UbD Template

Revised January 2015

Understanding by Design Guide

Understanding by Design: A Step-by-step

Guide to the Backward Design Process

Read the ISTE Standards and the content standards for your selected
topic. Determine which apply to your unit.
A UbD unit design is a unit spanning usually two to six weeks. For this
project, create, at a minimum, a two week unit.
Be specific and give details for Assessment and Learning Activities. Make
sure to include the use of Web 2.0 tools that will help support
Understanding.
Sections can be completed in any order-You can always go back to a
section to add additional information. The goal is clear alignment between
the 3 stages.
adapted from the work of Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe)

UbD Template

All 3 stages of UbD should be linked together!

Stage 1: Desired Results (Enduring Understandings, Essential
Questions, Knowledge, Skills
Stage 2: Evidence (Assessment)
Stage 3: Learning Plan (Learning Activities)
Design the unit so that it would be useful for another person to teach the
unit.

adapted from the work of Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe)

UbD Template

Unit Cover Page

Designed by: Kevin Coons

Time Frame: 10 Lessons

Unit Title: American Revolution

Grade Level: 8th Grade

Topic/Subject: U.S History

Key Words: revolution, Declaration of

Independence, loyalist, patriot

Short Summary/Rationale:
The unit on the American Revolution follows the study of the colonization of the Americas by the European powers. This
unit sets a foundation for the development of a United States and the great experiment of democracy that began with the
ideals of individuals before and during the revolution. Students will understand the principles that guided the direction of
the revolution and explain the causes and justifications for the rebellion. Students will examine primary and secondary
sources and organize information as they gather facts on the causes and events of the American Revolution in order to
develop own interpretation of these events.

adapted from the work of Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe)

UbD Template

Audience
The audience for this unit is 2 sections of 8th grade U.S. History of students at Cardinal Shehan School. Cardinal Shehan
School is a parochial school located in Baltimore city which is part of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. There are a total of 42
8th grade students.

Stage 1Identify Desired Results

Established Goals:
Standard 1: The causes of the American Revolution, the ideas and interests involved in forging the revolutionary
movement, and the reasons for the American victory
1A: The student understands the causes of the American Revolution and therefor is able to
Analyze political, ideological, and economic origins of the Revolution
Reconstruct the arguments among patriots and loyalists about independence and draw conclusions about how the
decision to declare independence was reached
1B: The student understands the principles articulated in the Declaration of Independence and therefor is able to
Explain the major ideas expressed in the Declaration of Independence and their intellectual origins
Draw upon the principles in the Declaration of Independence to construct a sound historical argument regarding
whether it justified American independence
1C: The student understands the factors affecting the course of the war and contributing to American victory and therefor
is able to.
Compare and explain the different roles and perspectives in the war of men and women, including white settlers,
free and enslaved African Americans, and Native Americans
Explain how the Americans won the war against superior British forces

ISTE Standards-Student
1. Creativity and Innovation: Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative
products and processes using technology
b. Create original works as a means of personal or group expression

What Essential Questions will be considered?

1. How do we determine what actually happened in a historical
event?

What understandings are desired?

1. Specific individuals can have a profound impact on
history

2. What is the value of change?

2. History is a story that is impacted by who tells the

story

3. Do all revolutions have and live up to certain ideals?

4. Was the American revolution a radical revolution?

3. Progress comes at a price that history can judge to be

worth it or not

adapted from the work of Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe)

UbD Template

5. How is U.S. history a history of progress?

6. Who and what determines winners and losers in history?

4. Revolutions are caused by social, political and

economic inequalities and affect specific locations
and the entire world

What key knowledge and skill will students acquire as a result of this unit?
Students will know
1. European Enlightenment thinkers influence democratic
Ideals

Students will be able to

1. Analyze primary and secondary sources for main ideas,
purpose and significance

2. Enlightenment thinkers developed the ideas of natural

rights, equality for all, and a social contract with the
government which influenced the decisions of the
colonists

2. Write persuasively

3. Britains increasingly restrictive laws angered many

colonists leading them to rebellion
4. Both political and economic factors led to the American
Revolution
5. The specific acts and taxes the British imposed on the
Colonists and how the colonists reacted

3. Trace change over time

4. Define and use key vocabulary
5. Identify main ideas and details
6. Determine cause and effect
7. Identify and evaluate opposing points of view

6. The roles of various people in the Revolutionary War

7. The major battles, causes and effects of the
Revolutionary War and how it changed America

adapted from the work of Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe)

UbD Template

Stage 2Determine Acceptable Evidence

Performance Tasks:
Wiki lessons
Loyalist or Patriot dialogue
Primary source analysis about the Boston Massacre make a claim writing piece
Letter to the editor of the Boston gazette defending or opposing the Declaration of Independence
Animoto video how would historians in other countries outside of the United States write about the Revolutionary War?
Whose story do they tell and how do they tell it?

