The document discusses several cases related to teaching for understanding: 1. A teacher chooses To Kill a Mockingbird and plans cooperative group work and an essay assessment. 2. A student teacher asks students an open-ended question that gets no response, showing a lack of understanding. 3. A student compares Catcher in the Rye to Bill and Ted in their essay, rather than discussing the novel's big ideas. It emphasizes the importance of essential questions that promote inquiry, transfer of learning, and understanding of big ideas rather than simple coverage of content.

1. Understanding by Design Case 1# The teacher selects a resource ( To Kill a Mockingbird). The teacher chooses specific instructional methods that the teacher believes are successful. For example, the teacher decides to use cooperative groups to analyze the novel. Finally the teacher decides on assessing the students by having them write a five paragraph essay about a theme in the book . Discuss this case at your table – what are the strengths of the lesson? What are the next steps for this lesson?