Chapter 1

1. Wehavetobeclearaboutwhatwewantstudentstolearnbeforewecanproperly
shapeactivitiestogetstudentsthere.
2. Toooftenteachersfocusonthetextbookastheguideandnottheendgoalshown
byassessments.
3. Thereare3stagesofbackwarddesign:identifydesiredresults,determine
acceptableevidence,planlearningexperiencesandinstruction
4. Usingatemplatecanhelporganizeyourthoughtsandideastoproperlydesign
units.

Chapter 2
1. Knowledgeismoreonabasiclevelthat'sismoreblackandwhite.Understandingis
adeeperlevel,dealingmorewithmeaninganddepth.
2. Understandingrequirestheabilitytotransferknowledgeandapplyittoadifferent
situation.
3. Transferismostimportantforteacherstofocusonbecausethat'saboutstudents
gettingtheskillstousebeyondjustaclassroom.
4. Misunderstandingshowsstudentsmisconceptionsforyou.It'sclearwherethey
arehavinglapsesinunderstandingandwhatyouneedtoclearupforthemasthe
teacher.
Chapter 3
1. Longtermperspectivegivesyoutheabilitytolookcleareroutwhatisimportant
andnotasimportantinaunit.
2. Afocusofskillrelatedaimsgoacrosscurricular,theyarenotlimitedtojustone
subject.
3. Fromthebigstandardsmovementacomplaintisthatthereisn'tenoughtimetoget
throughallthestandardsatanadequatepace.
4. Whenunpackingstandardsfocusonthekeyandrepeatedverbsandnounstohelp
guideyouastowhat'sreallyimportant.
Chapter 4
1. Interpretationisahigherlevelofunderstandingthatisprevalentwithliterature.
2. Perspectiveissomethingeveryonestruggleswith,evenadults,beingabletolook
atsituationsfromanonbiasedviewpoint.
3. Empathyisbeingabletoseethatweallhavefightsandstrugglestheyaredifferent
magnitudesbutnooneisaloneinthosebattles.
4. Self-knowledgeisaboutbeingabletoselfreflectandlookatyourselfbefore
lookingatothers.

Chapter5

1. "Thebestquestionspointtoandhighlightthebigideas."(pg.106)Questions
shouldbedirectandcorrelatetothestandards.Ifthestandardistobetaughtthen
shapethequestiontogettothecoreofthestandard
2. Questioningshouldpromotethekidstowanttogomoreindetail.Itshouldn'tjust
grazethesurface.Properessentialquestionscausethestudentstoreflectanddo
sobyCHOICEbecauseit'ssoengaging.LikeintheCivilWaranEQcouldbe"What
reasonscouldfamiliesendupfightingeachother?"Thatcouldleadintovalues
beingareason,whichthentiestovaluesbeingareasonfortheCivilWarbutkeeps
itrelatable.
3. Questioningguidesthediscussionandclassesbutthefocusshouldfallbackon
skillsthatpromotenondependency.Youcan'thaveaclasswithnotrueessential
questions.
4. Writequestionswithintentinmind.Whatisimportant?WhatdoIwantthe
studentstolearn?KindofaUbDapproach,focusingontheendgoalandworking
backtothestart.
5. Letstandardshelpyouwriteessentialquestions.Lookatcommonverbiageusedin
thestandardsandtakethatasimportant.Puttheminkidfriendlylanguagesothe
studentscanunderstandthequestioninordertodivedeeperthroughit.Ifthe
questionisconfusingitcanpromoteashutdownwheretheygiveupbeforethey
reallygetstarted.

Chapter6

1. Nonexamplesunderstandingsarebasiclevelfactsandstatements.Nothingtoo
complex.Trueunderstandingsaremorephilosophicalandrequireshigherorder
thinking.Agenericstatementisn'tlearningbecauseitlacksameaning.
2. Understandingisaninferencedrawnfromfacts.Togettothelevelwhere
understandingiscraftedyouhavetobegiventhefacts.Comprehendthose,and
thenmovetoananalyzeofthedetailsderivedfromthosefacts.
 3. UbDisstillapplicableforunderstandinglifeskills.It'snotaboutrepetitionofskills.
Theunderstandingiscenteredontheskillsconcepts,andhavingthatbeyour
drivingforce.
4. Depth,depthdepth.Morethanjustcontenttopics,gettothecoreofthetopics.
Notjustwhatdoyouwantstudentstolearnaboutyourcontent.Butgetdownto
thewhy?Havethe"why"inmindnotjustlearnthiseventorthisnovel.
5. Funneldowninformationtogettothecore.It'sgoodtoaddressthebig
overarchingquestionsandideasbutcontinuallydrivedowntoanarrowerfocus.
Pretendyou'reakidandcontinuallyaskwhytothequestionsathand.Gettothe
rootwherethewhycanbeansweredwithknowledgethathastobegained,and
thatthe"why"isworthknowingmoreabout.

