
Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with fast, free delivery
Amazon Prime includes:
Fast, FREE Delivery is available to Prime members. To join, select "Try Amazon Prime and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery" below the Add to Cart button.
Amazon Prime members enjoy:- Cardmembers earn 5% Back at Amazon.com with a Prime Credit Card.
- Unlimited Free Two-Day Delivery
- Streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with limited ads on Prime Video.
- A Kindle book to borrow for free each month - with no due dates
- Listen to over 2 million songs and hundreds of playlists
- Unlimited photo storage with anywhere access
Important: Your credit card will NOT be charged when you start your free trial or if you cancel during the trial period. If you're happy with Amazon Prime, do nothing. At the end of the free trial, your membership will automatically upgrade to a monthly membership.
Buy new:
-31% $32.19$32.19
Ships from: Amazon.com Sold by: Amazon.com
Save with Used - Good
$9.97$9.97
Ships from: Amazon Sold by: Zoom Books Company

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Understanding By Design 2nd Expanded Edition
Purchase options and add-ons
ASCD Bestseller! Wiggins and McTighe provide an expanded array of practical tools and strategies for designing curriculum, instruction, and assessments that lead students at all grade levels to genuine understanding.
How do you know when students understand? Can you design learning experiences that make it much more likely that students understand content and apply it in meaningful ways?
Thousands of educators have used the Understanding by Design (UbD) framework to answer these questions and create more rigorous, engaging curriculums. Now, this expanded 2nd edition gives you even more tools and strategies for results-oriented teaching:
* An improved template for creating curriculum units based on the breakthrough "backward design" method.
* More specific guidelines on how to frame the "big ideas" you want students to understand.
* Better ways to develop the "essential questions" that form the foundation of high-quality curriculum and assessment.
* An expanded toolbox of instructional approaches for obtaining the desired results of a lesson.
* More examples, across all grade levels and subjects, of how schools and districts have used the UbD framework to maximize student understanding.
Educators from kindergarten through college can get everything they need—guidelines, stages, templates, and tips—to start designing lessons, units, and courses that lead to improved student performance and a more stimulating experience for students and teachers alike.
- ISBN-101416600353
- ISBN-13978-1416600350
- Edition2nd Expanded
- PublisherAssn. for Supervision & Curriculum Development
- Publication dateMarch 15, 2005
- LanguageEnglish
- Dimensions8.6 x 0.9 x 10.9 inches
- Print length370 pages
Discover the latest buzz-worthy books, from mysteries and romance to humor and nonfiction. Explore more
Frequently bought together

More items to explore
Editorial Reviews
From the Back Cover
Authors Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe answer these and many other questions in this second edition of Understanding by Design. Drawing on feedback from thousands of educators around the world who have used the UbD framework since its introduction in 1998, the authors have greatly revised and expanded their original work to guide educators across the K-16 spectrum in the design of curriculum, assessment, and instruction. With an improved UbD Template at its core, the book explains the rationale of backward design and explores in greater depth the meaning of such key ideas as essential questions and transfer tasks. Readers will learn why the familiar coverage- and activity-based approaches to curriculum design fall short, and how a focus on the six facets of understanding can enrich student learning. With an expanded array of practical strategies, tools, and examples from all subject areas, the book demonstrates how the research-based principles of Understanding by Design apply to district frameworks as well as to individual units of curriculum.
Combining provocative ideas, thoughtful analysis, and tested approaches, this new edition of Understanding by Design offers teacher-designers a clear path to the creation of curriculum that ensures better learning and a more stimulating experience for students and teachers alike.
Product details
- Publisher : Assn. for Supervision & Curriculum Development; 2nd Expanded edition (March 15, 2005)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 370 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1416600353
- ISBN-13 : 978-1416600350
- Item Weight : 2 pounds
- Dimensions : 8.6 x 0.9 x 10.9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #26,970 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #16 in Curricula (Books)
- #20 in Education Assessment (Books)
- #25 in Educational Certification & Development
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
Grant Wiggins, EdD, is the President of Authentic Education in Hopewell, New Jersey. He earned his Ed.D. from Harvard University and his B. A. from St. John's College in Annapolis. Grant consults with schools, districts, state and national education departments on a variety of reform matters; organizes conferences and workshops; and
develops print materials and Web resources on curricular change.
