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Standard

A teacher knows the teacher’s content area and how to teach it.

Content Framing Statement

Effective instruction results in students gaining knowledge and skills and being able to

apply what they’ve learned to new experiences. Achieving this outcome begins with curricular

design that goes beyond following the sequence of lessons in a textbook or asking children to

participate in activities that might be fun but aren’t focused on a common objective. The

framework provided by the Understanding by Design (UbD) method of curriculum development

created by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe (2005) focuses on “… tackling two recurring

problems: … aimless coverage of content, and isolated activities that are merely engaging (at

best) while disconnected from intellectual goals in the learners’ minds” (p. 56). The

multidisciplinary unit and assessments I developed demonstrates my ability to use the UbD

process to identify big ideas and essential questions based on standards from different content

areas and create a cohesive unit of study that sets the stage for deeper understanding. It also

shows my ability to create and scaffold formative assessments that lead to a culminating

performance task, which allows students to apply their learning to an authentic problem or

situation.

The first step in the development of my unit was to choose content standards in the areas

of social studies, writing, visual arts, and mathematics. I then developed a big idea for the unit

and essential questions related to each content area. This provided a “ … coherent design…” as

well as “ … multiple way to take in and explore ideas” (Tomlinson & McTighe, 2006, p. 163).

Researchers have noted the value of integrating different content areas as a method to help

students “ … study a topic in depth when they explore it through different disciplinary lenses”
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(Drake & Burns, 2004, p. 21). By aligning the standards in the different content areas, my unit

provides a framework for students to research local history, understand and apply the skills of

mathematics and visual arts when analyzing and creating murals that symbolize history and

culture, and lets students illustrate and justify their selection of local symbols to represent their

community. Incorporating local culture into this multidisciplinary unit also helps “ … to make

learning more relevant to students, and its ability to bridge traditional academic disciplines with

students and their communities” (Shriner et al., 2010, p. 59). Designing this cohesive in depth

study within the context of local culture follows the best practices outlined in the UbD

framework of curriculum development.

My multidisciplinary instructional unit also demonstrates my ability to integrate

formative assessments into each lesson that lead to the skills and knowledge necessary to

complete a culminating performance task. Rather than the traditional assessment method of one

unit test, in the UbD model “effective assessment is more like a scrapbook of mementos and

pictures than a single snapshot” (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005, p. 152). Examples of the different

formative assessments in my unit which give a variety of snapshots of student learning include

the Venn diagrams used to compare and contrast local murals, quizzes using different response

formats (i.e. multiple choice, matching, etc.), student creation of individual murals scored with a

rubric, written justifications for choices of symbols used in the murals, and journal entries to

chronicle reflections and questions throughout the unit. These assessments give me an

opportunity to check student understanding within and after each lesson, and then adjust for

instructional needs such as reteaching or enrichment on an individual or small group basis. These

formative assessments also give students opportunities to reflect on their own learning. This

self-reflection is a metacognitive process that builds the skills “… for students to become self-
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directed in their learning” and “… to take responsibility for managing, monitoring, and

modifying their behaviour as they learn” (Jacobs, 2010, p. 221).

Another feature of the UbD process is to present students with authentic opportunities to

demonstrate their learning. The culminating performance task in my unit asks students to

collaboratively create the design for a group mural, create a presentation that includes the

justification for their design, and provide detailed installation specifications. This is a simulation

of the process communities use when installing public art and gives students a chance to use the

culturally responsive technique of instructional conversation, which is focused on “ … giving

students language to talk about their own learning and thinking process” (Hammond, 2015, p.

148). Embedding culturally responsive methods and comprehension skills in the content areas of

the unit reinforces the goals of deeper understanding that underlie the UbD curricular framework.

This simulated real-world application of the skills and knowledge acquired during the unit is also

an example of how “… discrete lessons … lead to higher-quality performance or mastery of

more important tasks” (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005, p. 155). The research they conduct when

doing the research for their personal mural provides students an opportunity to explore historical

events and form their own opinions, which they then apply to the culminating performance task.

These discussions and and potential debates are also recognized as an effective literacy strategy

as they learn to “ … weigh arguments and evidence, helping kids articulate how to merge their

thinking with the information to form an opinion” (Harvey & Goudvis, 2007, p. 245-246).

Creating opportunities for collaboration is also considered important for giving students

opportunities to build a trusting relationship with each other and the teacher. Sousa and

Tomlinson (2011) explain that this contributes to a safe classroom environment that improves

cognitive outcomes for students.

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Creating effective instructional units of study goes beyond opening a textbook and

covering the content. The development of deeper understanding requires planning that connects

the standards of different content areas, and asks students to apply the skills and knowledge they

acquire to new situations or problems. The Understanding by Design framework developed by

Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe is the method I have used to create these types of lessons and

units. Learning this curriculum development process has helped me to make learning more

meaningful for students and to design formative and summative assessments that reflect best

practices.
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References

Drake, S. M., & Burns, R. C. (2004). Meeting standards through integrated curriculum. ASCD.

Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uas.alaska.edu/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=106684&site=eds-live&scope=site

Hammond, Z. (2015). Culturally responsive teaching & the brain: Promoting authentic

engagement and rigor among culturally and linguistically diverse students. Thousand

Oaks, California. Sage Publishing.

Harvey, S., & Goudvis, A. (2017). Strategies that work: Teaching comprehension for

engagement, understanding, and building knowledge, grades K-8. Third edition.

Stenhouse Publishers. Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uas.alaska.edu/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1521987&site=ehost-live

Jacobs, H. H., & Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. (2010). Curriculum

21 : Essential education for a changing world. ASCD. Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uas.alaska.edu/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=317221&site=eds-live&scope=site

Shriner, M., Schlee, B., & Libler, R. (2010). Teachers’ perceptions, attitudes and beliefs

regarding curriculum integration. Australian Educational Researcher (Springer Science

& Business Media B.V.), 37(1), 51. https://doi-

org.ezproxy.uas.alaska.edu/10.1007/BF03216913

Sousa, D. A. and Tomlinson, C.A. 2nd Ed. (2011). Differentiation and the brain: How

neuroscience supports the learner-friendly classroom. Solution Tree Press, Bloomington,

IN.
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Tomlinson, C. A., & McTighe J. (2006). Integrating differentiated instruction + understanding

by design. ASCD, Alexandria, Virginia.

Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. 2nd Ed. (2005). Understanding by design. Pearson Merrrill Prentice

Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.