UNDERSTANDIN

G BY DESIGN
TEMPLATE
 WHY DO STUDENTS NEED
STRUCTURE?
 Students need to sense where they are
going and how they will get there when
reading content materials.

 Lessons should be general enough to

include all students, and flexible enough
to allow the teacher to react intuitively
and spontaneously when a particular plan
is put to work in actual practice.
 Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3
Desired Results Assessment Learning Plan
Evidence
 STAGE 1: DESIRED RESULTS
 Established Goals:
 What relevant goals will this design address?

 Understandings:  Essential Questions:

 Students will understand that…  What provocative
 What are the big ideas?
 What specific
questions will foster
understandings about them inquiry, understanding,
are desired? and transfer of
 What misunderstandings learning?
are predictable?
 Students will know…
 What key knowledge and skills will students acquire as a result of this unit?
 What should they eventually be able to do as a result of such knowledge and
skills?

 Students will be able to…

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
 The best questions point to and
highlight the big ideas. They serve as
doorways through which learners
explore the key concepts, themes,
theories, issues, and problems that
reside within the content, perhaps as
yet unseen: it is through the process
of actively “interrogating” the
content through provocative
questions that students deepen their
understanding.
 Good questions are ones that pose dilemmas,
subvert obvious or canonical ‘truths’ or force
incongruities upon our attention (Bruner, 1996)

 Good questions elicit interesting and alternative

views and suggest the need to focus on the
reasoning we use in arriving at and defending an
answer, not just whether our answer is “right”
or “wrong.”

 Good questions spark meaningful connections

with what we bring to the classroom from prior
classes and our own life experience. They cause
us to rethink what we thought we understood
and to transfer an idea from one setting to
others.
WHAT MAKES A QUESTION ESSENTIAL?
 The best questions push us to the heart of
things – the essence. Honest pursuit of
such questions leads not only to deeper
understandings, but also more questions.

 Essential questions need not be so global.

They can go to the heart of a particular
topic, problem, or field of study.

 Each academic field can be defined by its

essential questions.
FIRST CONNOTATION OF “ESSENTIAL”
 The word “essential” involves important
questions that recur throughout all our lives.
Such questions are broad in scope and
timeless by nature. They are perpetually
arguable.

 A good education is grounded in such lifelong

questions, even if we sometimes lose sight of
them while focusing on content mastery.

 The big-idea questions signal that education

is not just about learning “the answer” but
about learning how to learn.
SECOND CONNOTATION OF “ESSENTIAL”

 Essential refers to core core ideas and

inquiries within a discipline.

 Essential questions in this sense are

those that point to the core of big ideas
in a subject and to the frontiers of
technical knowledge. They are
historically important and very much
alive in the field.
THIRD CONNOTATION OF “ESSENTIAL”

 Essential refers to what is needed for

learning core content. We can consider
a question essential if it helps students
effectively inquire and make sense of
important but complicated ideas,
knowledge, and know-how – a bridge to
findings that experts may believe are
settled but learner do not yet grasp or
see as valuable.
FOURTH CONNOTATION OF “ESSENTIAL”

 Essential refers to questions that will

most engage a specific and diverse
set of learners. Some adult questions
may be important in the grand scheme
of things but of no apparent relevance,
meaning, interest, or importance to
particular students.

 Questions are essential if they hook and

hold the attention of your students.
 ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
OVERARCHING TOPICAL

 In what ways does art  What do ceremonial

reflect, as well as masks reveal about
shape culture? the Inca culture?
 From whose  How did Native
perspective and what Americans view the
difference does it “settlement” of the
make? West?
 How do our various  How does food turn
body systems interact? into energy?
 STAGE 2: ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE

 Performance Tasks:  Other Evidence:

 Through what authentic  Through what other

performance tasks will evidence will students
students demonstrate demonstrate
the desired achievement of the
understandings? desired results?

 Bywhat criteria will  How will students

performance of reflect upon and self-
understanding be assess their learning?
judged?
 FACET-RELATED CRITERIA
Facet 1: Explanation Facet 2: Interpretation
 accurate  meaningful

 coherent  insightful

 justified  significant

 systematic  illustrative

 predictive  illuminating

Facet 3: Application Facet 4: Perspective

 effective  credible
 efficient  revealing
 fluent  insightful
 adaptive  plausible
 graceful  unusual
Facet 5: Empathy Facet 6: Self-Knowledge
 sensitive  self-aware
 open  metacognitive
 receptive  self-adjusting
 perceptive  reflective
 tactful  wise
 STAGE 3:
LEARNING PLAN
 Learning Activities:
 Whatlearning experiences and instruction will enable
students to achieve the desired result? How will the design…

W  (students perspective). Where they are going—

learning goals? Why are they learning this? What is
required of them?

H Hooked: engaged in the process through Inquiry,

Research, Problem Solving, Experimentation. (This is
VERY important for at-risk students.)

E   Explore/experience big ideas sufficiently. Equip

students for required performance(s).

