DI+UbD+Chapter+9+Block+2

[|Synthesis UbD/DI C9 B2]
 * **Names** || **Abstract** || **Reflection** ||
 * Barnes Mckell || Chapter 9 in UbD/DI is about bringing it all together. The first part of bringing it all together is an overview of the backwards design model by providing a sample unit. The chapter encourages teachers to assess throughout the entire year and not just at the beginning and end. It is important to look for changes in students on a regular basis. The chapter also re-instated the idea of having a tentative lesson plan but it could be necessary to sometimes shy away from that lesson plan if it is not engaging your students. Although implementing differentiated instruction into your classroom can at times be tough and a long thought out process, it is important because it will only be beneficial to your students. || I really like how chapter nine really did what it was titled: it brought everything together. I think the sample backwards design model provided a great way to implement differentiated instruction. I also like how the book continues to encourage teachers to use this differentiated instruction day in and day out of their classrooms. Overall, I thought this chapter gave great information that I will definitely use in my classroom. ||
 * Brennick Christopher || This chapter of the book gives us an overview of putting everything together. The book starts us out by reviewing the basic goals of UBD such as identifying the results we want, finding acceptable evidence, planning learning experiences, and gather evidence of students learning. The book then gives us a model of a unit done for upper elementary or lower middle school students on nutrition. The book breaks the whole plan through the three stages and gives us what the unit plan should look like. The next section of the book goes into how and why we should differentiate our units to maximize student growth. This section includes examples of what it look likes to adjust assignment based on differentiated teaching. The closing section of the book gives indicators of a UbD/DI class looking at the areas of learning environment, the curriculum, the learner sand the teachers. The final section of chapter looking at these elements is a kind of checklist for what a good classroom using UbD/ DI looks like. || I really liked this chapter because it gives us samples of a finished unit. This finished product gives us a look at what our finished product will look like and this will only help us as we develop our unit. I also really enjoyed the ending checklist and again these are good reflective tools for teachers. If we really buy into this theory then the ending question of this chapter give us a good resources to see if we are doing as good a job as we like in developing a classroom. It’s important that we keep in mind self reflect is not only for the students we teach, but it is also for us teachers as well. There must come a time when we step out side of our classrooms and look at our classrooms from as outsiders and judge it as a good or bad classroom and this is a tool we can use to do just that. ||
 * Columbia Laura || Chapter nine of //UbD and DI// is absolutely full of a lot of information. The chapter starts out with an outline of how teachers can embrace both theories, this included examples. Next was an example of a unit planned out using Backward Design. It is also important to make sure the students are succeeding with your plans, as well as assessing where they are in the comprehension of the material. Other examples were given on how to carry out and differentiate the teaching plan as well as adjusting assignments. The last section of the chapter covered how to observe UbD and DI in the classroom. These included having a positive learning environment, curriculum that meets the needs of students and having a teacher that can connect ideas. In conclusion, it is important to notice the changes in your students. Not just at beginning and end but throughout the school year. || I felt some of the most valuable information was at the end in the section on how to tell if UbD and DI is being used in a classroom. I want my classroom to one of respect and openness to ideas. It is important that the curriculum has structure, but there are also other ways to explore the same idea. As a teacher I want to teach the big ideas and essential questions, and have them reflect on those. I also want to connect what I am teaching to their interests. In return, I want my students to be able to describe their goals in the classroom and be able to have evidence that they are proud of to display their learning. ||
 * Coombs Kayla || Chapter nine, “Bringing it all Together: Curriculum and Instruction Through the Lens of UbD and DI” is looking at how to use the principles of backward design and differentiation in the learning process, what the benefits could be to the learners in the classrooms where this is applied, and what we could expect to see in these classrooms. Teachers who are guided by the principles of backward design and differentiated instruction would do the following: “identify desired learning results for the subject and topics they teach”; “determine acceptable evidence of student learning; plan learning experiences and instruction based on the first two principles”; “regard learner differences as inevitable, important, and valuable in teaching and learning”; “address learners’ affective needs as a means of supporting student success”; “periodically review and articulate clear learning goals that specify what students should know, understand, and be able to do as a result of each segment of learning”; “use systematic pre-assessment and ongoing assessment aligned with designated goals to make instructional decisions and adaptations”; “employ flexibility in instructional planning and classroom routines to support success for each learner”; “gather evidence of student learning in a variety of formats” (142-144). The combination of backward design and differentiation makes a comprehensive ways of thinking about such things as curriculum, assessment, and instruction, and teachers will focus on clarity of goal and flexibility in arriving at that goal. Teachers must differentiate the unit to ensure that students grow as learners and gain knowledge to their fullest potential. An example of how to adjust an assessment to meet