Lesson Planning Fundamentals
Backward Design Lesson Planning: UbD Stages and Examples
Backward Design Template
Backward design is useful because it prevents the activity from becoming the goal. Start with the learning destination, then decide what evidence would count, then plan the route.
- Desired result: What should students understand, transfer, or be able to do independently?
- Evidence: What performance, product, explanation, or response would show that learning?
- Learning plan: What experiences, models, practice, and feedback will prepare students for that evidence?
Common planning mistake
If the plan starts with "students will make a poster," ask: What understanding will the poster reveal? If the answer is unclear, revise the assessment before designing the activity.
Useful references: ASCD Understanding by Design overview, University of Michigan CRLT lesson planning guidance, and LINCS TEAL lesson planning guide.
Stage 1 – Define Desired Results
Stage 1 states what students should know, understand, or be able to do. Use those goals to guide the evidence and learning activities planned in later stages.
Establishing Enduring Understandings
Enduring understandings are intended to remain useful beyond a single lesson or unit; the label does not guarantee long-term retention or transfer. Instead of “Students will know the causes of World War I,” a broader goal might be “Students will understand that conflicts can arise from interactions among political, economic, and social factors.”
Crafting Essential Questions
Essential questions are open-ended prompts intended to support inquiry and discussion. Their effect depends on how they are introduced, revisited, and connected to evidence. Examples include: “How do authors use storytelling to influence our understanding of history?” and “What makes a solution fair for everyone involved?”
Identifying Knowledge and Skills
While enduring understandings address broad concepts, identify the specific knowledge and skills students are expected to acquire. Include content knowledge and transferable skills aligned with learning standards, and connect each element to the intended understanding goals.
Stage 2 – Determine Acceptable Evidence
In Stage 2, decide what evidence would support an inference that students met the Stage 1 goals before selecting learning activities. No single assessment necessarily establishes full understanding.
Performance Tasks and Authentic Assessment
Performance tasks ask students to apply knowledge in a defined context. They can supplement, rather than automatically outperform, quizzes, tests, or other evidence. Examples include a museum exhibit, a policy proposal, or a proposed response to a community problem.
When designing a performance task, specify the knowledge or skill it is meant to reveal, the scoring criteria, and access requirements. Professional practice can inspire the context, while other assessment formats may be more appropriate for some goals; no task by itself measures overall student growth.
Balancing Assessment Types
Use multiple forms of evidence when they serve the stated learning goals:
- Formative assessments: Quick checks for understanding that guide instruction
- Summative assessments: Comprehensive evaluations of learning outcomes
- Self-assessment opportunities: Prompts that let students compare their work with stated criteria
- Peer assessments: Collaborative evaluation experiences
Stage 3 – Plan Learning Experiences
In Stage 3, select the models, practice, feedback, and other learning experiences intended to prepare students for the evidence defined in Stage 2.
Sequencing Learning Experiences
Use the goals from Stage 1 and the evidence from Stage 2 to order models, practice, application, and feedback. The sequence should reflect prerequisite knowledge and the complexity of the specific task rather than a fixed foundational-to-complex formula.
Differentiated Instruction Within the Framework
UbD can keep learning goals clear while allowing flexibility in how students reach them. Adapt lesson plans through varied instruction, temporary supports, or response options when current evidence and required accommodations indicate a need. Check student work rather than assuming the framework accommodates every learner.
Selecting Teaching Strategies for the Learning Goals
Project-based learning can be combined with UbD when a project supplies relevant evidence for the stated goals. The combination does not by itself ensure depth or authentic application. Options may include:
- Collaborative problem-solving activities
- Technology-enhanced learning experiences
- Community-connected projects
- Student choice and voice opportunities
- Opportunities for practice and feedback
Sample Lesson Using the Three UbD Stages
This example applies the three-stage design process to a high school science unit on climate change.
Stage 1: Desired Results
Enduring Understanding: Human activities and natural processes interact in complex ways to influence Earth's climate systems.
Essential Questions:
- How do we balance economic needs with environmental responsibility?
- What role does evidence play in making decisions about complex issues?
Students will know: Key scientific concepts about greenhouse gases, climate data interpretation, and mitigation strategies.
Students will be able to: Analyze data, evaluate evidence, and propose solutions based on scientific reasoning.
Stage 2: Assessment Evidence
Performance Task: Students create a policy proposal for their city council addressing local climate impacts, including scientific evidence, economic considerations, and implementation strategies.
Other evidence: Lab reports on greenhouse gas experiments, peer evaluations of proposed solutions, and reflection journals tracking thinking throughout the unit.
Stage 3: Learning Plan
Learning experiences include:
- Hands-on experiments modeling greenhouse effects
- Analysis of local climate data
- Guest speaker from city planning department
- Collaborative research on mitigation strategies
- Peer feedback sessions on draft proposals
Combining UbD with Other Planning Approaches
UbD can organize goals, evidence, and activities when educators adopt new tools or instructional approaches. Its usefulness still depends on the quality of those decisions and the local context.
Integration with Modern Educational Approaches
UbD may be combined with several other educational approaches when the combination serves a defined goal:
- Technology-enhanced learning: Use school-approved tools only when they fit the goal, protect student data, and provide accessible non-digital alternatives
- Competency-based education: Clear learning outcomes align naturally with competency frameworks
- Personalized learning: Offer options only when they preserve the intended goal and required accommodations; multiple pathways do not by themselves ensure mastery
- Social-emotional learning: If it is included, keep essential questions instructional, avoid required personal disclosure, and follow local student-support procedures
UbD can also be considered alongside Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. Neither framework makes a lesson accessible by itself; review actual barriers, student work, and required accommodations.
Overcoming Implementation Challenges
UbD may require additional planning time and a shift away from activity-first planning. Start with one lesson or unit, compare the resulting evidence with the stated goals, and revise with colleagues where possible.
Outcomes to Monitor
Possible indicators to review after implementing a UbD plan include:
- Student engagement: Observe participation in the specific task rather than assuming that clear purpose or an authentic context increases engagement
- Retention and transfer: Use delayed or novel tasks to check what students retain and can apply
- Critical thinking and problem-solving: Examine responses against explicit reasoning criteria
- Metacognition: Ask students to explain the goal, criteria, or strategy without assuming awareness increased
- Access and participation: Check for barriers and implement required accommodations rather than assuming that multiple pathways are equitable
To try UbD, start with one unit: state the desired understanding, define acceptable evidence, plan the learning sequence, and compare the resulting student work with the goal before deciding what to keep.