le arni ng for Unde rst andi ng