What other evidence needs to be collected in light of Stage 1 Desired Results?

Other Evidence:

Test on the American Revolution

Quiz on key terms
Explanation of Boston Massacre gravestone

Student Self-Assessment and Reflection:

Self-assess Loyalist of Patriot dialogue
Self-assess Declaration of Independence letter

adapted from the work of Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe)

UbD Template

Stage 2 (continued)
Assessment Task Blueprint
What understandings or goals will be assessed through this task?
Students will be able to provide an authentic description of the events leading up and summarizing the American
Revolution.
What criteria are implied in the standards and understandings regardless of the task specifics? What qualities must
student work demonstrate to signify that standards were met?
Comparison of different perspectives
Evaluation of various sources

Through what authentic performance task will students demonstrate understanding?

Task Overview: Since we have been study the American Revolution and considering events from different perspectives the
students will be developing a short video on the overview of the Revolution for a History Channel production. The students
will use the information and evaluation of sources throughout the unit to develop a video summary of the causes, events,
influences and impacts of the American Revolutionary War.

What student products and performances will provide evidence of desired understanding?
Patriot and Loyalist blog posts and response
Letter to Boston Gazette
Animoto Video

By what criteria will student products and performances be evaluated?

Blogs demonstrate justification for viewpoints and supporting evidence
Letter meets persuasive writing criteria
Animoto video provides original perspective on American Revolution demonstrating comparison of differing viewpoints and
evidence supporting conclusions that were made

adapted from the work of Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe)

UbD Template

Stage 3Plan Learning Experiences

WHERETO (WHERE)
What sequence of teaching and learning experiences will equip students to engage with, develop, and
demonstrate the desired understandings? Use the following sheet to list the key learning and teaching activities
in sequence. Code each entry with the appropriate initials of the WHERETO (WHERE) elements.
Lessons 1 Introduction
Define the term Revolution using Frayer Model W (http://www.phs.d211.org/science/filipekcj/Bio138/frayer
%20cards%20template.pdf)
Preview the chapter from the textbook using the Content Brainstorming Preview model W
I see/It means on a drawing of the Tea Party H
Boston Tea Party Anticipation Guide E
Key terms using the 3 column vocabulary template (term, definition, example) E
Lesson 2 The Road to Revolution
Identify and analyze how colonists respond using the Road to Revolution timeline and chart of British Acts and
Colonist responses W
Voices Rising Lessons on wiki page Stamp Act H
Analyze and mark up a secondary document on the Stamp Act summary W
Analyze a primary source using an APPARTS chart on the Stamp Act Resolutions (http://www.gcisdk12.org/cms/lib4/TX01000829/Centricity/Domain/61/APPARTS.pdf) W
Lesson 3 Fake Quiz Connect to the Stamp Act
Make connections to self: A pop quiz is announced. However, due to lack of funding, students must pay 10 cents
for the paper for the quiz. (Those who dont pay will fail. Those who pay and take the quiz, realize it is fake) H
Students debate what can be done in the future to prevent this R
Connect the process to what the colonists felt over British policies R
Lesson 4 The Boston Massacre
Students define bias W
Analyze secondary source summary of the Boston Massacre E
Students try to recreate a drawing of Paul Reveres famous The Bloody Massacre picture,T
(https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/road-revolution/resources/paul-revere%E2%80%99s-engravingboston-massacre-1770) then they analyze what they saw and answer several questions. Students then view
another picture drawn from the British point of view of the massacre by Alonzo Chappel,
(http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6805/)and compare and contrast the two drawings
Students analyze one of four primary source documents of different points of view of the events of the massacre
and share their information through a jigsaw, using APPARTS charts R
Students debate who was responsible for the massacre and why, based on the evidence they read and saw
could the Massacre have been avoided? T
Students create a gravestone of one of the massacre victims R
Lesson 5 The First Continental Congress and the First Battles
adapted from the work of Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe)

UbD Template

Concept/Event map of the First Continental Congress O

Interpret map of the routes of the Alarm Riders using guided questions and/or source analysis E
Cause and Effect graphic organizer of the battles of Lexington and Concord O