R    Rethink, rehearse, revise, and /or refine opportunities

for students based on timely feedback.

E Evaluate their own work.

T Tailored to reflect individual talents, interests, styles,

and needs.

0 Organized to optimize deep understanding as opposed to

superficial coverage
 Learning Activities:
 Whatlearning experiences and instruction will
enable students to achieve the desired result?
How will the design…

I  Introduce

I Integrate

I   Interact
EXAMPLE
 Stage 1
Meet the standards…
 Students will understand essential
concepts about nutrition and diet.
 Students will use an understanding of
nutrition to plan appropriate diets for • Reveal an understanding that the
themselves and others
 Students will understand their own
eating patterns and ways in which those
patterns may be improved.
Stage 2
• Plan a diet for different kinds of
people in different kinds of settings.
food pyramid guidelines are not
absolute but “guides” – and that
there are other guides (as well as
contextual variables).

Understand that…
 A balanced diet contributes to physical
• Carefully note and analyze that
and mental health. habits of others as well as oneself,
 The food pyramid presents relative and make supported inferences
guidelines for nutrition. about why people eat the way they
 Dietary requirements vary for do.
individuals based on age, activity level,
weight, and overall health.
 Healthful requirement of an individual
to act on available information.
 Stage 1
Thoughtfully consider the questions…
 What is healthful eating?
 Are you a healthful eater? How would you
know?
 How could a healthy diet for one person
be unhealthy for another?
 Why are there so many health problems in
the Philippines caused by poor eating
despite all the available information?
Know and be able to…
 Use key terms – protein, fat, calorie,
carbohydrate, cholesterol.
 Identify types of foods in each food group
and their nutritional values.
 Be conversant with the food pyramid
guidelines.
 Discuss variables influencing nutritional
needs.
 Identify specific health problems caused
by poor nutrition.
Stage 2
That suggests the need for specific
tasks or tests like…
 Planning meals for divers groups.
 Reacting to excessively rigid or
loose dietary plans made by others.
 Making a good survey of what
people actually eat and why.
Quizzes: On the food groups and the
food pyramid
Prompts: Describe health problems
that could arise as a result of poor
nutrition and explain how these
could be avoided; reflections on
one’s own eating and those of
others.
Stage 3: Learning Plan

Introduction (Big Group – Lecture)

 Lecture on the food pyramid revealing the understanding that the food pyramid
guidelines are not absolute but “guides” – and that there are other guides (as well
as contextual variables).
 Assessment: Rubrics for recitation (Blooms taxonomy and 6 Facets of Learning)

Interaction (Small-Group Activity)

 Plan a diet for different kinds of people in different kinds of settings.
 Assessment: Rubrics for discussion and rubrics for reporting.
 Group 1: Active Individuals
 Group 2: Sedentary Individuals
 Group 3: Teenagers
 Group 4: Middle Age

Integration (Small-Group Activity – Research)

 Carefully note and analyze that habits of others as well as oneself, and make
supported inferences about why people eat the way they do.
 Assessment: Rubrics for actual research and rubrics for written output
 Group 1: Interview
 Group 2: Observation
Post Assessment
 Quizzes: On the food groups and the food
pyramid

Assignment or Homework
Describe health problems that could
arise as a result of poor nutrition and
explain how these could be avoided;
reflections on one’s own eating and
those of others.
 1. CLINK AND CLUNK
 Checking for understanding
 Click and Clunk is an excellent means to
assess what information the students have
learned and what information needs to be
covered in more depth. This strategy
helps students recognize the information
they do not understand, and assists them
in getting the information they need. It
motivates students as they attempt to
increase the information they understand
(“clinks”) and decrease what they do not
understand (“clunks”).
Procedure
 Have students create two columns on
their paper and label them “Clink” and
“Clunk.” Next, have the students read
a passage, then list what they really
understand (Clink) and what they do
not understand (Clunk). As a group,
discuss the “Clunks” and try to clarify
the information. This can be done
through direct teacher instruction or
by allowing students who understand
the issue to explain it to the class.
Assessment
 After covering the material, discuss
the Clink-Clunk list again to see if all
the “Clunk” items can be moved to
“Clink.” Those terms in the “Clunk”
column that are clearly understood can
be moved to the “Clink” column and
any terms remaining in the “Clunk”
column should be explained further.
CIRCLE-SEAT-CENTER
 Fostering Cooperative Learning
 This strategy allows students to work in small
peer groups and go over all the information
the teacher would like to cover. The
strategy is an excellent way to reinforce
information in a variety of ways: The Circle
group focuses on verbal learning, the Seat
group focuses on visual learning, and the
Center group focuses on tactile learning.
This also allows students who learn through
different modalities the opportunity to learn
through their strength.
Procedure
 First, instruct students to read the text.
Following this, divide the class into three
groups based on instructional needs. Give each
group an assignment: Circle, Seat, or Center.
The Circle group covers information in the text
with your assistance. The Seat group members
work individually or within their group to go
over the text information using worksheets and
study sheets. The Center groups works on
projects, individually or in the group, related to
the information covered in the text. After a
designated amount of time, students rotate to
another group.
Assessment
 Use teacher observation of
information covered during
discussion, correct answers on
worksheets, and evaluation of
information covered in projects to
determine students’ level of
comprehension.
GROUP INVESTIGATION
 Fostering Cooperative Learning
 This strategy allows each student to be
personally responsible for a small portion of
the information that is covered. Although
students only study and present their
information, they must listen and pay
attention to the information presented by all
other students. This is effective because
students tend to like to listen to their peers.
This strategy is a powerful way to quickly
cover a large amount of information.
Procedure
 Students work in groups of two to six
members. Discuss the main topic that
is being covered in class. Each group
then selects a subtopic related to the
main topic, and each group member
researches a portion of that topic.
Students share their information within
their group to assure they have
covered their individual topic well.
Each group then presents its
information to the entire class.
Assessment
Determine if complete and correct information
was given in the class presentations. A written
assessment also may be used.
JIGSAW