Grant is perhaps best known for being the co-author, with Jay McTighe, of Understanding By Design, the award-winning and highly successful program and set of materials on curriculum design; and Schooling by Design. He is also currently a co-author to Pearson Publishing on more than a dozen textbook programs in which UbD is being infused. His work has been supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and the National Science Foundation.
Over the past twenty five years, Grant has worked on some of the most influential reform initiatives in the world, including Ted Sizer's Coalition of Essential Schools, the International Baccalaureate Program, the Advanced Placement Program; and national school reform efforts in China and Thailand.
Grant is also widely known for his work in assessment reform. He is the author of Educative Assessment and Assessing Student Performance, both published by Jossey-Bass. And he was a lead consultant on many state assessment reform initiatives, such as the portfolio project in Vermont and the performance assessment consortia in New jersey and North Carolina.
His many articles have appeared in such journals as Educational Leadership and Phi Delta Kappan. His work is grounded in 14 years of secondary school teaching and coaching. Grant taught English and electives in philosophy, coached Varsity soccer, Cross Country, JV Baseball, and Track & Field. He also plays in the Hazbins, a rock band. He can be reached at grant@authenticeducation.org.
Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.
Jay McTighe brings a wealth of experience developed during a rich and varied career in education. He served as Director of the Maryland Assessment Consortium, a state collaboration of school districts working together to develop and share formative performance assessments. Prior to this position, Jay was involved with school improvement projects at The Maryland State Department of Education where he directed the development of the Instructional Framework, a multi-media database on teaching. Jay is well known for his work with "thinking skills," having coordinated statewide efforts to develop instructional strategies, curriculum models, and assessment procedures for improving the quality of student thinking. In addition to his work at the state level, Jay has experience at the district level in Prince George's County, Maryland as a classroom teacher, resource specialist, and program coordinator. He also directed a state residential enrichment program for Gifted and Talented students.
Jay is an accomplished author, having co-authored eleven books, including the best-selling Understanding by Design series with Grant Wiggins. He has written more than thirty articles and book chapters, and has published in a number of leading journals, including Educational Leadership (ASCD) and The Developer (National Staff Development Council).
Jay has an extensive background in professional development and is a regular speaker at national, state, and district conferences and workshops. He has made presentations in forty-six states in the U.S., seven provinces in Canada, and eighteen countries outside of North America on six continents.
Visit Jay's website -- jaymctighe.com
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book provides useful teaching material and insights. They describe it as a valuable resource with a thoughtful design. However, some readers found the content boring and redundant. Opinions differ on readability - some found it easy to understand and a good guide, while others felt the content was overcomplicated.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Select to learn more
Customers find the book a helpful reference for teaching. It provides insights into how to be deliberate about doing things that ensure learning takes place in students' minds. They say it guides them through training issues and design with ease. The book takes an entirely new approach to planning lessons and units, describing the fundamental process in lesson design. The topics covered are important in contemporary education practice.
"This is a valuable resource for any educator. I have been teaching for over 30 years and I reference my copy all of the time...." Read more
"...This book will definitely teach the educator or potential educator how to start to think about the goals of a lesson and then to plan the lessons on..." Read more
"This book covers an eminently critical topic in contemporary education practice -- developing curriculum that covers all the essential concepts in a..." Read more
"...Both together were definitely helpful. But the book provides a lot of insight into how to be deliberate about doing things that matter...." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's value for money. They say it's a great product and still valuable.
"...Even though it is an older publication, it is still valuable! Another professor in my department used it over the summer and felt the same way!" Read more
"...Plus is it is much cheaper than the book store. It lays out the principles very nicely with lots of examples...." Read more
"Very satisfied with the price and delivery was right on time to begin my college-level class" Read more
"Great purchase, very helpful" Read more
Customers like the design. They say it's a pioneer in this field and thought of backwards design.
"...and McTighe are almost the pioneers in this field and thought of backwards design..." Read more
"Backwards Design... great tool for teachers..." Read more
"backward design..." Read more
"By Design..." Read more
Customers have different views on the book's readability. Some find it easy to understand and follow, with clear explanations. Others feel the content is overcomplicated and rambling at times, making it difficult to read in the Kindle version.
"...It is an easy concept and once understood and fully grasped by the educator he/she can start to educate their students in a way in which the..." Read more
"...It's also a bit ponderous in presentation style at times. The authors can be a bit long-winded at times, sometimes belaboring points too much...." Read more
"...It is aimed at all grades, from elementary to college. The book is written in a way that makes it engaging to read, and reassures that you don't..." Read more
"The book was easy to read and understand...." Read more
Customers find the book uninteresting and redundant. They barely get through it.
