Understanding by Design (UbD) Revisited

Gregory Fulkerson

National Council of State Supervisors for Languages Delaware Department of Education

STARTALK

Guest Teacher Summer Institute

July 28, 2012

• With an elbow partner, share what you remember about what UbD is.

• What do you remember about how designing learning experiences are different when designing with UbD?

Understanding by Design (UbD)

• Contextualized learning with a theme

• Focus on an enduring understanding (EU) based on the thematic “Big idea”

• Promotes inquiry with essential questions

• Away from “covering” to “uncovering”

• Start planning with the end in mind

• Assessments are designed before instructional activities

Enduring Understanding

• Based on a big idea with enduring value

• At the heart of a discipline

• Involves student “performance”

• Requires higher-order thinking skills

• Engages students

• Requires “un-covering” of an abstract concept, a myth, or a misunderstanding

Essential Questions (EQs)

• Thought-provoking questions

• Open-ended questions

• Require higher-order thinking skills

• EQ responses directly connect with the enduring understanding

• “How” questions

• “Why” questions

Designing with UbD

• Stage 1—Desired Results – Standard(s) – Big Idea and Enduring Understanding (EU) – Essential Questions (EQs)

• Stage 2—Determine acceptable evidence – Knowledge and Skills (Communication Standards) – Integrated Performance Assessment

• Stage 3—Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction – Differentiated Learning Activities

From Wiggins, G. UbD (2005) and Jennifer Eddy (2006)

Step 1—Desired Results Practice

• General Theme/Big Idea:

– My Family

• Which standards are you targeting in this unit/lesson?

• Which proficiency level are you targeting?

• What is the unit/lesson’s Enduring Understanding (EU)?

• What are the Essential Questions (EQs)?

Traditional Approach vs. UbD • Unit 3—Family

– Family Members

– Adjectives

– Verb “to be”

– Possessive Adjectives

• Unit 3—My Family (1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 3.2, 4.1)

– Families may not look the same in all cultures.

– How do I describe my family?

– How do I ask others about their family?

– How do I express my age and ask the age of others and their family members?

Stage 2—Determine Acceptable Evidence Practice

• Think about summative performance assessments that integrate the three modes of communication.

• How will the assessments answer the unit’s/lesson’s EQs and address the EU?

• What are the knowledge and skills students will need to successfully perform on the summative performance assessments? (I Can … Statements)

Assessment

• Interpretive Mode – Students listen to a short

passage that describes Xiao’s family and circle images that correspond to what they hear.

• Interpersonal Mode – Students interview

classmates about the size of their families, family members and their ages.

• Presentational Mode – Students design a family

photo album with captions that describe their family to share with their Chinese e-pal. Students end their book by saying if their family is similar to or different than a typical Chinese family.

Skills and Knowledge

• -- Differences between “二 & 两” • -- Measure words：只，个, • -- Family size, relationship • -- Age; Numbers 0-100 • -- Simple questions about ages “ 你几岁？/你多大？” • -- Country, nationality and language • -- Ash some ‘WH’ questions (who, what) • -- Possessive and Demonstrative adjectives “ 这是/那是” • --“To have structures ” “你/我/他/她有/没有” • -- “However-structure ” “可是…” • -- “Because clause” “因为…..

I Can … • I can state person’s age in a culturally appropriate way: 你几岁？ 你/您多大？

• I can describe the size of my family. • I can differentiate the measure words “只/个”… • I can explain the difference between “两” and “二”… • I can use basic adjectives “（很） 聪明，可爱，忙 ” to describe

people. • I can differentiate the proper names for the country, nationality and

language. • I can use “谁” who, and what “什么” to ask questions. • I can explain the different names of family relatives. • I can illustrate the differences between typical Chinese and

American families.

Transforming the Traditional

• Traditional Unit Objective:

– Students will know the most popular tourist sites in Beijing.

• UbD Style:

– Enduring Understanding?

– Essential Questions?

– A summative performance assessment?

• Enduring Understanding

– Where people choose to travel depends a lot on their interests and needs.

• Essential Question(s)

– How do I express things I like and do not like to do on vacation?

– How do people travel while on vacation?

– Why do people like to visit Beijing?

• Summative Performance Assessment – You are a travel agent specializing in travel to Beijing. Your

clients are all different. Create an itinerary suited for each group, keeping in mind the possible interests and needs of the client. • 1. A family of 5 with young children. • 2. A businessperson who is a history buff. • 3. Three college students with a limited budget. • 4. Grandparents who love small towns, local crafts, and music.

– Which mode of communication does this address?

Performance Assessments • Authentic assessments that are real-world and transfer

beyond the classroom • Measurements of student progress with what they

CAN DO with language in terms of the standards and the ACTFL K-12 Performance Guidelines

• Provide students opportunities to use a repertoire of skills, areas of knowledge

• Reflect at least one of the three modes of communication within a specific content area or theme

• Interpersonal and Presentational Modes are generally scored with a rubric

• Integrated Performance Assessments (IPAs) target all three modes as summative tasks

3 Modes of Communication • 3 Communication Standards:

– 1.1—Interpersonal

• Two-way communication (speaking and listening)

– 1.2—Interpretive

• One-way communication (reading or listening)

– 1.3—Presentational

• One-way communication (speaking or writing)

Communicative Mode Practice

• On a sheet of paper, number from 1-5.