 Fostering Cooperative Learning

 Jigsaw allows students to work with
their peers and to learn information
from one another. This strategy
allows for all members of the class
to receive information about an
entire section in a text. It is a
collaborative strategy that ensures
the participation of all students.
Procedure
 First, group three to six students in
teams. Give each team member a
topic on which to become an
“expert.” The teams then split up
and find the students from the other
teams who are working on their
topic. After working in the topic
groups, students return to their
teams and present the information
they gained.
Assessment
 Determine students’ level of comprehension by the
correct number of responses in a quiz or through
discussion of information presented by each team.
Condensation

Evaporation,
Perspiration and
Transpiration
Precipitation

Collection
WATER
CYCLE
 NATURAL WATER CONSERVATION
The earth has a limited amount of water. 
That water keeps going around and around
and around and around and in what we call
the “Water Cycle”.

This cycle is made up of a few main parts:

evaporation (and transpiration) condensation,
precipitation, and collection. Evaporation is
when the sun heats up water in rivers or
lakes or the ocean and turns it into vapor or
steam. The water vapor or steam leaves the
river, lake or ocean and goes into the air.
Do plants sweat? Well, sort of.... people
perspire and plants transpire.  Transpiration is
the process by which plants lose water out of
their leaves.  Transpiration gives evaporation a
bit of a hand in getting the water vapor back up
into the air.

Water vapor in the air gets cold and changes

back into liquid, forming clouds. This is called
condensation. You can see the same sort of
thing at home... pour a glass of cold water on a
hot day and watch what happens.  Water forms
on the outside of the glass.  That water didn’t
somehow leak through the glass!  It actually
came from the air.  Water vapor in the warm air
turns back into liquid when it touches the cold
glass.
Precipitation occurs when so much water has
condensed that the air cannot hold it
anymore.  The clouds get heavy and water
falls back to the earth in the form of rain,
hail, sleet or snow.

Collection happens when water falls back to

earth as precipitation, it may fall back in the
oceans, lakes or rivers or it may end up on
land.  When it ends up on land, it will either
soak into the earth and become part of the
“ground water” that plants and animals use
to drink or it may run over the soil and
collect in the oceans, lakes or rivers where
the cycle starts all over again.
 Evaporation
and
Transpiration Condensation

WATER
CYCLE

Collection
Precipitation
 CLASSROOM
IMPLICATIONS
 Background of experiences
 Language facility
 Interest
 Social and emotional
development
 Physical development
 Intelligence
 TEACHER-
TEACHER’S STUDENTS’
STUDENTS’
RESPONSIBILITY RESPONSIBILITY
RESPONSIBILITY
SCAFFOLDING

GRADUAL RELEASE OF
RESPONSIBLITY

MODELING
STUDENT
PRODUCTION

DIRECT TEACHER AND

INSTRUCTION STUDENT
ACTIVITY

F E E D B A C K
LAW OF READINESS LAW OF PRACTICE LAW OF EFFECT
 INPUT OUTPUT

LISTENING

SPEAKING

VIEWING

WRITING

READING

F E E D B A C K

RECEPTIVE SKILLS EXPRESSIVE SKILLS

 75% OF
CLASSROOM TIME
IS TEACHER TALK
 ASK QUESTIONS THAT
FACILITATE THE
COMPREHENSION OF BOTH THE
CONTENT AND LANGUAGE OF
THE LESSON/SUBJECT MATTER.

COMPREHENSION PRODUCTION
CONCLUSIONS
 CONCLUSIONS
 Knowledge is constructed, largely by
children. Teacher as literate adult,
modelling and scaffolding.

 Literacy is acquired through multiple

experiences.

 Practical application of whole to part.

Learning of information is
interconnected.
 Real-life application of information is
stressed. Personal connections are
encouraged.
 Focus is learner-centered and includes
choice and time to internalize
information.
 Focus on cooperation and collaboration.
 Evaluate shows growth over time and
provides reflective, educative
feedback.
END