This week we started working on a Backwards Design
Unit. We needed to choose a unit that we
will be teaching and design lesson plans using the Backwards Design
method. This was a completely new
concept for. I had heard about Backwards
Design but had never used it to plan a unit.
To be honest, this was a completely overwhelming task. But I set out determined to figure it
out. After reading several articles and
watching a video on Backwards Design, I began to go about planning my science
unit on mealworms. This was a very
awkward process for me. I am not used to
planning my lessons this way. The most
challenging part of the process was coming up with the big ideas and the
essential questions. I wasn’t quite sure
how do phrase them so I went back to my articles to try and get some more
ideas. It was also awkward in the sense
that I normally plan my activities and assessments first as opposed to
last. Through the process though, I have
come to realize why Backwards Design is so meaningful. It is way more in depth and causes the
teacher to really look at the state standards as well as their intention in
teaching this unit. I found myself
wondering why I had some of these activities planned and what other things could
I do that would be more meaningful and better meet the standards. It has caused me to be much more intentional
in my lesson planning. What’s your
experience with Backwards Design?
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