"...It's ridiculously redundant." Read more
"...I was required to read this book for my Master's program, but it was so boring and uninteresting that I barely got through the chapters and frankly..." Read more
"As a new teacher, I find the information invaluable. It's a little redundant but very clear and applicable." Read more
"...Such a waste of time, poor dead trees, and collective brain power should be considered a crime...." Read more
Reviews with images

Damaged
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2024I'm using this textbook for my curriculum theory course in the School of Education. Even though it is an older publication, it is still valuable! Another professor in my department used it over the summer and felt the same way!
- Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2024This is a valuable resource for any educator. I have been teaching for over 30 years and I reference my copy all of the time. My son is early in his teaching career and is taking some graduate education courses. I bought it for him. He has already begun to use it as a part of his graduate studies and as a resource in his classroom.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2015Definitely a must have for any educator. Wiggins and McTighe are almost the pioneers in this field and thought of backwards design (Robert Tyler first thought of the concept in his published work from 1947) and their concepts are easy to implement and are what I would call a no-brainer. As in it should be something that all teachers are already implementing in their lesson and unit planning already. However, we all know that it is not already in the forefront of every educators mind or else there would not be a need for this book. This book will definitely teach the educator or potential educator how to start to think about the goals of a lesson and then to plan the lessons on how to get each student to those specific goals (backwards design). It is an easy concept and once understood and fully grasped by the educator he/she can start to educate their students in a way in which the students will benefit by truly gaining meaningful knowledge from the course they are taking with the educator and be able to apply the knowledge and demonstrate understanding.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2014This book covers an eminently critical topic in contemporary education practice -- developing curriculum that covers all the essential concepts in a course in an engaging and measurably effective manner. Wiggins and McTighe expertly present a lot of great material, both theoretical and practical to help teachers, administrators, schools, and districts to develop their own Understanding by Design units. No serious educator should be able to walk away from this book with nothing new to add to their pedagogical arsenal. Still despite its strengths, this book is very dense, so it's a slow (but worthwhile) read. It's also a bit ponderous in presentation style at times. The authors can be a bit long-winded at times, sometimes belaboring points too much. Still, despite minor flaws, this book is a very important work in modern education research that educators need to understand and practice to enhance the quality of student achievement in our schools today.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2023I read this in conjunction with a class. Both together were definitely helpful. But the book provides a lot of insight into how to be deliberate about doing things that matter. I’ve been teaching well for thirty years, but I’m about to get better. :)
- Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2013This book was recommended to me by people I consider to be excellent teachers. It really opened my eyes to a different way of approaching my teaching. This is a comprehensive resource for those that want to focus on ensuring that learning goes on in the minds of students, instead of a simple transfer of substantive knowledge from teacher to student. It is aimed at all grades, from elementary to college. The book is written in a way that makes it engaging to read, and reassures that you don't have to do every suggestion right away. I am looking forward to re-reading it and perhaps getting the companion workbook.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2023Way too long. The repeated themselves so many times and made things sound more complicated than it needed to be. I also think splitting it up into an elementary targeted book and a middle/high school level book would be more helpful and be able to better help the reader apply what was learned.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2018I had to read this book for a graduate course, and it is, quite possibly, one of the most enlightening education texts I have ever read. I bought the kindle version for the course, but I'm planning on buying the print edition so that I can re-read it, with more notes. It's that good. I wish I had read it years ago, and I have found it's impacted my teaching from chapter one. I'm encouraging my principal to offer it as a book study.
Top reviews from other countries
- LaureenReviewed in Canada on July 29, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book!
This book was recommended and is extremely useful.
- AntonioReviewed in Italy on May 15, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars A must
Masterpiece for those who want to learn how to create a course about teaching.
-
Cliente AmazonReviewed in Brazil on October 21, 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars Great for bilingual interested
Great for those interested in bilingual education. Full of hints and expert discussion about topics and subjects related to language acquisition
- RajReviewed in Singapore on September 19, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read
Must read for curriculum developers
- Alex QuigleyReviewed in the United Kingdom on April 26, 2015
5.0 out of 5 stars Really useful for curriculum design
A really useful book on backward curriculum design. It encompasses a great deal of theory and research, but it is presented in an accessible style. This is a very useful book for any teacher or school leader devising a curriculum.