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Creating an Enduring Understanding for the Primary and Elementary Teacher
Creating an Enduring Understanding
for the Primary and Elementary
Teacher
Norms for a Successful Session
Relax
Socialize
Take Care of Yourself
Give Your Absolute Best
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Montage
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A Concept-Based Approach to Learning
UBDBig Ideas we want students to
understand
Students learn more than just facts and knowledge
Students internalize the information
Focus on DOINGFocus on KNOWING
Active application
Teach to transfer knowledge across time and disciplines
Remembers big ideas
Fewer, more significant topics
Active involvement
Recall of information
Expected to remember facts and skills
Focus on covering many topics
Passive reception of information
Memorization of facts
Knowledge Vs. Concept
Enduring UnderstandingBig Idea
Lasting Value
UncoverTransferable
Enduring Understanding
Heart of Our Discipline
What’s Most Important In Our Field
Understanding from the Experience
Student ‘uncovering’ the big idea
Covering Subject Matter
Student must be allowed to ‘uncover’ the big idea through inquiry and
investigation
To Uncover is to find what is important
In what has been hiddenTo reveal rather than conceal
The Concept
To Uncover is to find what is important
In what has been hidden
To reveal rather than conceal
The Concept
Understand
UBD Designs Help Us Create Lessons Where Students:
Learn
Transfer
Apply
Important ideas or thoughts that have lasting value beyond our
classroom and can be appliedin various situations throughout
our lives.
Enduring Understanding
The Statement is not easily understood. You have to ‘uncover’ to comprehend the meaning.
The Statement could apply to several subjects. (Transferable)
Key Characteristics of anEnduring Understanding
The statement is framed in full-sentence universal generalizations. (Big Idea)
The Statement has value for years to come.
Is it a full sentence?
Is it an assessment or performance task?
Questions We Can Ask To Identify What An Enduring Understanding Is
NOT!
(Enduring understandings are always full sentences.)
(Enduring understandings are big ideas not assessments.)
Is it a question?
Is it a truism?
Questions We Can Ask To Identify What An Enduring Understanding Is
NOT!
(Enduring understandings are never questions.)
Truisms
Truisms usually generate agreement and are commonly accepted.
Truisms are statements that convey a feeling of truth.
Truisms
Practice makes perfect.Things are always changing.
The early bird gets the worm.
Haste makes waste.
Truisms
Do not require ‘uncovering’ and that
keeps them from being a good enduring understanding
Filtering System to Identify Enduring Understandings
Filter #1: Lasting Value
The idea is universal in application The idea is timeless and carries through the ages The idea has value for years to come
Filter #2: Transferable
The idea can be applied beyond the classroom
Capacity to take the idea and use it creatively on our own
Applying the idea to new and sometimes confusing situations
Words that Identify Transferable Big Ideas
Change Interaction
Friendship
Cooperation
Systems
Movement
Rhythm
Exploration
Filter #3: Uncovering
Ideas that are not obvious The idea may be baffling to the noviceThe idea is complex and abstract The idea is counter-intuitive in nature requiring “uncoverage” by the learner for meaning and understanding.
Filter #4: Big Idea
Are major concepts that anchor a unit or course Universal generalizations remembered by students
Focuses on concepts that apply to new situations within and beyond the subject
Filter #4: Big Idea
An enduring understanding IS the
“BIG IDEA”
So How “BIG” Is Big?
The degree of “BIGNESS” with an enduring understanding would be
whether the understanding is “overarching” or “topical”
Overarching Enduring Understandings:
Transfer to other subjects
Have lasting value
Topical Enduring Understandings:
Concerned with subject being taught
More specific and less transferablity
Course, Unit or Day StatementsCourse:Overarching Big Ideas (Transfer to other subjects and
throughout our life experiences)Unit: Topical Big Ideas
(Concerned with subject being taught)
Day: Usually knowledge, skills or facts needed to comprehend the big idea
Who Are You?
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Course, Unit or Day Statements?
Food choices contribute to our physical and mental health.
Healthy choices enhance our lives.
The meat group builds strong muscles.
Course, Unit or Day Statements?
Course: Healthy choices enhance our lives.
Unit: Food choices contribute to our physical and mental health.
Day: The meat group helps build strong muscles.
Who Are You?
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Course, Unit, or Day Statement?
Alcohol abuse hurts your liver and brain.
There are safe and unsafe substances that can be taken into the body.
Safe choices reduce risk and injury.
Course, Unit, or Day Statement?
Course: Safe choices reduce risk and and injury.
