Chapter 3 - UbD

In chapter three I found a key concept that is important and that applies to me is that there is not enough time to cover everything, there are just too many big ideas out there. Instead we must cover the key concepts and make sure those are well understood. I liked the stage 1, 2, and 3 in this chapter. I feel that by showing the backwards planning design in steps I am able to understand it better. Plus it is easier to follow. I also found it interesting that too many activities that are not applied to the major content become just “fun” even if they are on the content materiel. Yet too much “book work” is bad also if not applied the right way, or used constantly. I liked how that template the book gave us is similar to the one given to us in class. It asks us to use questions, what the kids already know, and their skill to break down how we prepare and teach a unit. These templates will become very useful if I need assistance beginning my own lessons in the near and distant future. Little steps like stages 1, 2, and 3, and tips like making sure my activities are funneled into productive learning are what help me the most. They are little things that I can do to make a better classroom environment and a better flowing class period. I plan to use these tips as resources to help me in my own classroom when the time comes.