Lesson Plan Template (Understanding by Design)

UbD lesson plan: transfer goals, understandings, essential questions, assessment evidence, timed learning sequence, reflection

ÉducationStandardUnderstanding by Design (Wiggins and McTighe)lesson plan ubdMis à jour 20 oct. 2026

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Mode d'emploi: Use to plan a single lesson with backward design. Complete Stage 1 and the Stage 2 evidence before choosing activities. Main pitfall: writing activities as outcomes, or planning activities that do not prepare students for the assessment.

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Lesson Plan (UbD): [Lesson title]

Lesson plan template using the three stages of backward design from Understanding by Design (Wiggins and McTighe): identify desired results, determine acceptable evidence, then plan learning experiences. Includes timed activities, differentiation, materials and a post-lesson reflection. Replace every [bracketed] value and every row marked Example.

Field	Value
Teacher	[@name]
Subject / course	[Science, Grade 8]
Unit	[Unit name, lesson 3 of 8]
Date / duration	YYYY-MM-DD, [55 minutes]
Class / group	[8B, 28 students]
Standards addressed	[Curriculum code(s), for example NGSS MS-PS1-2]
Prior learning	[What students already know or did last lesson]

Stage 1. Desired results

1.1 Transfer goal

Students will be able to independently use their learning to [Example: decide whether a change they observe in everyday life is chemical or physical, and justify the decision with evidence].

1.2 Understandings

Students will understand that:

[Example: A chemical reaction produces new substances with properties different from those of the starting substances.]
[Example: Observable signs such as gas, colour change or temperature change suggest, but do not prove, that a reaction occurred.]

1.3 Essential questions

[Example: How can we tell whether something new has been made?]
[Example: When is evidence strong enough to support a claim?]

1.4 Knowledge and skills

Students will know	Students will be able to
Example: Vocabulary: reactant, product, property, chemical change, physical change	Example: Measure and record properties (mass, temperature, colour) before and after a change
Example: Common signs of chemical change	Example: Construct a claim-evidence-reasoning (CER) explanation
[Knowledge]	[Skill]

Stage 2. Assessment evidence

2.1 Performance task

Element	Description
Task	Example: Students test four mixtures and write a CER paragraph deciding which produced a chemical change
Goal	Classify each change and justify the classification with evidence
Role / audience	Example: Lab technicians reporting to a quality-control manager
Product	One CER paragraph per mixture, plus a data table
Criteria	Accurate data; claim matches evidence; reasoning names the property change; correct vocabulary
Rubric	[Link to rubric, or the 4-level CER rubric used across the unit]

2.2 Other evidence

Evidence	Type	What it checks	When
Example: Entry ticket: 3 vocabulary items	Formative	Recall of key terms	Start of lesson
Example: Observation checklist during lab	Formative	Safe procedure, accurate recording	During lab
Example: Exit ticket: classify one new change with a reason	Formative	Transfer of the main idea	End of lesson
[Evidence]	[Type]	[Check]	[When]

2.3 Self-assessment and reflection by students

[How students will judge their own progress, for example rating confidence against the success criteria on the exit ticket.]

Stage 3. Learning plan

3.1 Learning sequence

Time	Phase	Teacher does	Students do	Evidence / check
0-5 min	Entry and hook	Example: Shows a short video of a bath bomb fizzing; asks "Is something new made?"	Vote and give one reason	Entry ticket
5-12 min	Goals and vocabulary	Shares learning goals and success criteria; reviews key terms	Pair-check vocabulary	Cold-call 3 students
12-35 min	Investigation	Circulates; prompts with questions; checks safety	Test 4 mixtures in groups of 4; record observations	Observation checklist
35-47 min	Making sense	Models one CER paragraph with student input	Write CER for 2 mixtures; peer review with checklist	Draft CER paragraphs
47-55 min	Closure	Returns to the essential question	Exit ticket; rate confidence	Exit ticket

Total: [55] minutes.

3.2 Differentiation

Learner group	Need	Adjustment
Example: Students needing language support	Academic vocabulary	Word bank with images; sentence starters for CER
Example: Students needing extension	Already secure on classification	Explain why dissolving sugar is a physical change despite looking like it disappears
Example: Students with accommodations	[Plan reference]	[Seating, extra time, alternative format]
[Group]	[Need]	[Adjustment]

3.3 Materials and resources

[Example: Safety goggles and aprons for 28 students]
[Example: Per group: baking soda, vinegar, salt, water, iron filings, 4 cups, thermometer]
[Example: Slides; CER template handout; exit tickets]
[Resource]

3.4 Safety and classroom management notes

[Risk points and routines, for example goggles on before materials are handed out, and how groups collect and return equipment.]

Reflection after the lesson

Question	Notes
What share of students met the success criteria (exit ticket)?	[Example: 19 of 27 classified correctly with a valid reason]
Which activity worked best, and why?	[Notes]
Where did students struggle or misconceptions appear?	[Example: Many treated dissolving as a chemical change]
Was the timing realistic?	[Notes]
What will I change next time or next lesson?	[Notes]

Standard and licence note

Based on the backward design framework of Understanding by Design by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe (ASCD), cited as a reference. Stage names and concepts are used descriptively; this template is original text and reproduces no text or templates from their publications. Template licence: MIT.

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