Chatper7

1. Assessingrequiresevidence.Thereismorethanjustdoingatasktodoit.What's
thepoint?Whatevidenceistheretoshowcasethatyoulearnedsomethingasa
student?VerymuchrelatabletoScienceclasses,ifyoumakeaclaimthatstudents
learnedthisstandardwhatisgoodevidencetoshowcasethatwithoutanygray
area.
2. Multiplechoicetestsstillaren'tathingofthepast.MuchlikewhenIwasinschoolI
seecolleaguesfocusingonthatstyleofmultipleguess.Ratherthanshiftingto
questionsdesignedtopromoteasharingofknowledgenottheabilitytoguessthe
rightletter,buttheabilitytoexplainwhatyoulearned.
3. UbDwantstocenterontheassessmentpieceandmakesureitishighquality
beforeyoustartgoingthroughthecontent.Ifoundmyselfdoingtheoppositewhen
IfirststartedteachingandwantingtoeditassessmentsafterteachingbecauseI
didn'tlikethewaytheylooked.Sincethenmythinkinghaschanged,buildan
assessmentthatIthinkissolidifiedwithmydepartmentandthenmapoutlessons
togetstudentstothatendpoint.
4. "Effectiveassessmentismorelikeascrapbookofmementosandpicturesthan
5. asinglesnapshot"(Page152).Whatapowerfulquotethatstickswithmewhen
reviewingassessments.Itdoesn'thavetobeaonestopshopbutcanbeacollective
workofmultiplepieces.Ithinkthatshiftisoneofthetoughesttogetother
teacherstoaccept,theredoesn'thavetobeatraditionalendofunitsingletest.
6. Inordertounderstandwhystudentsputanswersthattheyputweneedtolookat
thedataandfigureoutwhymisconceptionswerecreated.Whatcommonthemes
werethereinmisconceptions?Doesitboilbackdowntoalessonortwothatdidn't
stickwiththekidsorwasframedinawaythattookthefocusawayfromthe
materialyouwantedtofocuson.
Chapter8

1. Assessmentandfeedbackarecrucialforhelpingpeoplelearn.Straightforward
andanaccuratestatement.Iwouldsaybesidesthewelldevelopedassessmentthe
keypartisfeedback.Studentsdontknowwhattheyaredoingrightorwrongif
feedbackisntgiven.Withproperfeedbacktheycanknowexactlywhatsrightand
exactlywhattheyvemissedinterpreted.
2. Rubricsareafundamentalpartofsomeclassrooms.InmineIdontutilizethemas
much.Ifavorabinarychecklist.Thereadingwentthroughthecreationofrubrics
andhowtheyreusedbutIfindthemsubjectiveinnature.Astraightchecklist
providescleardirectivesandclearfeedbackforstudents.
3. Figure8.5showsaself-testonassessmentideas.Theuseofselftestingcouldalso
becriticalforassessment.Notonlydoteachersreflectonwhatwedoandwhatwe
wantstudentstolearnbutwecouldaskstudentstoselfreflect.Whatdidthey
learn?Whydotheythinktheylearnedthisinformation?Howitisusefulinlife?Etc.
4. Reliabilityinresultsarealsocritical.Iftheassessmentdoesntaccuratelyshow
whatastudentknowsthenthatassessmentisapoorone.TohavehighreliabilityI
thinkthatitspeakstoassessmentsbeingproperlyalignedwiththecurriculum.
5. Theclosingpieceisthebestpieceofadviceforpeoplefeelingoverwhelmed.The
dailyinteractionswithstudentsanddailycheck-insarethebestgaugeforwherea
studentisandwhereastudentisgoing.Theassessmentsareendpointand
cumulativeinnature,butwhatweasteachersseeeverydayprovidestheclearest
pictureofourstudents.