• After you hear a description of how students are communicating, decide if the communication is INTERPERSONAL, INTERPRETIVE or PRESENTATIONAL.

Designing Performance Assessments

Communication

• The Communication Standard determines the assessment mode and provides true evidence of learner performance.

• The three modes of this Standard are the “moves in real-life.”

Three Modes of Communication

Interpretive Mode Task

Interpersonal Mode Task

Presentational Mode Task

The Performance Assessment Trio

Our Communication Standards—Integrated Performance Assessment

Interpretive Mode Tasks React to info, infer

Interpersonal Mode Tasks Acquire new info, negotiate

Presentational Mode Tasks Create a product, recreate text

Interpretive mode

Interpersonal mode

Presentational mode

Interpretive Mode

• Comprehension of words, concepts, ideas, meaning of entire piece

• Must be motivated by a culturally authentic piece they hear, view, listen to or read.

• Text, poem, film, work of art, song, poem, advertisement, music video, book

• Translation is not an Interpretive mode task.

INTERPRETIVE • Reading, Listening, Viewing

– One-way communication

– Global understanding . . . .inferences

– Information

– Enjoyment

Interpretive Tasks

• Success influenced by

– Prior knowledge of topic – Familiarity with organization of text – Past experience/success reading – listening –

viewing

• What counts?

– Global understanding – Details – Inferences

Interpretive Tasks for Different Proficiency Levels • Novice Level

– Key-word recognition and main idea detection • Short texts within highly predictable and familiar contexts related to

personal experiences; • Selections that range in length from lists to simple sentences to more

connected texts with loosely and highly predictable order information • Texts that are strongly supported by context, usually visual, with content

of a frequent everyday nature

• Intermediate Level – Detection of main ideas and supporting details

• Narratives, simple stories, routine correspondence • Information-packed texts with highly predictable order • Selections that range in length from simple sentences, to compound

and/or complex sentences to paragraphs • Topics of high interest to students: cultural aspects to compare and

contrast

• Pre-Advanced Level – Detection of main ideas and supporting details, word

and concept inferences, identification of author/cultural perspectives, identification of organizing principles of the text • Texts containing longer and more complex connected

discourse • Stories, narratives, social correspondence involving present,

past and future events • Topics of personal and general interest • Texts (fiction and non-fiction) covering a wide variety of

topics found in the target culture, from popular media to literary texts

AUTHENTIC SOURCES: Listening/Viewing

• Announcements

• Recorded messages

• Music

• Talk shows

• News shows

• Television programs

• Lectures

• Performances

• Movies

• Radio

• Podcasts

• Plays

• Conversations

• Debates

• Instructions

• Sports play-by-play

AUTHENTIC SOURCES: Reading

• Signs

• Schedules

• Maps

• Advertisements

• Menus

• Catalogs

• Cartoons

• Recipes

• Letters/email

• Instructions

• Newspapers

• Magazines

• Poetry

• Short stories

• Plays

• Novels

• Internet sites

• Blogs

Culturally authentic materials

• Are an essential piece in creating the Interpretive Mode task.

• Provide the learner with a tangible effect of the understanding and essential question.

• Enable the learner to infer and create meaning.

Where to find culturally authentic materials

• Reputable Web sites • Publications • Films • Photographs and drawings • Songs or Music • Visual or Performing Art • Radio and Television • Authentic menus, maps, advertisements • Schedules, receipts, forms, posters, brochures

Interpretive Tasks

• Comprehension – Identifies main topic – Identifies main points, central ideas – States literal meaning – Retells, summarizes – Creates questions from info in the piece – Analyzes, interprets – Draws inferences – Discusses knowledgeably

• Vocabulary – Understands identified vocabulary – Guesses meaning from context – Provides synonyms for identified vocabulary – Can use identified vocabulary in a new context

Sample Interpretive activities

• listening with visuals • filling in graphs and charts • following a route on a map • checking off items in a list • draw what is being described • listening for the gist • searching for specific clues to meaning • compose a title for the reading • paraphrase in native language/target language • vocabulary brainstorms in categories, synonyms, near

synonyms • identify main idea

Interpretive Task

Listen to a student from Xi’an describe a typical week of school and activities he likes to do. Check off the activities that the student does and which day(s) of the week he does the activity. Afterwards, compare the student’s activities to yours and determine if you and the student have interests in common.

INTERPRETIVE TASK • Working in your trio,

develop an interpretive task based on the standards or theme provided to you.

• What would you look for in your scoring rubric?

• Be prepared to share your task with the large group.

INTERPERSONAL

• Two-way communication (verbal and email)

– To accomplish a task, solve an information gap

– Spontaneous

– Negotiated

Interpersonal • What counts?

