More on KUDs

I would like to share some further thoughts about writing KUDs.  As you are developing the KUDs for your unit plans, you can refer back to these characteristics to help guide your work.

We identify transfer goals when we identify what we want students to be able to DO as a result of their learning.

Transfer goals have the following characteristics:

• They highlight effective use of understanding, knowledge, and skill
• They are about independent and autonomous application in new situations
• They require more than rote learning
• They require thoughtful assessment and strategic thinking about what prior learning is required to meet the goal

An example of a DO goal I have seen from our work so far at Hixson is: Students will be able to use their learning independently to use the scientific method to design and evaluate an experiment for any testable question.

We identify meaning-making goals when we identify what we want students to UNDERSTAND as a result of their learning.

Understandings are:

•  Inferences, not facts
• Based on conclusions drawn from knowing accurate information
•  Ways of making sense of learning beyond just knowing discrete facts and being able to repeat discreet skills

An example of an UNDERSTANDING I have seen from our work so far at Hixson is: Students will understand that there is a relationship between the side lengths, area, and perimeter of similar polygons.

Essential questions:

• Are at the heart of the discipline
• Can be argued and have several correct answers
• Can be researched
• Travel well (that is, they can be asked at multiple levels and still provoke thinking, discussion, inquiry, etc.)

An example of an ESSENTIAL QUESTION I have seen from our work so far at Hixson is: How does art help us perceive the world?

We identify acquisition goals when we identify what we want students to KNOW as a result of their learning.

Knowledge (facts, vocabulary, basic concepts, etc.) and skills (basic know-how, discrete skills) are the necessary tools of understanding and transfer.  Avoid listing facts or definitions; instead, list core building blocks that fit naturally within the unit and that you plan to assess.