Module 4: Evidence of Understanding & Assessment Tasks

Understanding by Design

Module 4: Evidence of Understanding & Assessment Tasks

Goals for this module:

Become familiar with the 6 facets of understanding:1. Explanation2. Interpretation3. Application4. Perspective5. Empathy6. Self-Knowledge

Develop approaches to assessments that test student understanding.

Understanding by Design: Evidence of Understanding & Assessment

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This training module is based on the works of Jay McTighe

and Grant Wiggins’ Understanding by Design.

This module was built by AISD to support use of the Understanding by Design concepts in the classroom.

AISD Curriculum documents such as Yearly Itineraries and Curriculum Road Maps are written in the UbD Framework Design.

At the end of the training, you will need to complete an Online Assessment to get credit for completing the module.


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Evidence of Learning


Tasks

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Understanding by Design: Evidence of Understanding

Remember the first two stages of Backward Design: Stage I - What are the desired

results? Stage II - If those are the

desired results, what follows for assessment?

Evidence is needed that shows students have made meaning of the content.

Also, transfer of prior knowledge is needed. Applying to new situations. No prompting from the

teacher or coach.

STAGE 1

STAGE 2

Success at assessment is

dependent on the depth of understanding.

Success is not measured in how well a student can recall isolated facts and figures.

Evidence of Understanding

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Which of the following shows Evidence of

Understanding?


A student creates a timeline and explains in order the events leading up to World War II.

A student is able to remember details from Charlotte's Web, but he doesn’t grasp the importance and consequences of the themes of friendship and motive.

A student creates a rap that displays skillful word use, and the class thinks it’s entertaining; however, the song fails to make mention of the scientific method that the rap was based on.

The student’s bird house project was poorly constructed, but her description of the mathematics involved in creating the project demonstrated genuine and original insight.

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How well written is my assessment?

making clever guesses about

the correct answer but limited on

understanding?

showing good effort and hard work, but still not revealing

in-depth understanding?

create a neat, exquisite

project but understanding isn’t present.

Could the student do well

on the assessment

by…


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How likely is it that the student could do poorly on the

assessment by. . .

lacking the requirements of the assessment but showing that the students has an understanding of

the concept?

lacking certain skills or abilities for certain aspects of the task, but those skills aren’t central to

the main learning objective

create a project that is messy and looks bad, but shows a deep

understanding of the concept.


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The student will show mastery of content assessment by. . .

applying knowledge to new situations.

uses new knowledge without any prompting or

guidance from the teacher.

A novel look and feel to the assessment and a context that requires students to tailor prior learning to a concrete situation.

6 Facets of Understanding


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6 Facets of Understanding Meaning

Empathy

Perspective

Self-Knowledge

Apply and Adjust

Explain

Interpret

6 Facets of Understandingclick and drag the definitions and match them with the correct term

see the bigger picture; be aware of and consider different points of view; take a critical stance; analyze bias

Metacognitive awareness; reflect on new learning and experiences; be aware of one’s own biases; be aware of how one learns and doesn’t learn as well as what they

don’t understand

“walk in another’s shoes”; find value in what others think

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connect, infer, express ideas in their own words; teach; make analogies

go beyond the context of classroom learning, use the knowledge and skills in new and

interesting ways

make sense of, show a new dimension to ideas, data, or events, make anecdotes, turn data into

information, develop a theory

6 Facets of Understanding Meaning

Empathy

Perspective

Self-Knowledge

Apply and Adjust

Explain

Interpret make sense of, show a new dimension to ideas, data, or events, make anecdotes, turn data into

information, develop a theory

6 Facets of Understanding– And the Answers are:

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see the bigger picture; be aware of and consider different points of view; take a critical stance; analyze bias

Metacognitive awareness; reflect on new learning and experiences; be aware of one’s own biases; be aware of how one learns and doesn’t learn as well as what they

don’t understand

“walk in another’s shoes”; find value in what others think

connect, infer, express ideas in their own words; teach; make analogies

go beyond the context of classroom learning, use the knowledge and skills in new and

interesting ways


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Don’t use all 6 indicators when coming up with an assessment.

Select 2-3 of the 6 indicators when coming up with an assessment.

The 6 Facets

are equal.

One facet is not better than

another.

The 6 Facets are indicative

of understandin

g.

