Understanding by Design Unit Template
Title of Unit Grade
Level
Curriculum Area Time
Frame
Developed By
School
Identify Desired Results (Stage 1)
Content Standards –Curricular Outcomes
Essential Questions Enduring Understandings
Open-ended questions that stimulate thought and inquiry What do you want students to understand & be able to use
linked to the content of the enduring understanding. several years from now?
Misconceptions
(Optional)
Knowledge Skills
Students will know… Students will be able to…
Assessment Evidence (Stage 2)
Performance Task Description
The PERFORMANCE TASK describes the learning activity in “story” form. Typically, the P.T.
describes a scenario or situation that requires students to apply knowledge and skills to
Helpful tips for writing a
demonstrate their understanding in a real life situation. Describe your performance task
performance task.
scenario below:
Goal:
What should students
accomplish by completing
this task?
Role:
What role (perspective) will
your students be taking?
Audience:
Who is the relevant
audience?
Situation:
The context or challenge
provided to the student.
Product/Performance:
What product/performance
will the student create?
Standards
(Create the rubric for the
Performance Task)
BLOOMS TAXONOMY: Digital Taxonomy for Bloom:
REMEMBERING: Can the students recall or remember the information? KNOWLEDGE: Highlighting, bookmarking, social networking, searching,
UNDERSTANDING: Can the students explain ideas or concepts? googling
APPLYING: Can the students use the information in a new way? COMPREHENSION: Advanced searches, blog journaling, twittering, commenting
ANALYZING: Can the students distinguish between the different parts? APPLICATION: Running, loading, playing, operating, hacking, uploading,
EVALUATING: Can the students justify a stand or decision? sharing, editing
CREATING: Can the students create new product or point of view? ANALYSIS: Mashing, linking, tagging, validating, cracking, reverse-engineering
SYNTHESIS: Programming, filming, animating, blogging, wiki-ing, publishing,
podcasting, video casting
EVALUATION: Blog commenting, reviewing, posting, moderating, collaborating,
networking, posting moderating
Standards Rubric
The STANDARDS RUBRIC should identify how student understanding will be measured.
Please attach rubric to unit plan.
Other Assessment Evidence: (Formative and summative assessments used throughout the unit to arrive
at the outcomes.)
Conversation Observation Product
Learning Plan (Stage 3)
Where are your students headed? Where have they been? How will you make sure the students know where they are
going?
How will you hook students at the beginning of the unit? (motivational set)
What events will help students experience and explore the enduring understandings and essential questions in the unit?
How will you equip them with needed skills and knowledge? How will you organize and sequence the learning activities to
optimize the engagement and achievement of all students?
Time Frame
How will you cause students to reflect and rethink? How will you guide them in rehearsing, revising, and refining their work
based on your essential questions and enduring understandings?
How will you help students to exhibit and self-evaluate their growing skills, knowledge, and understanding throughout the
unit?
How will you tailor and otherwise personalize the learning plan to optimize the engagement and effectiveness of ALL
students, without compromising the goals of the unit?
What resources will you use in the learning experiences to meet the outcomes?
Assess and Reflect (Stage 4)
Required Areas of Study:
Is there alignment between outcomes, performance assessment and learning experiences?
BAL’s:
Does my unit promote life long learning, encourage the development of self and community, and engage
students?
CELS & CCC’s:
Do the learning experiences allow learners to use multiple literacies while constructing knowledge,
demonstrating social responsibility, and acting autonomously in their world?
Adaptive Dimension:
Have I made purposeful adjustments to the curriculum content (not outcomes), instructional practices, and/or
the learning environment to meet the learning needs of all my students?
Instructional Approaches:
Do I use a variety of teacher directed and student centered instructional approaches?
Student Evaluation:
Have I included formative and summative assessments reflective of student needs and interests based on
curricular outcomes?
Resource Based Learning:
Do the students have access to various resources on an ongoing basis?
FNM/I Content and Perspectives/Gender Equity/Multicultural Education:
Have I nurtured and promoted diversity while honoring each child’s identity?
Blueprint for Life:
Have I planned learning experiences in the unit that prepare students for a balanced life and/or work career?
Adapted from: Wiggins, Grant and J. McTighe. (1998). Understanding by Design, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