Day: Alcohol abuse hurts your liver and brain.
Unit:There are safe and unsafe substances that you can take into the
body.
Filtering System to Identify Enduring Understandings
Filtering System To Identify Enduring Understandings
Exploration through physical activity enhances understanding and efficiency of body movement.
Our behavior and the decisions we make affect our lifestyle.
Safe choices reduce risk and injury.
Movement and efficiency
Give an example of how behavior and decisions affect
one’s lifestyle.
Is it our responsibility to be aware of hazards and unsafe
practices?
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Food choices contribute to our physical and mental health.
Creating a Meaningful Enduring
understanding
Three Circle Design
What we want our students to walk away with and apply within their lives
The knowledge and skills we want students to accomplish in order to gain understanding
What we want students to read, hear or view but not necessarily
remember
Understandings that will anchor our unit
Understandings that will last for a long time
Four Rules of Thumb in Creating Understandings
Four Rules of Thumb in Creating Understandings
An enduring understanding is:
Four Rules of Thumb in Creating Understandings
An enduring understanding is: A priority
Four Rules of Thumb in Creating Understandings
Prioritize what is most important in our specific field of study
An enduring understanding is: A priority
Focus on a small number of transferable ideas
Four Rules of Thumb in Creating Understandings
Prioritize what is most important
A declarative statement (Students will understand that…)
An enduring understanding is: A priority
Focus on a small number of transferable ideas
Four Rules of Thumb in Creating Understandings
Stated as an insightful universal generalization
An enduring understanding is:
Four Rules of Thumb in Creating Understandings
Stated as a sentence
An enduring understanding is:
Relationship between two or more concepts
Stated as an insightful universal generalization
Is written in present tense
Four Rules of Thumb in Creating Understandings
Stated as a sentence
Either overarching or topical
Stated as an insightful generalizationAn enduring understanding is:
Relationship between two or more concepts Relationship between two or more concepts
Four Rules of Thumb in Creating Understandings
Stated as a sentence
Either overarching or topical
Stated as an insightful generalizationAn enduring understanding is:
Relationship between two or more concepts
Overarching being more transferable
Four Rules of Thumb in Creating Understandings
Stated as a sentence
Either overarching or topical
Stated as an insightful generalizationAn enduring understanding is:
Relationship between two or more concepts
Overarching being more transferable Topical being more specific to the subject area
Six Potential Approaches in Creating an Enduring Understanding
1 Begin with Content Standards:
Use those nouns as your transferable words to create an enduring understanding.
From your established goal look for key nouns.
Look for key concepts in the content overview. From the key concepts found in the content overview establish your own goal.
Instruction is guided by national, state, and district
standards that specify what students should
know and be able to do.
Content Standards Goals we want students to achieve
Establish priorities for instruction and assessment
Providing opportunities for children to develop proficiency in human movement and performance
Learning fundamental movement skills and the principles of human
movement.
Established Goal from the Content Overview
Provide opportunities for children to develop proficiency in movement and performance through participation in games and lifetime
activities.
Established Goal from the Content Overview
Provide opportunities for children to develop proficiency in movement and performance
through participation in games and lifetime activities.
Key nouns:
proficiency + movement + activities
Enduring Understanding: Students will understand that….
Proficiency of movement is developed through activity.
Six Potential Approaches in Creating an Enduring Understanding 2 Begin with desired real-world
applications: What does the content enable you to do in the real world if you master it?
Six Potential Approaches in Creating an Enduring Understanding
3 Begin with an important skill:
Locate the content standard that refers to the skill. Identify the key concepts that support the skill.
Important Skill: BalanceContent Standard:
Balance is a complex part of physical activity. Balance is static and dynamic and reflects the ability to maintain equilibrium in relation to the
force of gravity. (HP4)
Important Skill: BalanceContent Standard:
Balance is a complex part of physical activity. Balance is static and dynamic and
reflects the ability to maintain equilibrium in relation to the force of gravity. (HP4)
Enduring Understanding (The student will understand that…)
Physical activity requires balance to maintain one’s equilibrium.
Key concepts that support balance: Balance + Physical activity +
Equilibrium
Six Potential Approaches in creating an Enduring Understanding
4 Begin with a favorite activity:
Identify the skills, facts, and understandings the activity is meant to accomplish. Locate appropriate content standards that apply to this activity.Identify key concepts.
Favorite Activity: BowlingIdentify skills required for the activity:
Identify key concepts:
Locate appropriate content standards that apply to this activity:
--Specific concept (spatial and body awareness) and skills (rolling) in the primary grades are the foundation for a broad spectrum of sport and physical activities. (HP1,4)
--Spatial and body awareness.