“We do not intend that the six facets represent

a theory of how people come to understand something. Instead, the facets are intended to serve as six helpful lenses or indicators of how understanding is often revealed in action – in performance, products, words, or behavior. Thus they provide practical frames for the kinds of assessments we might construct to determine the extent and depth of student understanding.” (McTighe & Wiggins pg 94)


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Developing Assessments


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History / Social

Studies

Math ELA

Fine Arts

P.E.

Science


Click to continue to the next section.

Move your computer mouse over each of the subjects to see examples of Assessments based on UbD’s 6 Facets of Understanding.

Developing Assessments – Social Studies

Explanation

Interpretation

Application Perspective

Empathy Self-Knowledge

Clarify the meaning of Manifest Destiny.

Create a biography based on primary sources.

Design a display on the cause and effects of the Civil War.

Compare different accounts on the same event.

Take on the identity of a historical figure having to make a complicated decision.

Reflect on your participation in class.

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Click the mouse to return to the previous screen.

Developing Assessments - Math

Explanation

Interpretation



Clarify meaning of the Pythagorean Theorem.

Analyze trends in data.

Invent a new way to mathematically evaluate a person’s performance.

Look at the differences when using different measures

Read the works of mathematicians and write a reflective essay from their perspective on a mathematic topic.

Create and maintain a math portfolio. Examine your strength weaknesses.

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Developing Assessments - ELA

Explanation

Interpretation



Explain why authors use similes.

Analyze the main character of a novel.

Review a book for the school library and publish it.

Read a story that reveals multiple points of view (i.e. The Real Story of the Three Little Pigs).

Experience real life events similar to events experienced by literary characters.

Write a self-assessment reflecting on your reading or writing abilities.

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Developing Assessments – Fine Arts

Explanation

Interpretation



Discuss how science and art are connected.

Draw a visual representation for an emotional state.

Create a performance about a social issue.

Analyze different performances of the same scene from a play.

Imagine you are a character from a book. Describe your thinking and feelings as that character.

Keep a record of your performances and your analysis of your portrayals.

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Developing Assessments – P.E.

Explanation Interpretation

Application Perspective Empathy Self-Knowledge

Describe the effect of an exercise on the body

Analyze biometric data such as height, weight, BMI, etc.

Design a fitness routine.

Take on the point of view of an out of shape person trying to get fit.

Imagine you have a physical handicap, write a reflective essay describing the difficulty of physical activity.

Keep a record of your fitness goals with personal reflections on how it feels to achieve or fail at a goal.

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Developing Assessments - Science

Explanation Interpretation

Application Perspective Empathy Self-Knowledge

Explain the physics of common everyday actions.

Examine scientific measurements and reach a conclusion.

Analyze chemicals found in the environment and create a presentation.

Imagine you are a renowned scientist reflecting on how your work has changed the world.

Pretend you are a scientist whose work has been discredited, discuss what went wrong and how to fix it.

Keep a journal of scientific ideas you come up with.

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How do these assessments measure up to the 6 Facets of Understanding?

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What do I need to be

able to show you that I

successfully know the material?

What do I what to see

from my students to

show me they successfully learned the

content?


Stage 1 –What do you want to see from your students?

Stage 2 – What evidence will you collect that shows the students have achieved the results you wanted?

If the desired result is for learners to…

…then you need evidence of the student’s ability to…

…so the assessments need to require something like…(What will students do to show their understanding?)

Understand that… (What do you want students to understand?) What influences the price of an item?

Explain – why similar items might be priced differently.

Give an oral/written explanation explaining price differences of items.

Interpret – price fluctuations Develop a visual showing fluctuations in price over time

Apply by – setting the price Research customers to establish prices

Additional Questions…What determines cost?What is a “good” price?

See from the points of view of – customers who buy the product and business owners who sell the product.

Role play a customer and seller discussing the price of an item.

Empathize with – a buyer who got “ripped off”.

Write a diary entry about a buyer or seller’s thoughts about a deal.

Overcome the idea that – items are marketed at a “fixed rate”.

Reflect on – influence of sales, advertising, and marketing on your buying habits.

Describe a time when your or someone you know dealt with buying an item that maybe you paid too much for.

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Remember:

Your ultimate goal should be for the student to be able to use their skills and their knowledge all on their own without any help from the teacher.

Think about it terms of sports: How many football games have you seen where the coach

stands next to the quarterback in the middle of a game? Where is the coach?

In the huddle? At home? On the sideline?


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Wiggins, Grant and Jay McTighe. The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units. 2nd. Alexandria: ASCD, 2011. Print.


Tasks

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Documents

Module 4: Evidence of Understanding & Assessment Tasks