Abstract & Synthesis:Chapter 9 UbD/DI

The goal of chapter nine is to "offer a sample of how instructional planning might look for a teacher who uses backward design..." (page 141). This chapter is basically a review to what UbD DI has taught us to this point. Examples of how to design a lesson using the backward design model in this chapter are useful as they provide us with an outline to go by when creating a lesson plan of our own. Chapter nine stresses the importance of differentiating lessons to benefit the students. Understanding by design is a sophisticated planning process that that requires in depth knowledge, attention to students thinking, and the ability to think like an assessor. Differentiated Instruction demands attention to the strengths and requirements of learners and the ability to be a flexible teacher. The result of integrating both models in the classroom will yield a more engaged and effective classroom.

It was important and useful for the book to include an example of what it has been trying to teach us throughout the reading. Having the visual of a backward design template in front of us is a good guide. It touched on various methods of assessment that should be integrated into the classroom, and how the flexibility on the part of the instructor is most crucial. The aspect of differentiation is key to the chapter, because with differentiation, the students will be more engaged, and a higher level of mastery achieved.