Chapter9

1. PlanningforLearningisensuringthatstudentswillgothroughactivitiesand
lessonsthatwillmatchwhatyouwantthemtolearn.Seemsprettysimple,as
teacherswelessonplan,followacurriculummap/pacingguideifinplacebythe
district,andknowwhatstandardsarethepriorityonestoaddress.
2. Engagingandeffectivearethebestwaytohaveyourlessonsdesigned.Again,
anothersimpleconceptthatgoeswithoutsaying.ItrytoenvisionwhenIteach
wouldIliketobeastudentinthatroom.Woulditpushbeacademicallyand
socially?Itisokayforusasteacherstopushthatcomfortzoneandnotletstudents
bethecenterofattention,oraquietvoiceintheshadows.
3. Engagingshouldalsomeanthatstudentsarethehardestworkersintheroom.Ifa
teacherisworkingthehardestarethestudentsreallylearningasmuchasthey
could?Itsatoughswitchtomakebutlettingthestudentshavemorecontrolcan
bescaryattimes,butitisworthempoweringthemtotakechargeandnotjust
compliantatschool.
 4. WHERETOelementsareworthtakingnoteof.Mypersonalfavoritewouldbethe
secondEonpage198:BuildinopportunitiesforstudentstoEVALUATEprogress
andselfassess.Againitstheteacherlettinggoofthecontrolandnotbetheonly
evaluator(s)intheroom.Letthestudentsreflectupontheiractions,participation,
andknowledge.
5. Foractivitiesweasteachersneedtoensuretheyholdacademicvalue.Lessons
couldbefunforthekidsandreallyentertainingbutwhatsthevalue?Itdbenice
formykidstowatchamoviebasedonthegeographicallocationImcurrently
talkingaboutbutisitworthit?Takingnoteofwhatsimportantandthatacademic
valueisstillinplaceinsteadofafunlessonjusttohaveafunlesson.

Chapter10

1. Bydesign,textbookssurveyandsummarizewhatisknown,likeanencyclopedia.I
seethisclearlywithhistory.OurtextbookcoverstheCivilWarinonechapterthat
isfoursectionslong.Thatsthebiggestunitthatweteach,soforsomeitstoughto
findthosesupplementalmaterials.
2. Textbooksaredesignedtoassistinyourteachingnotguideit.Thatssomething
toughtomoveawayfromasanewteacher.Youkindofviewthebookasyourmain
guidefortheclass.Justchapterafterchapter,alwayschuggingalongbutnever
venturingawayfromit.Asateachergainsexperiencetheygaintheconfidenceto
startstrayingawayfromthebookandnotrelyingonthebooktoguidethemalong.
3. Rousseautalkedabouttheideaoflearningbyexperiencesratherthanreceiving
theinformationverbally.Thatwasover200yearsago!Itshowsthecircleof
educationthatwegoaroundon,trendscome,trendsgo,thentheycomebackagain
10yearslater.Itshardtomoveforwardwhenthecycleisongoing.
4. Bepurposefulwhenyouteach,whatyouteach.Dontjustteachithoweveryou
want,beexplicitwithWHYyouareteachingthattopic.Asateacherweneedtobe
awareofourendgoalandbethinkingofthatasweteachthestudents.Ofcourse
theplanwouldbetoguidestudentstoachievethatgoalthatisset.
5. Themoreformativeassessmentthebetter.Formativesdonthavetobean
elaboratequiz,writing,etc.Itcanbesimplequickcheckstoensurethateveryoneis
ontherighttrackbutalsoshowmisconceptionsthatexistamongthestudents.
Formativesshowthestudentswheretheyareatwhichcouldbemoreimportant
thanjustshowingtheteacher.Itallowsforstudentstoknowwhatcontentthey
haveasolidgrasponandwhatcontenttheyneedtolookatagain.
Chapter11
1. Unitdesignisntalwaysdonewithablankslate.Sometimesitmakesmoresenseto
adjustaunitwithoutscrappingitcompletelyandstartingover.Itdbenicetoknow
thatalltheworkyouputintoaunitwasntfornot.
2. Startwiththecontentstandards,andunpacktheminsomecapacity.Ihave
experienceindoingthisandcanvouchthatthisisacrucialpartinunitdesign.Asa
wholethestandardscanbeoverwhelminginthesheernumber,butbreakingthem
downyoufindsimilaritiesandwhatstandardsworkwitheachother.
3. Dontlosesightofrealworldapplication.Ithinkonceyougetpastthestandards
locationinunits,thisisthecrucialpiecetoasuccessfuldesign.Dontteachjustto
teach,teachtoprovideanunderstanding.Howdoesthistopicfitintherealworld?
Whyareyoulearningit?IftheanswerfromateacherisjustbecauseThenwhy
wasteyourtimeandthestudentstimewithinformationthathasnorelevance?
4. Activitiescantlosesightofthestandardsinthedesignprocess.Nomatterhow
awesomeanactivityisforthekids,itneedstobetiedintoyouranchorstandards
insomeway.Luckilyinsocialstudiesthereslittleissuewithhavingaconnection,
becausestandardsaresoopenedendedonpurpose.
5. Toomuchrelianceonarecipeleadstootherproblems.Itcancloseoffthoughtful
responsivenessoftheteacher-designerempathy!inthefalsebeliefthatany
well-thought-outplanmust,ofnecessity,work,andifitdoesnt,itmustbethe
student'sfault.(Page267).Standardsarentarecipe,theyallowforcreativityof
thedistrictsandcorememberstousetheirownintuitionsabouthowtototeach
andwhattoteach.
Chapter12
1. Essentialquestionscanbethebackbonetocurriculumdesigninthebigpicture.
ProperdesignoftheEQsshowthebigideascoveredthroughouttheclasses.
2. Unitdesignisamicrocosminpropercurriculumdesignthroughoutadistrict.Id
thinkthattoproperlycreateeffectivecurriculumK-12youwouldneedtomeetas
aK-12departmentandplanoutwhataretheendgamegoals.
3. Robustevidenceofstudentachievementrequiresmorethanasinglesnapshot
suchasthatprovidedbyaonce-a-yearstatetest(Page282).Usingproper
assessmentsthroughouttheyearprovideagreaterlookatwhatstudentsknow
andwhattheymisunderstand.Thestatetestcanonlyshowsomuchandcanbea
littlesubjective.InIowaforsocialstudies,thematerialonthe7thgradestatetest
istaughtlocallyatthe8thgradelevel.Becausethe6-8thstandardsdontdetail
whenUSHistoryistaught,comparedtoGeography.
4. Rubricscouldbeeffectiveifdoneschoolwide,butpersonalopinionwouldbethat
rubricsaresubparandsubjective.Whatsthedifferencebetweenexceptional
 workfor10pointsandproficientworkfor5points,howcanstudentsreflecton
theirownworktoknowwhatsgood/badaboutwhattheyvedone.
5. Interestingthoughttoforcealltodoasyllabus.IntheoryIcouldseeitworking,but
moretimesthannotthatsyllabuswillcarryyeartoyearwithoutchange,evenif
rules/expectationsaremodified.Onlysomuchcanbeputonasyllabus,therewill
stillbequestionsforclarity.

