Alexandria Romine - ED 410

Understanding By Design Backwards Design Process

Use this design template to construct your UbD lesson plan. Be sure that you include enough detail that the
lesson is easily understood by an outside reader, such as your instructor.

Use the checklist on the last page to ensure that you have included the necessary details in your lesson
planning.

Stage 1 Desired Results

ALSDE Content Standard(s):
5th Grade - English Language Arts: 3.) Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or
events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact). [RL.
5.3]
ISTE Standards for Teachers:
Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity.
Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments.
ISTE Standards for Students:
Innovative Designer: Students use a variety of technologies within a design process to identify and
solve problems by creating new, useful or imaginative solutions.
Creative Communicator: Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a
variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats and digital media appropriate to their
goals.
P21 Outcomes:
Mastery of core subjects
Creativity and innovation
Communication and Collaboration
ICT Literacy
Social Skills
Productivity and Accountability
Leadership and Responsibility

Understanding (s)/goals Essential Question(s):

Students will understand that:
in order to compare and contrast two or more
items, one must identify the similarities and
differences between those items.
What do a Coke and a Pepsi have in
common? What makes them different?
What are some similarities you share with the
other students in your group? What makes
you all different?
Why is it important for us to recognize those
differences and similarities?

Student objectives (outcomes):

Students will be able to:
Compare and contrast two items, utilizing a Venn diagram.
Compare and contrast two characters from a story, with supporting evidence from the text.
 Stage 2 Assessment Evidence
Performance Task(s):
Students will compare and contrast two items
(Coke and Pepsi, others in their group, etc.)
utilizing a Venn diagram.
Students will create a multimedia presentation
in which they compare and contrast two
characters from a story.
Other Evidence:
Students will complete the Compare and
Contrast Map from ReadWriteThink, with the
subjects being the two characters that will be
included in their presentation. The teacher
will review each groups submission to check
for understanding of the concept and provide
feedback.
Students will self-assess their project utilizing
the rubric (listed in the Learning Plan).

Stage 3 Learning Plan

Learning Activities:
The teacher will introduce the lesson by showing this short video as an introduction to comparing and
contrasting two items.
Comparing and contrasting is a reading strategy which is introduced in earlier grade levels, according
to the Alabama Course of Study. If further instruction or explanation is needed on what it means to
compare and contrast, the teacher will provide that after viewing the video.
As a whole class, the teacher will then ask the students to compare and contrast two items (of which
the students are familiar), utilizing a Venn diagram. Examples could include Coke and Pepsi, apples
and oranges, the beach and the mountains, etc. This is to serve as a way to activate students prior
knowledge, so the teacher must ensure that the students are familiar with the items chosen in this
portion of the learning activities.
The teacher will then introduce the main learning activity, which is the multimedia presentation.
In small groups, students will be required to compare and contrast two characters story and cite
textual evidence from that story. The story could be one that was read as a whole group, or one that
the small groups have chosen on their own.
Each group will then brainstorm ideas for comparing and contrasting their characters by identifying
their similarities and differences and organizing those ideas into a Venn diagram. They will then
transfer those ideas from the Venn diagram into the Compare and Contrast Map from
ReadWriteThink. They will complete and print a copy of their map to turn into the teacher. This will
mark the midway point of the assignment. The teacher will review the map to check for
understanding and provide feedback to the group on the content include in their presentation before
they are to move into the production phase of the presentation.
The groups will then be required to write a script in which they act as two characters from the story
which they have chosen.
After completing the first draft of their scripts, the students will then hold peer conferences with
other groups and provide suggestions to each other on how they could improve their scripts.
Groups will then take their scripts and create multimedia presentations. They can create
presentations using an animation software program, video recorders, iMove/Windows Movie Maker,
still photos, etc. The only requirement is that the presentation must include a visual and auditory
component.
Before the students turn-in their projects for assessing, they will go through this rubric (from
ReadThinkWrite) and self-assess their project. This will allow the students to go through their project
and ensure that all project requirements are met. After their projects are turned in, the teacher will
also use this same rubric for assessment purposes.
Students will then upload their presentations to the classroom/individual blog sites, or present them
to the whole class (depending on the resources available).
 My Checklist based on UbD Design Standards

Yes No ?

1. Have I included the appropriate standards? x

2. Does my rationale include what the unit is about and what the
x
standards will do?

3. Are my Enduring Understandings important and appropriate? x

4. Do my Essential Questions match the Enduring Understandings? x
5. Are the Essential Questions open-ended? x
6. Are the Essential Questions really intriguing as written? Is this the
x
kind of question a real kid or adult would be interested in?

7. Does my knowledge section identify the important facts and concepts

x
needed to uncover the Enduring Understandings?

8. Do the assessments demand higher-level thinking? x

9. Does the Performance Task assess for student grasp of the Enduring
Understandings?
x

10. Is the Performance Task authentic? x

11. Did I include an appropriate rubric(s)? x
12. Are all 3 stages aligned? (Enduring Understandings, Essential
x
Questions, Knowledge, Skills, Assessment, and Learning Activities)

13. Is there enough assessment evidence? x

14. Does the unit include student self-assessment and/or reflection? x
15. Is there sufficient variety, choice differentiation? x
16. Do the Learning Activities have enough detail? x
17. Are the Learning Activities likely to be effective and engaging? x
18. Are all the Learning Activities necessary? x
19. Have I listed enough resources? x
20. Is there enough information/detail in this UbD unit for someone else
x
to make sense of it and adapt it for themselves?