Jay McTighe shares this
suggestion from Harvey Silver: When drafting the title of a unit, add “A study
in…” or “A study of…” followed by a concept or theme. This ensures that the
unit is conceptually focused and is a natural segue to developing Enduring
Understandings and companion Essential Questions. Some examples:
-A unit
on the rainforest – A study of a complex ecosystem;
-A unit
on decimals, fractions, and percentages – A study of equivalence;
-A unit
on the story, Frog and Toad Are Friends
– A study of true friendship;
-A novel
study of The Catcher in the Rye – A
study of author’s craft;
-A unit
on World War I – A study of unintended consequences;
-A unit
on weight training – A study of proper technique.
“UbD
Ideas and Resources” by Jay McTighe, personal communication, January 2018 (The suggestion above appears in issue #721 of The Marshall Memo, an EXCELLENT resource for educators.)
