© 2002 Grant Wiggins & Jay McTighe UBD 08/2002 1 Understanding by Design Units in relation to...

© 2002 Grant Wiggins & Jay McTighe UBD 08/20021

Understanding by Design

Units in relation to Program:

the big picture of UbD


UbD and the design of the ExchangeUnits are Building Blocks

The entire K - 12 curriculum is ultimately built out of all the units

To build and map a curriculum, then, group units into larger entities

To share effectively, we need to be able to mix and match units


The unit is the “unit of analysis” in the Exchange

What is a “unit”? Unit = a coherent set of lessons,

organized around a theme, a performance, an idea, or a text

A Unit is big enough to help us avoid - micro-managing our lessons overlooking complex performance goals

A Unit is small enough to help us avoid - vague and unhelpful planning, typically ending in

“coverage”


The ProgramThe Subject Area

The Course

Units are the building blocks of a complete curriculum...

Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3...


Program: History & Social Studies

Subject: US History

Course: US History 1860 - present

Here’s an example from History & Social Studies

Unit on

the 60’s


So, when you create a unit...You are first asked to place the new unit in its larger context

Program TitleSubject Title

Course Title

Unit Title


Titles are pre-entered for youYou need only select from the

menu of program, subject, course titles

Your local Exchange administrator has determined the titling system:

A generic list supplied by the Exchange Local entry of the titles used in your local curriculum All Titles in either system can be edited or added to

by anyone who is an Exchange administrator for your membership


“But I teach 5th grade! We don’t have courses!”

There is still an implied hierarchy at work:

Think of a “course” as the year-long content-area strand found in almost every day of work

PoetryThe 4 basic operationsLocal geographyCivics


“Program”: Language Arts

“Subject”: 5th - grade language arts

“Course”: 5th - grade writing

Here’s an example from a 5th grade unit on writing:

“Unit”:

The essay


With such a structure, powerful functions are possible

1. A Curriculum map for a whole school or district is automatically built as units are designed by individuals

2. Overarching design elements can be assigned at the program, subject, and course level by local teams - then visible in each relevant unit, for possible attachment to that unit by each individual unit designer


1. What is a map?A map offers a calendar of designs in a school or district, unit by unit,

over the course of the year Maps can be as simple or complex as you

like: simply select the template fields you wish to see “mapped” over time

Maps can be viewed or downloaded as a spreadsheet

Maps can be works in progress - e.g. local work only on essential questions done so far: see map of all essential questions, by date, grade level, etc.


Why map?Maps help local educators -

Ensure that key state standards are not falling through the cracks

Know what the big ideas are in units and courses across the system

Find natural ways to link their work with that of other teachers, to make the student’s experience more rich and coherent

Identify unhelpful redundancies or gaps in program that happen from isolated design


“Where do Program, Subject, and Course titles come from?”Your Exchange Administrator Selects

from 3 options at sign-up: Hand enter all local titles Supply us with a spreadsheet Choose to pre-enter a generic list of common

titles, then edit as desired You should choose the closest title when the dropdown

menus appear during your unit creation If you don’t see a choice that fits local curriculum titles,

ask your admins. to enter it. (You can e-mail them from your Home Page.)


2. What are Overarching Elements?

The design elements that cut across units, courses, subjects, and/or Programs: Overarching -

Essential Questions Enduring Understandings Performance Tasks Rubrics


Whose “story” is it?

Who is an American? Who says?

Here’s an example for Essential Questions in History

Is “all fair” in war

(internment)?

WW II

Who should get

Green cards?

80’s 60’s

How much does race matter?


Subject: How does an author use irony to make us understand?

Here’s an example for English/ Language Arts

Course: Who sees? Who doesn’t? Why? Why not?

Why doesn’t Oedipus “see”?

Oedipus Why can’t they see they aren’t

tracking Woozles but seeing

their own steps?

Winnie the Pooh Plato

How does someone ever leave the Cave?


School-wide: What does it mean?

Program: What’s the Pattern?

Subject: What is the “best fit”?

Here is an example in Mathematics

Course: What’s the graph?

Is this a linear or non-linearrelationship?

Unit:


for further information...

Contact us: Grant Wiggins, co-author: [email protected]

Jay McTighe, co-author: [email protected]

Steve Petti, webmaster: @newimagemedia.com

© 2002 Grant Wiggins & Jay McTighe UBD 08/2002 1 Understanding by Design Units in relation to...

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