TTE 523 Unit Plan

Backward Design - Assignment Guidelines

Students read and discuss chapter one of Understanding by Design (Wiggins & McTighe, 1998). The chapter contains a description of the three stages of backward design: Stage 1 Desired Results; Stage 2 Assessment Evidence; Stage 3 Learning Plan. There is also a sample Backward Design unit plan on the topic of nutrition that the students can model their own plans after.
Students are assigned to collaborative groups based upon the grade level and content area they teach. Together they design a unit plan addressing a topic they will teach during student teaching.
Stage 1
·         The unit targets big ideas at the heart of the discipline and addresses essential content.
·         The instructional goals are framed by questions that provoke genuine inquiry and deep thought.
·         The goals are tied to academic standards (The Arizona Science Standard).
·         Key knowledge and skills are identified.
Stage 2
·         Assessments are authentic. They measure knowledge or performance in a similar manner as the material is taught. For example, they demonstrate mastery of a skill by performing it rather than answering multiple choice test questions about it.
·         Various forms of assessment are used to provide evidence of learning.
·         Assessments are both formative and summative. (Formative are used to guide the student toward success by providing feedback along the way and summative measure content/process mastery at the end)
·         Students are encouraged to self-assess.
Stage 3
·         Students know what the learning goals are, why the material is important and what is expected of them.
·         Students are actively engaged through inquiry (e.g. problem solving, experimentation, research)
·         Students have adequate opportunity to explore and experience the content in a variety of ways that help prepare them for the assessments.
·         Students have opportunities to revise their thinking based upon feedback from formative assessments.
·         Students have an opportunity to evaluate their own work and reflect on their learning.
Backward Design - Rubric

4 points
3 points
2 points
1 point
0 points
The assignment meets all of the specified criteria for stage 1
The assignment meets most of the specified criteria for stage 1
The assignment meets some of the specified criteria for stage 1
The assignment meets few of the specified criteria for stage 1
The assignment fails to meet the specified criteria for stage 1
The assignment meets all of the specified criteria for stage 2
The assignment meets most of the specified criteria for stage 2
The assignment meets some of the specified criteria for stage 2
The assignment meets few of the specified criteria for stage 2
The assignment fails to meet the specified criteria for stage 2
The assignment meets all of the specified criteria for stage 3
The assignment meets most of the specified criteria for stage 3
The assignment meets some of the specified criteria for stage 3
The assignment meets few of the specified criteria for stage 3
The assignment fails to meet the specified criteria for stage 3
 
Backward Design – Student Sample