The Other Half of the UbD Team

I often reference Grant Wiggins in these posts, but today I want to pass on a really good resource from Grant’s partner, Jay McTighe.  He is an educator, a consultant, and co-author of the Understanding by Design books.  His educational consulting business can be found at Jay McTighe and Associates.

From Jay McTighe and Associates

If you take the time to click on the link above, you can read a bit about Jay McTighe, but the really good stuff is found under “Resources.”  In fact, McTighe and Associates has compiled and maintains a listing of free resources to support teachers designing UbD unit plans.  Click here for the link to his Resource Page.

Once you are on the Resource page, hit the picture of the globe, and you will see:

• A 31-page annotated list of UbD Websites, including exemplary state, district, and regional service agency websites;
• An “Essential Question Website,” which provides help and examples of solid essential questions in career education, English/Language Arts, Library/Media Science, Social Studies, Visual and Performing Arts, Technology, Theater/Dance, and World Languages;
• A 5-page annotated list of UbD Websites supporting the creation of Performance Tasks and their assessment;
• “UbD Websites for Science,” “UbD Websites for Social Studies,” and “UbD Websites for World Languages”; and
• “Resources for Mathematics Tasks” and “Social Studies Resources for Tasks,” which include lots of information and examples of performance tasks and assessments.

While you are on the Resource page, play around with other links as well.  The “Download” link gives you access to a wide variety of UbD design tools and templates.  The “Video” and “Articles” links take you directly to information on a wide variety of UbD topics. 

If you are working on creating UbD units, it is well worth your time exploring help from the other half of the Wiggins/McTighe team.  You get the information and examples of quality Understanding by Design units from one of the co-creators of UbD.  It is reliable. It is comprehensive.  It is free—and at HSE, we like free.

Have a great week!

Phil

Remember this is the week for End of Course Assessments.  The biggest days of testing are Tuesday and Wednesday.  Please do all you can to encourage both the students taking the tests and the teachers giving them.

A few closing thoughts about tests…

• In school, you’re taught a lesson and then given a test.  In life, you’re given a test that teaches a lesson.  –Tom Bodett (He’ll leave the light on….)
• At the end of life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal.  You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent.  –Barbara Bush
• If my future were determined just by my performance on a standardized test, I wouldn’t be here.  I guarantee that.  –Michelle Obama
• Here is the test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished: If you’re alive, it isn’t.  –Richard Bach