Explore the vast range of titles available.

The Understanding by Design Guide to Advanced Concepts in Creating and Reviewing Units offers instructional modules on how to refine units created using Understanding by Design (UbD) and how to effectively review the units using self-assessment and peer review, along with observation and supervision. The Guide builds upon its companion and predecessor, The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units, and like the earlier volume, it presents the following components for each module: * Narrative discussion of key ideas in the module * Exercises, worksheets, and design tips * Examples of unit designs * Review criteria for self- and peer assessment * References for further information UbD is based on a backward design approach and is used by thousands of educators to create curriculum units and assessments that focus on developing students' understanding of essential ideas and helping students attain important skills. The Guide is intended for use by individuals or groups in K-16 education (teachers, school and district administrators, curriculum directors, graduate and undergraduate students in curriculum, and others) who want to further develop their skill in UbD. Users can work through the modules in order or pick and choose, depending on their interests and needs. Additional resources, including worksheets, examples, and FAQs, are available as downloadable forms (including fillable UbD templates that can be saved electronically), making it easy for UbD practitioners to advance their understanding and their ability to create curriculum that leads to deep, meaningful learning.

What are \"\"essential questions,\"\" and how do they differ from other kinds of questions? What's so great about them? Why should you design and use essential questions in your classroom?Essential questions (EQs) help target standards as you organize curriculum content into coherent units that yield focused and thoughtful learning. In the classroom, EQs are used to stimulate students' discussions and promote a deeper understanding of the content.Whether you are an Understanding by Design (UbD) devotee or are searching for ways to address standards-local or Common Core State Standards-in an engaging way, Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins provide practical guidance on how to design, initiate, and embed inquiry-based teaching and learning in your classroom.Offering dozens of examples, the authors explore the usefulness of EQs in all K-12 content areas, including skill-based areas such as math, PE, language instruction, and arts education. As an important element of their backward design approach to designing curriculum, instruction, and assessment, the authors:Give a comprehensive explanation of why EQs are so important.Explore seven defining characteristics of EQs.Distinguish between topical and overarching questions and their uses.Outline the rationale for using EQs as the focal point in creating units of study.Show how to create effective EQs, working from sources including standards, desired understandings, and student misconceptions.Using essential questions can be challenging-for both teachers and students-and this book provides guidance through practical and proven processes, as well as suggested \"\"response strategies\"\" to encourage student engagement. Finally, you will learn how to create a culture of inquiry so that all members of the educational community-students, teachers, and administrators-benefit from the increased rigor and deepened understanding that emerge when essential questions become a guiding force for learners of all ages.

The authors of Understanding by Design share a compelling strategy for creating schools that truly fulfill the central mission of education: to help students become \"thoughtful, productive, and accomplished at worthy tasks.\".

The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units offers instructional modules on the basic concepts and elements of Understanding by Design (UbD), the \"backward design\" approach used by thousands of educators to create curriculum units and assessments that focus on developing students' understanding of important ideas. The eight modules are organized around the UbD Template Version 2.0 and feature components similar to what is typically provided in a UbD design workshop, including— * Discussion and explanation of key ideas in the module; * Guiding exercises, worksheets, and design tips; * Examples of unit designs; * Review criteria with prompts for self-assessment; and * A list of resources for further information. This guide is intended for K-16 educators—either individuals or groups—who may have received some training in UbD and want to continue their work independently; those who've read Understanding by Design and want to design curriculum units but have no access to formal training; graduate and undergraduate students in university curriculum courses; and school and district administrators, curriculum directors, and others who facilitate UbD work with staff. Users can go through the modules in sequence or skip around, depending on their previous experience with UbD and their preferred curriculum design style or approach. Unit creation, planning, and adaptation are easier than ever with the accompanying downloadable resources, including the UbD template set up as a fillable PDF form, additional worksheets, examples, and FAQs about the module topics that speak to UbD novices and veterans alike.

ASCD Bestseller! Wiggins and McTighe provide an expanded array of practical tools and strategies for designing curriculum, instruction, and assessments that lead students at all grade levels to genuine understanding. How do you know when students understand? Can you design learning experiences that make it much more likely that students understand content and apply it in meaningful ways? Thousands of educators have used the Understanding by Design (UbD) framework to answer these questions and create more rigorous, engaging curriculums. Now, this expanded 2nd edition gives you even more tools and strategies for results-oriented teaching: * An improved template for creating curriculum units based on the breakthrough \"backward design\" method. * More specific guidelines on how to frame the \"big ideas\" you want students to understand. * Better ways to develop the \"essential questions\" that form the foundation of high-quality curriculum and assessment. * An expanded toolbox of instructional approaches for obtaining the desired results of a lesson. * More examples, across all grade levels and subjects, of how schools and districts have used the UbD framework to maximize student understanding. Educators from kindergarten through college can get everything they need—guidelines, stages, templates, and tips—to start designing lessons, units, and courses that lead to improved student performance and a more stimulating experience for students and teachers alike.

Thousands of educators worldwide are already using Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe's Understanding by Design (UbD) as a framework for designing curriculum units, performance assessments, and instruction that lead students to deep understanding of content. This book, based on data gathered from surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions, reflects what educators have learned about effective UbD implementation and explores how schools and districts can leverage UbD principles to improve student achievement, staff performance, and organizational productivity. Educators who have used the UbD framework for several years in various school settings present advice, strategies, and processes for using Understanding by Design to* Design purposeful, coherent curricula* Deliver instruction that promotes understanding for all* Unpack district standards* Expand assessment repertoires* Create meaningful and effective professional development and teacher-induction programs* Sustain a successful process of continuous improvement and strategic planning.Each chapter concludes with organization-focused assessment questionnaires and related resources that can help you-as an individual or as a member of a study group or action research team-develop a clear, strategic sense of how to make the most of Understanding by Design as a catalyst for real learning, increased student achievement, and school and district renewal.John L. Brown is an educational consultant for ASCD, where he works with product and professional development and serves as a member of the national training cadres for Understanding by Design and What Works in Schools.