individual student needs would be to set an assignment, and depending on the level of student readiness, and knowledge prior to the unit, which the teacher would have gathered from pre-assessment, the teacher could adjust the assignment. So if the assignment was to make a brochure on healthy eating, then the student who loves health and is knowledgeable about it would have specific requirements for their brochure, and the assignment might be more intensive. The integration of the two frameworks, differentiation and backward design makes it more challenging for the teachers, but it pays of when the classroom becomes more engaging and effective for the learners. || This chapter helped me look at how to bring the two principles of backward design and differentiation into the classroom and learning process. I realize that it will make my job more difficult, but it will help ensure that all students can learn at their fullest potential, and that the classroom is an engaging learning environment. I will incorporate these two frameworks in my classrooms and use varying types of assessment. I will make sure each assignment is able to be flexible to suit learner needs. ||
 * Cummons Michael || Chapter 9 of DI/UbD is about the instruction and curriculum with differentiated instruction and understanding by design. This chapter includes nine key things that a teachers following goals need to do. Teachers must identify desired learning results for a subject that they are currently teaching They also much determine acceptable evidence of student learning, plan learning experiences, and plan instruction based on the first two principles. Teachers must also regard learner differences as inevitable, important, and valuable in learning. It is also a teachers job to address affective needs to help support student success. Periodic review and clear learning goals are also very important. A unit must be differentiated. This ensures student growth through out the unit. This chapter states the four components to a DI/UbD classroom: Learning environment, the curriculum, the teacher, and the students. || This chapter was very helpful. I liked the part where it says that differentiation within a unit helps students grow. This is very true. Too often units restrict students from growing because they are dull and don’t reach every student. I also like the part about pre-assessment. Pre-assessment is a great way to find out where students are as far as knowledge, as well as how they learn. I feel that pre assessment goes over looked a lot in schools today, which is a problem because it is such an effective tool. This chapter was also very helpful in showing how to measure a students mastery in a subject. ||
 * Damboise Kelley || Chapter nine really explores backward design model, and how differentiated instruction and understanding by design can be incorporated to an already created lesson plan. When working on the backward design of a lesson plan teachers usually incorporate nine areas which include: identifying desired learning results for the subject and topics they teach, determining acceptable evidence of student learning planning learning experiences and instructions based on the first two principles, regarding learner differences and inevitable, important, and valuable in teaching and learning, addressing learners’ affective needs as a means of supporting student success, periodically reviewing and articulate clear learning goals that specify what students should know, understand, and be able to do as a result of each segment of learning, uses systematic pre-assessments and ongoing assessment aligned with designated goals to make instructional decisions and adaptations, employing flexibility in instructional planning and classroom routines to support success for each learner, and gathering evidence of students learning in a variety of formats. These nine areas are extremely important and are demonstrated in the example of the lesson plan dealing with healthy diets and nutrition. At the end of the chapter all of the nine areas are revisited and adjustments are made to show how differentiated instruction works for each component. || I find this chapter to be extremely useful because I never really understood how it was possible to differentiate instruction when teaching, and how to further incorporate that into the activities that were planned for students. I really enjoyed the part in the chapter that when back through the whole lesson and gave examples of how this certain area being addressed could be differentiated not only for students who were not showing signs of readiness but also for students who are gifted and student who have a language barrier. Also, at the end of the chapter there is a part that addresses how the learning environment, curriculum, the learner and the teacher all play an extremely important part in allowing differentiated instruction and understanding by design to work within the classroom. ||
 * Kelley Kathleen || Chapter nine of Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design spent a lot of time discussing how to bring differentiated instruction and understanding by design into the classroom. Examples were given that show how a teacher who creates the curriculum using backwards design would model their classroom. The chapter also reviewed the basic ideas of backwards design and differentiation in the classroom. Through understanding these two important concepts, we see that they show a “comprehensive way of thinking about curriculum, assessment, and instruction” (page 144). However, as new teachers we may struggle with how they should be applied in the classroom. Fortunately, the book provides a unit that had been prepared using backwards design which covers all areas including lesson plans. It is also important to differentiate the entire unit to be sure that each student is reaching their full potential. Through knowing the background, interests, and learning styles of your students, differentiation within a classroom and curriculum will be easier for the teacher. The book also talks about how to carry out and differentiate the lesson plans and assignments by offering support, word lists, resources, group instruction, and varied homework assignments to assist the students. The chapter concludes by discussing what would be seen in a successfully differentiated classroom.