– Ability to be understood and to understand

– Real conversation

• Success influenced by:

– Familiarity with the activity

– Familiarity with the person/people involved in the interaction

– Number/complexity of unexpected circumstances

AUTHENTIC REASONS: Interpersonal

• “Small talk”

• Getting to know someone

• Talking at a social event

• Playing a game

• Making a purchase

• Ordering in a restaurant

• Obtaining directions

• Making an appointment

• Participating in on-line chat

• Debating an issue

• Making a transaction at the post office or bank

• Making a transaction at a ticket window (travel, concerts, movies, etc)

• Discussing a current event • Interviewing someone • Applying for a job • Making/building/creating

something • Working on a project

Interpersonal Mode

• Interpersonal mode tasks are spontaneous exchanges that involve negotiation of meaning between people. Unrehearsed, unrefined.

• In everyday communication, spoken exchanges take place

because there is some sort of information gap between the participants.

• Memorized, or scripted dialogue readings are not Interpersonal Mode tasks.

Negotiating meaning

• Use material from the interpretive task.

• Students form questions to clarify meaning.

• Guiding vocabulary and structure can be given.

• This is spontaneous, non scripted.

Interpersonal Task

In groups of four, compare what you do each day with the activities of others in your group. Determine in what ways you are alike and in what ways you are different.

INTERPERSONAL TASK

• Working in your trio, develop an interpersonal task based on the standards or theme provided to you.

• What would you look for in your scoring rubric?

• Be prepared to share your task with the large group.

PRESENTATIONAL

• Writing, Speaking for an audience

– One-way communication

– Classmates……..native speakers

– Informal……formal

– Rehearsals →performance

Presentational Tasks must involve Transfer

• The best tasks or activities are those that transfer or transpose knowledge to a new and different context from that in which it was initially learned.

• These tasks require learners to solve problems, create a new product, use the content in a new way.

• Presentational mode tasks allow learners time to rehearse, revise, rewrite, consult sources, or otherwise prepare ahead of time.

Sample Presentational tasks

• Summary of text • Brochure • Design oral/video presentation • Letter • Advertisement • New beginning or ending of story, song • Visuals based on topic or text • Solve a problem • Design a survey and present findings • Skits • Radio shows or PSAs • Essays • Plays or videos • Poem, Song, Rap • Storyboard

Presentational • What counts?

– Process – Product – Accuracy – Impact

• Success influenced by – Rough drafts – Rehearsals – Feedback – Opportunities to present/publish – Number/complexity of unexpected circumstances

AUTHENTIC REASONS: Presentational Writing

• Lists

• Notes

• Agendas

• Postcards, greeting cards

• Invitations

• Recipes, instructions

• Letters/email

• Journals

• News articles

• Brochures, flyers

• Posters

• Web pages

• Poems

• Skits, plays

• Songs

• Essays, reports

• Reviews, editorials

• Stories

AUTHENTIC REASONS: Presentational Speaking

• Poem, verse

• Presentation of information, report

• Play, skit

• Song

• Demonstration of how to do something

• Formal speech

• Storytelling

• Sales presentation

Presentational Task

Several exchange students from Xi’an are coming to your school. Each group will get a different letter from a student. After reading the letters, create an itinerary for the week for them, giving choices for what to do in and out of school based on what the student likes. Present the itinerary to the class, telling about the activities that you have placed on the itinerary.

PRESENTATIONAL TASK • Working in your trio,

develop a presentational task based on the standards or theme provided to you.

• What would you look for in your scoring rubric?

• Be prepared to share your task with the large group.

IPA Transfer-My Friends and I

Interpretive Task • First, listen to the new student give information about his

or her best friend, circle the information you hear on the chart, then answer questions based on the information you hear.

Interpersonal Task • Now that you know about the new student’s friends, talk

with three of your classmates about the characteristics and interests of their own friends.

Presentational Task • Finally, write a note to the exchange student describing

yourself so that he or she can identify you at the airport. • Design a itinerary for the weekend, based on what you

know the new student likes to do with their friends.

Contexts for IPAs THEME: Leisure CONTEXT: • Your school is organizing a two-week exchange program to

Hangzhou. Since you will be spending a lot of time with the students at the exchange school, you want to know more about how you might spend your free time together.

Interpretive Task • First, read a target language school website or other authentic

materials such as newspapers, leisure guides, etc. to find out about the extracurricular activities that are available to students in Hangzhou.

Interpersonal Task • With a partner, discuss what you usually do after school

in your town and whether or not you will be able to do the same activities in the target. Decide how you will spend your time after school since you will be staying with the same family and spending your free time together

• Based on what you learned in the previous activity (in the

interpretive task), make plans with a classmate about how you might spend several afternoons.

Presentational Task • Write a blog entry for future exchange students

comparing how teens spend their time free time in Wilmington and Hangzhou.

Additional Information

Gregory Fulkerson, Ph.D.

NCSSFL President

Education Associate

World Languages and International Education

Delaware Department of Education

401 Federal St., Suite 2

Dover, DE 19901

302.735.4180

gfulkerson@doe.k12.de.us