Lesson 6 Declaring Independence

Read and mark up the Second Treatise of John Locke on Civil Government, define natural rights and social
contract E
Whole class close textual reading of the preamble to the Declaration of Independence. As a class, list the
reasons why the colonists wrote this document W
Divide the class into groups, assign each one a section of the Declaration of Independence to read and answer
questions on, present to the class E
Entire class answers guided questions on the Declaration and evaluate the strengths and weakness of the
Declaration in a graphic organizer R
Define grievance using Frayer Model O
Read four exerts from two people for the Declaration and two people against and complete a graphic organizer O
Lesson 7: Patriots and Loyalists
Define patriot and loyalist W
List reasons from the reading why someone who be a patriot or a loyalist H
In Pairs, students are assigned to a patriot and loyalist, and write a persuasive dialogue on kidblog,org trying to
convince the other side to join their point of view R
Students then write a persuasive letter to the editor of the Boston Gazette with their reasons for being a patriot or
a loyalist E
Lesson 8 The Beginning of the War
Analyze and mark up the battle of Bunker Hill secondary source reading W
Compare/Contrast the strengths and weaknesses of the British and the Colonist at the beginning of the war,
make a prediction: who should win based on this list? O, E
Graphic organizer: on the groups of people involved in the war: women, African Americans, Native Americans,
and Loyalists O
Major battles chart: Trenton, Saratoga, Yorktown, Valley Forge. What was the significance of each? W
Lesson 9 How the War Changed America
Treaty of Paris summary reading W
List the positive and negative outcomes of the war on America H
I see/It means on the new National Seal R
Lesson 10 How do we tell the story of the American Revolutionary War
History Channel is making a new documentary on the Revolutionary War to appeal to foreigners (appeal to
teens?)
What should they include?
Who do they talk to for information?
What do they do when different experts have different stories to share?
What about time constraints what do you include, what do you leave out?
Students create a film using animoto.com discussing the causes and impacts of American Revolution R, E

adapted from the work of Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe)

UbD Template

Technology (What technologies will be implemented in the unit? Please describe which and how.)
A wiki will be made to for students to access online lessons, pictures and documents that need to be evaluated throughout
the unit.
Google docs will be made for the charts and organizers used: I see/It Means, Frayer Model, cause and effect organizer,
compare contrast organizer, concept/event map, APPARTS and battles chart
Kidblog.org will be used for Loyalist and Patriot debate
Animoto.com will be used for final video on American Revolution

adapted from the work of Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe)

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UbD Template

Backward Design Template Self-Reflection and Evaluation

What does a good unit design look like?

(from the Second Edition

of Understanding by Design)
*Clear performance

*Clear models and

goals, based on a

modeling.

genuine and explicit

*Time set aside for

challenge.

focused reflection.

*Hands-on approach

*Variety in methods,

throughout; far less

grouping, and tasks.

front-loaded

*Safe environment for

teaching than

taking risks.

typical.

*Teacher role

*Focus on interesting

resembles that of a

and important ideas,

facilitator or coach.

questions, issues, and *More of an immersion

problems.

experience than a
adapted from the work of Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe)

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UbD Template

*Obvious real-world

typical classroom

application, hence

experience.

meaning for learners.

*Personalized

*Powerful feedback

approach, with more

system, with

than one way to do the

opportunities to learn

major tasks, and room

from trial and error.

for adapting the

*Big picture provided

process and goal to

and clear throughout,

style, interest, and

with a transparent

need.

back-and-forth flow
between the parts and
the whole.
UbD Self-Assessment Check List
Yes
1. Have I included the appropriate Standards

adapted from the work of Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe)

No

Unsure

X
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UbD Template

2. Does my summary include what the unit is about and what the students will do?
3. Are my Enduring Understandings important and appropriate?

4. Do my Essential Questions match the Enduring Understandings?

5. Are the Essential Questions significant and open-ended?

6. Do I have enough EQs to help uncover the EUs?

7. Does my knowledge section identify the important facts and concepts needed to know to
uncover the EUs?

8. Am I encouraging students to develop higher level skills?

9. Does the Performance Task(s) assess the Enduring Understandings?

10. Is the Performance Task(s) authentic?

11. Are all 3 stages aligned? ( EUs, EQs, Knowledge, Skills, Assessment and Learning
Activities)

12. Is there enough assessment evidence?

13. Does the unit include student self-assessment and/or reflection?

14. Do the Learning Activities have enough detail?

15. Are the Learning Activities effective and engaging?

16. Are all the Learning Activities necessary?

17. Have I covered all the elements of WHERETO (WHERE)?

18. Is there enough information/detail in this UbD unit for someone else to replicate it?

What are the strengths of this unit?

The strengths are the evaluations that it causes the students to make after evaluating differing points of view. Another
strength is the organization charts and resources that are available to frame content to improve student analysis and
understanding.
I could use some help on.
Matching the activities to the essential questions and understandings.

adapted from the work of Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe)

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