Tomlinson, C. A. & McTighe, J. (2006). //Integrating Differentiated Instruction & Understanding by Design//. Corwin Press: ASCD: Alexandria, VA. || Overall, I thought that this chapter was a nice review of the information we have covered thus far in the book and in class. Having different examples of units integrating DI and of assignments tailored to fit different learners not only helped clarify any questions that were lingering in my mind, but also gave me some ideas of ways that I could improve my own unit and assignments. There was one quote within the text that really stood out to me: “A teacher who understands that learner variability is also a factor in student success considers students as carefully as content and plans for their needs with equal care” (Page 153). I really enjoyed this quote and I think it summarizes this whole chapter really well. || This chapter was a valuable read because of its in depth nature, and how it created the health unit that showed step by step how the teacher was implementing UBD/DI and then provided explanations for how and why the educator was doing so. This chapter really helped to put all of this information into context by giving a very large example of how UBD/DI is used in the classroom. From this chapter I feel I have a better understanding of what UBD/DI is, and how I would be able to us it in my classes. One of my favorite parts of this book is how the conveyed message is very repetitious and it does not allow us to forget the main goal, to allow students of all backgrounds to experience their full potential, and to provide the students and ourselves as educators valid evidence of learning. This chapter was a very in depth overview of what it means to be a teacher that uses backward design and differentiated instruction in the classroom. The chapter opens with a list of nine different techniques a teacher uses to ensure student learning. Some of these techniques are identifying the learning results for the unit, determine acceptable evidence of learning, regard their students’ learning differences as important, use pre-assessment and ongoing assessment through the unit, and gather evidence of learning in a variety of formats are just a few. After this list we are given a visual aid as figure 9.1 shows us the big ideas of UBD/DI. This chapter also provides a very elaborate assignment based on health and nutrition that shows how a large unit can be created into a very effective UBD/DI system. This lesson plan is broken down so that we can see where the teacher has stated the goals of the unit, provided differential instruction for the students who need it, observe the students through out the unit, have pre-assessed the students before the unit began, has an ongoing assessment involving quizzes, and the instructor gives ample opportunity for the students to provide valid evidence of learning. The chapter states that one of the best ways to focus on students in order to differentiate instruction properly is to learn about student interests and how they can be fitted to have a direct application to the unit at hand. One of the suggestions the chapter gives for this would be to instead of just have a student build a healthy diet, if they happen to be a football player, have them construct a diet specifically tailored to what a football player would need. The chapter also states to keep in mind the students that need extra help, and to scaffold for them when necessary, and to collaborate with the special education teachers if your classroom is dealing with a child who has special needs. We are left with the notion that UBD/DI is formatted in order to ensure the maximum amount of growth fro every type of learner in the classroom, and to provide valid and flexible evidence of learning.