Chapter13
1. Dontlosesightoftheimportanceofqualityteaching.Teachingismorethanjust
preparingstudentsforthestate/nationalstandardizedtests.Ithinkofevenmore
thanthat,teachingisaboutlifeskills,howtomakegooddecisions,howto
articulateyourbeliefsandvalues,thingsthatcantbeassessedbyaregulartest.
2. Usethetextbookasaresourcenotasyllabus.Funnyenoughthisconversationwas
justhadwithaveterancolleaguewhowasworriedaboutthedirectionof
educationmovingforward.Thetextbookisntsomethingthathastobeavoided,
justusedasanadditionalresourceintheclassroom.
3. ToomanycontentstandardsisntsomethingthatIseeasvalid.Yestherearealot
ofstandardsbutitsnotmeanttooverwhelmteachers,butinsteadprovide
direction.Forsocialstudiesthestandardsaresobroad,thatunitscanstillbe
pickedbydistrictsandcoveralargemajorityofstandardswithoutmuchstress.
4. Stickintheprocessofredesigningunitsasawholegroup.Weasteacherscant
individualizeitormarginalizetheburdenonjustus,thereareotherteachersgoing
throughthesamething.Itstoughforteacherstorememberthattherearesomany
districtsandsomanyteachersbeingaskedtodothesamething,thereisnobattle
thatothereducatorsdontgothrough.
5. Thereisnoonesizefitsallmodel.Likemostthingswehavetoadjustthingstoa
morelocalizedversion.Weteachstudentsandreflectonthatidea,thatnotall
studentsarethesame.Thatideacancarryovertoourprofessionaldevelopment
thatnotallPDshouldbeinthesamescopeforallstaff,noteveryonehasthesame
needsasateachertocontinuetogrow.