Chapter 9 - UbD

I really liked this chapter. It pulled all the puzzle pieces together and it all makes sense. It was also nice that we have not only learned, but also started doing this stuff in class. So I am not just reading about it, but can relate to what the book was saying. The hook that was used for the weight watchers, health unit presented in the book was so cool. Teens are very self conscious about how they look, so to start off a unit on whether the foods you eat affect your zits would be an awesome intro that would suck the students right in. I totally agree with the statement that the chapter made about differentiation in the class room. This chapter made it clear that it is better to let differentiation evolve throughout a unit, instead of splitting groups up or assuming students will need to be in a lower group from the start, due to past work. I think that sometimes the units we teach affect students differently, and so even if they are usually behind everyone else, give them the benefit of the doubt and have everyone start on an equal page. This gives the students a fresh start to see where they are at, and the pre-assessment will tell you whether the students really need differentiation for this unit. I also liked the point about how the health lesson description in the chapter all flowed together in a “teaching fashion” instead of a “planning fashion” right now I don’t feel like my lessons flow together the way this example did. I liked being able to see an example of a finished UbD lesson unit, so that I can get a feel of how mine will resemble when all my parts are done and ready to present.