Understanding by Design

Stage 1 Identify Desired Results

Established Common Core State Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.3
Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the
course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.4
Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners
can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to
purpose, audience, and task.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.5
Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in
presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

What essential questions will be considered? What understandings are desired?

How does Shakespeare create dynamic
characters that resonate with readers?
What does a main characters development,
such as Othello, Iago, or Emilia, tell readers
about the importance of relationships?
Why are human beings constantly changing and
adapting? What makes them change?
Students will understand that
Students will understand that Shakespeare implicitly
and explicitly shows readers the causes and
motivations behind characters developing in Othello.
Students will understand how a character of their
choice develops from the beginning of the play to
the end of the play.
Students will understand what evidence from
Othello best represents their choice of characters
development throughout multiple scenes and acts.
Students will understand the message of jealousy,
betrayal, and love that through the actions and
development of Othellos characters.

What key knowledge and skills will students acquire as a result of this unit?
Students will know Students will be able to
The difference between strong and weak Create a creative and accurate representation of a
evidence in connection to a claim. character in Othellos development using the online
How to write a clear, concise claim that resource, StoryboadThat.
answers the prompt of the StoryboardThat Cite at least two pieces of strong evidence that
project. supports the development of their character in each
How to navigate StoryboardThats tools and StoryboardThat panel included in their project.
graphics in order to create a panel that visually Present their finished StoryboardThat product to the
and textually represents character class clearly, concisely, and be able to answer any
development of one character in Othello. questions from the class regarding their choices and
analysis of Othello.
 Create a claim that fully answers how a character of
their choice initially is characterized in the play and
how he or she evolves throughout.

Stage 2 Determine Acceptable Evidence

What evidence will show that students understand?
Performance Tasks: (student products & performances with clear criteria used to evaluate)

1. StoryboardThat final, edited version with rubric here.

2. Formal presentation of the StoryboardThat final version with rubric here.

What other evidence needs to be collected in light of Stage 1 Desired Results?

Other Evidence: (tests, quizzes, prompts, work samples, observations, etc)

1. Formative Project Checks: week-to-week that ensures students are using class time to complete the
StoryboardThat.
2. Formative Literacy Sheets: that students use to track character traits, summaries of acts and scenes, and
points of development while reading Othello.
3. Sample StoryboardThat: made by Ms. Beric and a facilitated discussion of project expectations (ex. Whats
good about this sample? What could be missing? What could be added? What is clear? What is unclear? Etc.)
4. Project Peer Editing: Students will use the rubric for writing, as well as an editing checklist to peer edit and self-
assess throughout the unit.
5. Peardeck Guiding Questions: A Peardeck for each act that guides students to points of conflict,
characterization, key passages, etc. in order for students to translate key ideas, scenes, and acts into their
evidence logs and Storyboards.
6. Fishbowl Discussions: Students will participate in a fishbowl to discuss essential questions throughout the unit,
assess reading comprehension, and collaborate with students while using higher-order questioning methods to
challenge each other.

Stage 3 Plan Learning Experience

Sequence of teaching and learning experiences (engage, develop and demonstrate the desired understandings)

W Ensure that students understand WHERE the unit is headed, and WHY.
H HOOK students in the beginning and HOLD their attention throughout.
E EQUIP students will necessary experiences, tools, knowledge, and know-how to meet performance goals.
R Provide students with numerous opportunities to RETHINK big ideas, REFLECT on progress, and REVISE their work.
E Build in opportunities for students to EVALUATE progress and self-assess.
T Be TAILORED to reflect individual talents, interests, styles, and needs.
O Be ORGANIZED to optimize deep understanding as opposed to superficial coverage.
SUMMARY OF KEY LEARNING EVENTS AND INSTRUCTION:

Week One Lessons/Procedures: Initiate background information; familiarize students with new concepts; reflect on
objectives
(W) Introduce essential questions for the unit in a Google Form, as well as the I Can statement objectives in
student friendly language. Students will periodically reflect and come back to answer this Google form multiple
times.
(H): Begin the unit introducing main conflicts and topics in Othello with Four Corners activity- Give students
highly debatable topics and ask them to choose a side and support their opinions. Share their side of an
argument with the rest of their peers respectfully and encourage productive debates
(E): Initiate background information with a KWL chart about Shakespeare; complete the KWL chart as we go
through notes on the Elizabethan period, Shakespeares life, and Shakespeares works. Assess students on
background information with a brief writing assessment at the end of the week.
(O): Students will familiarize themselves with the new modules on Canvas for Othellos Character Development
Unit. This will also include resources, such as tutorials, given for Storyboard That online resource that will be
used.
(O): A calendar of the unit including important due dates, assessment dates, and reading days will be posted to
Canvas and shared with all students.

