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students will know and be able to do
(knowledge and skills) in Stage 1. However,
we contend that content acquisition is a
means, not an end. The UbD framework
promotes not only acquisition, but also the
student’s ability to know why the knowl-
edge and skills are important, and how
to apply or transfer them in meaningful,
professional, and socially important ways.
3. Should you use the three-stage
backward design process and the
UbD template for planning lessons
as well as units?
Careful lesson planning is essential to
guide student learning. However, we do
not recommend isolated lesson planning
separate from unit planning. We have
chosen the unit as a focus for design
because the key elements of the UbD
framework—understandings, essential
questions, and transfer performance
tasks—are too complex and multifac-
eted to be satisfactorily addressed within
a single lesson. For instance, essential
questions are meant to be explored and
revisited over time, not answered by the
end of a single class period.
Nonetheless, the larger unit goals provide
the context in which individual lessons are
planned. Teachers often report that careful
attention to Stages 1 and 2 sharpens their
lesson planning, resulting in more purpose-
ful teaching and improved learning.
4. What is the relationship between
the Six Facets of Understanding
and Bloom’s Taxonomy?
Although both function as frameworks
for assessment, one key difference is that
Bloom’s Taxonomy presents a hierarchy of
1. This three-stage planning
approach makes sense. So, why do
you call it “backward” design?
We use the term “backward” in two ways:
1. Plan with the end in mind by first clari-
fying the learning you seek—the learning
results (Stage 1). Then, think about the
assessment evidence needed to show that
students have achieved that desired learn-
ing (Stage 2). Finally, plan the means to
the end—the teaching and learning activi-
ties and resources to help them achieve
the goals (Stage 3). We have found that
backward design, whether applied by
individual teachers or district curriculum
committees, helps avoid the twin sins of
activity-oriented and coverage-oriented
curriculum planning.
2. Our second use of the term refers to
the fact that this approach is backward to
the way many educators plan. For years,
we have observed that curriculum plan-
ning often translates into listing activities
(Stage 3), with only a general sense of
intended results and little, if any, atten-
tion to assessment evidence (Stage 2).
Many teachers have commented that the
UbD planning process makes sense, but
feels awkward because it requires a break
from comfortable planning habits.
2. I have heard that the UbD
framework de-emphasizes the
teaching of content knowledge
and skill to focus on more general
understanding. Is this your
recommendation?
On the contrary, the UbD framework
requires that unit designers specify what
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