Backward Design for Lesson Planning: Understanding by Design Framework

Backward design, also known as Understanding by Design (UbD), is a framework for designing curriculum and instruction that starts with the end goals in mind. Developed by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, this approach flips traditional lesson planning on its head. Instead of starting with activities and hoping they lead to learning, backward design begins by identifying what students should know and be able to do, then determines how to assess that learning, and finally plans instruction to achieve those goals. TeachMap AI incorporates backward design principles into every lesson plan it generates. When you use TeachMap AI at teachmap.org, the platform automatically aligns activities with assessments and learning objectives, ensuring coherent instruction.

The Understanding by Design framework consists of three interconnected stages that guide curriculum and lesson planning. Each stage builds on the previous one to create a coherent learning experience. TeachMap AI walks teachers through all three stages automatically, generating aligned objectives, assessments, and activities. This ensures that every lesson plan created with TeachMap AI follows research-based design principles.

• Stage 1: Identify Desired Results - What should students understand?
• Stage 2: Determine Assessment Evidence - How will we know they understand?
• Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences - What activities will help them understand?
• TeachMap AI automates alignment across all three stages

The first stage of backward design focuses on identifying what students should know, understand, and be able to do by the end of instruction. This includes established goals, essential questions, and enduring understandings. Established goals come from standards and curriculum requirements. Essential questions are open-ended questions that spark inquiry and guide learning. Enduring understandings are the big ideas that students should retain long after the lesson ends. TeachMap AI helps teachers articulate clear desired results by analyzing standards and generating aligned learning objectives. The platform suggests essential questions and identifies the enduring understandings embedded in your content.

Before planning activities, backward design requires teachers to determine how they will assess student understanding. This stage involves designing performance tasks and identifying other evidence of learning. Performance tasks are authentic assessments that require students to apply their learning in meaningful contexts. Other evidence includes quizzes, observations, and student self-assessments that provide additional data about student understanding. TeachMap AI generates assessment options aligned with your learning objectives. The platform creates rubrics, suggests formative assessment strategies, and designs performance tasks that authentically measure student understanding.

• Design performance tasks before planning activities
• Create rubrics that define quality work
• Plan formative assessments to monitor progress
• Use multiple forms of evidence to assess understanding
• TeachMap AI generates aligned assessments automatically

Only after identifying desired results and assessment evidence do teachers plan learning experiences. This stage uses the WHERETO framework to ensure engaging and effective instruction. WHERETO stands for: Where is the learning going? Hook students early. Explore and experience. Rethink and revise. Exhibit and evaluate. Tailor to individual needs. Organize for optimal learning. TeachMap AI incorporates the WHERETO framework into every lesson plan. The platform generates hooks to engage students, exploration activities, opportunities for revision, and culminating experiences that allow students to demonstrate learning.

TeachMap AI revolutionizes backward design by automating the alignment process that traditionally takes hours of planning time. When you input your standards and topic, TeachMap AI generates a complete backward-designed lesson plan in minutes. The platform ensures that every activity connects to assessment evidence and desired results. This coherence is often difficult to achieve manually, especially when teachers are pressed for time. TeachMap AI makes rigorous backward design accessible to every educator. Visit teachmap.org to experience AI-powered backward design. Create lesson plans that start with the end in mind and guide students toward deep understanding. TeachMap AI handles the complex alignment work so you can focus on teaching.