 * Knowles Christina || Chapter nine of DI/UbD reading explains to us in-depth what teachers that use the DI and UbD methods in classroom do. Those teachers think about what is important from the topics they teach, they decide what is acceptable evidence for their students to prove their learning, and they do many more things too. The chapter also gives us multiple examples of how to use the backward design in tasks. It also gives us a very good example of a rubric. The tasks have quizzes and multiple forms of assessment and each one is explained clearly. The chapter also tells us something that we have been told often, we are going to have a variety of different learners in the classroom and need to be prepared to differentiate the classroom. We kind find out what levels each student is on by having a pre-assessment. After this we can learn about the interest of our students and include them into our lessons and we can include different materials for students that may not know how to read or do other tasks. The learning environment in the classroom is extremely important. The classroom has to be open and respectful for students to feel comfortable. || I felt that this chapter was very helpful because it gave a lot of examples on how to use the methods. I also like that the chapter touched on how important the classroom environment is. I know people, including myself, who will very rarely participate if they feel their ideas and thoughts are not respected. I have had teachers in the past who did not respect their students and their students wound up hating those teachers. I know I want to have a good learning environment in my classroom and that it is needed in order for my students to work hard. ||
 * Mourkas Margaret || Chapter 9 was entitled Bringing it all Together: Curriculum and Instruction Through the Lens of UbD and DI. There was a lot of information in this chapter. The chapter was beginning to give us an overview of everything we have learned so far. This chapter extensively explains what a teacher who wants to use the backwards design model and differentiated instruction should run their classroom. This chapter also focuses on the fact that students should be succeeding in your unit and if they aren’t there are certain ways you can switch it up and help them learn. The chapter provides an example unit that shows the reader what a good differentiated classroom unit looks like. Combining both of the methods, differentiated instruction and backwards design, is a lot of hard work and requires a lot of time to manage correctly but it can be done. || It was interesting that this chapter was talking about backwards design and it started out by telling us what we have already learned, then going into exact detail and how to use the broad topics. Showing us what we wanted to end up understanding and then explaining. Isn’t that what backwards design is all about? I thought this chapter was jam packed full of information and was a little hard to digest at first because there was so much. I did like how the chapter really brought everything we have been learning about these last couple weeks and showed us what it will or should look like in the end. ||
 * O'Neil Christopher || Chapter nine is pretty much an overview of the backward design model as well as differentiated instruction. Throughout the chapter, teachers can read about exactly what they should be including in their unit plans as well as more information about the essential questions and understandings. The chapter even has a very detailed example of a unit design with the backward design model. This gives readers an even better idea of how it should be done. Later on in the chapter, readers will see how to implement differentiated instruction into the backward design model. Differentiating the unit can be difficult but it is also essential to ensure the best learning for the students. The end of the chapter provides an in depth example of a differentiated, backward design model. || I really liked this chapter because of the examples it provided. By reading these examples, I have obtained a better understanding of how to differentiate a unit with the backward design model. I also got a better idea of what a finished backward design model looks like. I also like how the chapter pulled together everything the book discussed in all the previous chapters and showed it through examples. This definitely helps in seeing how it can be used. ||
 * Richardson Cassandra || Chapter nine was an overwhelming collection of examples of differentiated instruction and the practical application of the backwards design model. The chapter outlined an entire unit using the backwards design model, and how to differentiate the lessons so all learners could benefit equally. It stressed the idea of flexibility in teaching; that is, all plans should be tentative, and not so concrete that what happens in the classroom (good or bad) can’t change the plan. Another incredibly important aspect of a successful differentiated classroom is a respectful, safe environment where differentiation can take place and be helpful. || This chapter was incredibly overwhelming to me. The unit was laid out so clearly and with multiple formative learning assessments and activities that it made me feel a little behind, because this step in the planning process has been a little difficult for me. I liked how this chapter reaffirmed the concept of a safe classroom environment, and made sure it was obvious that this was an important element in teaching and learning. With this firmly in place, differentiation and variation in teaching can be a comfortable experience for all students. ||
 * Trundy Monique || In chapter nine Tomlinson and McTighe provide examples of everything discussed in the book being used in a classroom. They provide examples of what a classroom would look like with a teacher who followed the principles of backward design and differentiated instruction. A copy of a lesson plan using backward design is offered. It is important to remember that “student variability is also a factor in student success,” and to impress upon us how a teacher might vary his/her assignments and class work Tomlinson and McTighe use twenty examples of how a teacher may alter their plans. || I really liked that this chapter has the food pyramid lesson plan. It was extremely helpful to see a real lesson plan being used, and I really appreciated that the authors followed the same lesson plan throughout the entire chapter. It was also nice to see everything we’ve been working on in the book as a finished product. ||
 * Webb Christopher || This chapter starts by explaining how to integrate UbD/DI into the classroom effectively. It has a list of nine key points which teachers who use the model effectively will demonstrate. Next it gives a very detailed example of a nutrition unit for a middle school that was created using UbD/DI. It even demonstrates specific ways in which the nutrition unit could be differentiated for diverse learners on pages 160-161. At the end of the chapter it breaks up the four observable indicators of UbD/DI in classrooms into; the learning environment, the curriculum, the teacher, the learner. It then gives examples for each category of how to tell whether or not UbD/DI is being implemented. || I liked this chapter because of all of the great specific examples it was able to give us. Even though I am not a health major I can still see the process of what went into making the unit and how to successfully differentiate it. I also liked all of the specific examples it gave showing how to tell whether or not UbD/DI is truly being implemented or not. This chapter broke everything down for us and gave a lot of good specific examples and tips to use. ||
 * West Simon ||  ||