--Finger position---Rolling the ball---Eyes on target--Proper footwork
--Skills (rolling, finger and eye position, footwork).
Enduring Understanding (The student will understand that….)
Spatial and body awareness develops fundamental skills required to pursue a
variety of physical activities.
Six Common Entry Points to Create an Enduring Understanding
5Begin with GLES:Look for similar concepts found in your grade level expectations. Determine the key concepts that run throughout the chosen GLES.
Identify how gloves protect us from bodily
fluids
Strand 3: Risk Assessment and Reduction
Unit 1: Disease Prevention and Control
Course: Health
Topic E: HIV/AIDS Prevention Education
Recognize that safety
equipment is necessary to
protect the body during
participation in sports and recreational activities
Course: Health
Strand 3: Risk Assessment and Reduction
Unit 2: Injury Prevention and Safety
Topic C: Activity Related Injuries and Environmental Conditions
Identify specific safe practices in
and around water
Course: Health
Strand 3: Risk Assessment and Reduction
Unit 2:Injury Prevention and Safety
Topic D: Water-Related Emergencies
Identify ways to protect the body
from the environment (sunscreen,
insect repellant, sunglasses, goggles, hat)
Course: Health
Strand 3: Risk Assessment and Reduction
Unit 4: Environmental Health
Topic B: Individual Responsiblity
Key Concept: Body Protection
Enduring Understanding: (Students will understand that…) Proper body protection
promotes a healthy lifestyle.
Six Common Entry Points to Create an Enduring Understanding
6 Begin with an existing unit: Take your traditional lesson and place the elements in the proper parts of the UBD template.
Look at the template and try to find the big idea.
There is no absolute way to create an enduring
understanding
Methods to Create a Meaningful Enduring
Understanding
Content standards
Favorite Activity
Real-world applications
Important Skill
Existing Unit
GLES
Methods to Create a Meaningful Enduring
Understanding
Content standards
Favorite Activity
Real-world applications
Important Skill
Existing Unit GLES
Use content standards to find key nouns that will give us the big ideas needed for the
desired enduring understanding.
Methods to Create a Meaningful Enduring
Understanding
Real World Applications
Favorite Activity
Content Standards
Important Skill
Existing Unit GLES
Examine how our desired goals and performance tasks will help students in real-
world applications.
Methods to Create a Meaningful Enduring
Understanding
Important Skill
Favorite Activity
Real-world applications
Content Standards
Existing Unit GLES
What is the most important skill you want your students to walk away with in your
subject area.
Methods to Create a Meaningful Enduring
Understanding
Important Skills
Favorite Activity
Real-world applications
Content Standards
Existing Unit GLES
Identify the big idea associated with that skill.
Methods to Create a Meaningful Enduring
Understanding
Favorite Activity
Content Standard
Real-world applications
Important Skill
Existing Unit GLES
Identify your favorite activity and see how it relates to your content standards.
Methods to Create a Meaningful Enduring
Understanding
Favorite Activity
Content Standards
Real-world applications
Important Skill
Existing Unit GLES
If there is a correlation then examine the key concepts needed in that activity to
make it something worth knowing in future years.
Methods to Create a Meaningful Enduring
Understanding
GLES
Favorite Activity
Real-world applications
Important Skill
Existing Unit
Look at the grade level expectations and find a common goal needed in them to
accomplish the outcomes.
Content Standards
Methods to Create a Meaningful Enduring
Understanding
GLES
Favorite Activity
Real-world applications
Important Skill
Existing Unit
Look at your goal and uncover the enduring understanding you want the students to
comprehend and keep.
Content Standards
Methods to Create a Meaningful Enduring
Understanding
Existing Unit
Favorite Activity
Real-world applications
Important Skill
GLES
Take an existing unit and plug it’s components into the UBD template.
Content Standards
The more we think the learner can immediately ‘get it’ by hearing it or reading it the
more likely it is a fact and not an enduring understanding.
Now It’s Your Turn!!!
Methods to Create a Meaningful Enduring
Understanding
Content standards
Favorite Activity
Real-world applications
Important Skill
Existing Unit
GLES
The Teacher
“I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive
element in the classroom.
The Teacher
It’s my personal approach that creates the climate.
The Teacher
It’s my daily mood that makes the weather.
The Teacher
As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable
or joyous.
The Teacher
I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration.
The Teacher
I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.
The Teacher
In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be
escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or de-humanized.”
Haim Ginot
Congratualtions
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