Weeks Two and Three Lessons/Procedures:

(W) (E): Introduce PBL Storyboard That Assessment: Students will be tracking a dynamic character of his/her
choice in Othello. They will receive an online handout that explains the ongoing assessment, its requirements
(both written and presentation), and rubrics for assessment.
(H): Students will continue the daily procedures set up in the beginning of the year, including Mad Lib
Monday, Tongue Twister Tuesday, Write it Wednesday, Thought Thursday, and Fun Fact Friday.
Sometimes the writing prompts and journals will engage prior knowledge, sometimes they will designed to
review topics, and others hooks will be utilized to simply get students involved at the start of class.
(E) Students will begin reading Othello together as a class with the easy-read version translated on the opposite
page. At times, reading will be done as a class; at other times, students may be asked to read in their reading
groups or individually. (T) Guiding questions will be provided for struggling students, like my extended classes,
or be optional for students who have reading skills at grade level.
(T) After reading Acts I and II, students will choose his or her character for the PBL assessment. Students will
begin designing their own Storyboard That in accordance with the requirements for the assessment, including
visuals, textual evidence, summary and analysis. Reading will typically happen on Monday-Wednesday during
the week.
(R): Students will reflect on current progress in their I Can statement Google form.
(R): Students will share his/her Storyboard That progress in reading groups. After sharing, students will revise
their Storyboard based on feedback from other students. Project workdays will be assigned Thursday and
Fridays.
(E): Acts I and II Literacy sheet will be completed in order to assess student skills including: summarization,
sequencing, characterization, choosing strong evidence, and writing literary analysis.

Week Four and Five Lessons/Procedures:

(E) Students will continue reading Othello Acts III and IV. Reading will be accompanied by Peardeck guiding
questions and passage analysis that directly relate to character development, as well as other literary analysis.
(R): Students will reflect on current progress in their I Can statement Google form.
(R): Students will share his/her Storyboard That progress in reading groups. After sharing, students will revise
their Storyboard based on feedback from other students. Project workdays will be assigned Thursday and
Fridays. (T) Students will choose how to divide their time between working on the project itself or sharing their
project progress with their group.
(E): Students will assess their project as it currently stands with the rubric. Students will complete an editing
 checklist that makes them aware of requirements missing and/or done poorly. These edits will be approved by
Ms. Beric and then corrected moving forward in the project.
(R): Students will prepare and participate in a wide range of class discussions, including partner discussions,
online discussions, and fishbowl discussions where Ms. Beric will only act as a facilitator. The fishbowl
discussion in particular will be assessed with a rubric that requires students to carry on a conversation and
voice his/her opinion with evidence. Questions for the fishbowl discussion will be given out prior to the
discussion day for students to collect evidence and decide on their opinions in order to prepare.
Students will complete a formative writing assessment that answers the question, Explain how a character
from Othello developed from the middle of the play to the end of the play. The same prompt will be used on
the summative assessment.

Week Six and Seven Lessons/Procedures:

The class will finish reading Othello and complete the L column of the KWL chart formed in the beginning of
the unit.
(E) Students will be given two final workdays to complete their character development Storyboards and peer
edit another students project from their reading groups.
Students will be given the rubric used to assess their Storyboard presentations. (O) Students will be given time
to identify key points of assessment on the rubric, including clarity, volume, disposition, and presence. They
will also review the rubric for the Storyboard product to produce one final edit before the presentation.
(E) Presentations will be given to the class. This process should las about three days. Students in the audience
will be required to assess students in their reading groups with the rubric.
(R) Students will give themselves a final grade after they give their presentations both for their final product
and presentations. In addition, students will have to assess themselves and their reading groups on quality of
participation and collaboration throughout the unit.
A final group theme online discussion will take place after presentations in order to review the plot, conflicts,
and characters in Othello in preparation of the summative writing assessment.
(R): A final reflection using the Google form I Can statements will be assessed.
(E): Students will complete a final writing assessment that answers the question, Explain how a character from
Othello developed from the middle of the play to the end of the play.

Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2006). Understanding by Design (2nd ed.). New Jersey: Pearson.