Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions Phase 1 of

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Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions Phase 1 of the Understanding by Design Process: Identify

Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions Phase 1 of the Understanding by Design Process: Identify Desired Results By Bryon Christian and Cristy Rohla

Enduring Understandings Examples of understanding statements that are welldeveloped Examples of understanding statements that

Enduring Understandings Examples of understanding statements that are welldeveloped Examples of understanding statements that are not well -developed Understand the causes and effects of the Civil War: Understand why the of the Civil War was fought over states’ Understand the Civil War. rights (not just slavery), and that the issues persist today (e. g. , debates over the federal role in education and welfare). Understand that essay writing is iterative, not linear; why and how various techniques (e. g. , imagining a reader’s response and objections, and concept webs) work; and the benefits of drafts, critiques, and revision for achieving more persuasive arguments. Understand how to write a fiveparagraph essay. Understand (describe or define) the difference between an essay and a narrative

Indicators that a targeted understanding is not specific enough: • If teachers cannot agree

Indicators that a targeted understanding is not specific enough: • If teachers cannot agree on exactly what is to be taught or emphasized in the unit. • If teachers cannot agree on what should be assessed. • If students and parents cannot tell from the unit description exactly what is to be learned and how success will be determined. • If students do not know what to focus on in their study or how to study it.

A few thoughts on Essential Questions from Mc. Tighe and Wiggins Practically speaking, educators

A few thoughts on Essential Questions from Mc. Tighe and Wiggins Practically speaking, educators must reframe content standards and outcome statements into rich questions, and then design assignments and assessments to explore big ideas and evoke thoughtful and supportable answers. In contrast, most current curricular frameworks and standards documents make the mistake of framing core content as fact like sentences rather than revealing them to be summary insights, derived from questions and inquiries.

Characteristics of Essential Questions • Have no one obvious right answer • Raise other

Characteristics of Essential Questions • Have no one obvious right answer • Raise other important questions, often across subject-area boundaries • Address the philosophical or conceptual foundations of a discipline • Recur naturally • Are framed to provoke and sustain student interest

Types of Essential Questions: Overarching and Topical Two types of essential questions might frame

Types of Essential Questions: Overarching and Topical Two types of essential questions might frame a unit: overarching and topical. As the phrase implies, overarching questions transcend the particulars of a unit and point toward larger, transferable ideas. Topical questions are more specific. They lead to particular understandings related to the topics of this unit the inferences and generalizations teachers want students to uncover. Topical questions may not necessarily be easy to answer, but they are answerable using the facts and materials of the unit.

Essential Questions Overarching Topical Art In what ways does art reflect and shape culture?

Essential Questions Overarching Topical Art In what ways does art reflect and shape culture? How do artists choose tools, techniques, and materials to express their ideas? Unit on masks What role have masks played in various cultures? What do masks and their use reveal about a culture? What tools, techniques, and materials are used in creating masks from different cultures? Literature What makes a great story? How do effective writers hook and hold their readers? Unit on mysteries What is unique about the mystery genre? How do great mystery writers hook and hold their readers?

Essential Questions Overarching Topical Economics How does something acquire value? What changes the worth

Essential Questions Overarching Topical Economics How does something acquire value? What changes the worth of something? Unit on money and introductory economics Why do we need money? How is the value of a baseball card determined? Geography How does the topography, climate, and natural resources of a region influence how people live and work? Why is _____ located there? Unit on state or region How do the topography, climate and natural resources on South Dakota’s plains influence the lifestyle and work of the inhabitants? Why is Pierre, the state capital, located where it is? Mathematics If axioms are like the rules of a game, when should we change the rules? Unit on parallel postulate Why is this an axiom if it’s so complex? What no longer holds true if we deny it?

Identify Desired Results The blank background within the middle ring represents the field of

Identify Desired Results The blank background within the middle ring represents the field of possible content that might be examined during a unit or course. Since not all of this can reasonably be addressed, we move within the larger ring to identify knowledge that students should be familiar with. During the unit, what do we want students to hear, read, view, research, or otherwise encounter? Worth Being Familiar With Important to know and do “Enduring” Understanding

Identify Desired Results In the middle ring, we sharpen our choices by specifying important

Identify Desired Results In the middle ring, we sharpen our choices by specifying important knowledge (facts, concepts, and principles) and skills (processes, strategies, and methods). We would say that student learning is incomplete if the unit concluded without mastery of these essentials. Worth Being Familiar With Important to know and do “Enduring” Understanding

Identify Desired Results The smallest ring requires finer-grain choices and a focus on intellectual

Identify Desired Results The smallest ring requires finer-grain choices and a focus on intellectual priorities. Here we select the enduring understandings that will anchor the unit and establish a rationale for it. The term enduring refers to the big ideas, or the important understandings, that we want students to “get inside of” and retain after they’ve forgotten many of the details. Worth Being Familiar With Important to know and do “Enduring” Understanding