Unit Plan Template: Free UbD Template and Example
A good unit plan decides three things in order: what students should understand, how you will know they do, and then the lessons. Download our free template, then use the filled-in example below as a guide.
What to include in a unit plan
This template follows Understanding by Design, the backward design framework from Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe. You plan the end first: the results, then the evidence, then the lessons.
Stage 1: Desired results
- Established goals
The standards, with codes
- Transfer
What students do on their own
- Understandings
Big ideas, as full sentences
- Essential questions
Two to four open questions
- Knowledge and skills
Short lists of each
Stage 2: Assessment evidence
- Evaluative criteria
What strong work looks like
- Performance task
The main task, with an audience
- Other evidence
Quizzes, exit tickets, observation
Stage 3: Learning plan
- Lesson sequence
Week by week, with key activities
- Checks for understanding
Where you check, and how
- Resources and support
Materials, support and extension
A filled-in unit plan example
Here is the template filled in for a four-week 5th grade science unit on matter, built on four NGSS performance expectations.
Stage 1: Desired results
- Established goals
NGSS 5-PS1-1, 5-PS1-2, 5-PS1-3 and 5-PS1-4
- Transfer
Use evidence about particles to explain everyday changes, like a drying puddle
- Understandings
Matter is made of particles too small to see. When matter changes, its total weight stays the same. Mixing can make a new substance.
- Essential questions
What is everything made of? Where does a puddle go? How can we tell a new substance was made?
- Knowledge
Properties of materials, conservation of matter, mixtures and new substances
- Skills
Weigh with a scale, graph data, draw a particle model, plan a fair test
Stage 2: Assessment evidence
- Evaluative criteria
The model shows particles; claims use measured evidence; vocabulary is accurate
- Performance task
Mystery powders: identify three white powders by their properties, mix two, and argue with evidence whether a new substance formed
- Other evidence
Exit tickets, a vocabulary quiz, the dissolving graph and an end-of-unit quiz
Stage 3: Learning plan
- Week 1
Hook: the disappearing puddle. Particle models of air and water.
- Week 2
Properties: sort and identify materials by magnetism, solubility and conductivity.
- Week 3
Conservation: weigh before and after dissolving and freezing, then graph it.
- Week 4
Mixing and new substances, the mystery powders task, review and quiz.
How to write a unit plan in five steps
Start with the standards. List the codes and read them closely. One standard often needs several lessons.
Write the big ideas as questions. Two to four essential questions keep every lesson pointed the same way.
Design the performance task next. Decide what students will make or do to show they understand, before you plan a single lesson.
Map the weeks on your calendar. Count the real teaching days, then add time for the hardest ideas and for reteaching.
Build the lessons last. Check that each one moves students toward the task, and plan a quick check in every lesson.
Unit plan vs lesson plan
A unit plan is the map for several weeks; a lesson plan is one day on that map. Write the unit first, so each lesson plan only has to answer one question: what does today add?
Turn the unit into lessons with Chalkie
Once the unit is planned, the lessons still have to be made. Chalkie's Create series turns a topic and standard into a unit outline, then makes each lesson's slides and worksheet in a few clicks, aligned to your state standards on Pro.
The first lesson of the matter unit, made in Chalkie.
Frequently asked questions
What is a unit plan?
A plan for a sequence of lessons on one topic or big idea. It sets the goals and standards, the assessment that shows students got there, and the order of the lessons.
What is the difference between a unit plan and a lesson plan?
A lesson plan covers one lesson. A unit plan covers several weeks of lessons on one topic, and decides the goals and assessment before any single lesson is written.
How long is a unit plan?
It depends on the subject and the standards. Most units run a few weeks; New York's world language guidance, for example, says 3 to 10 weeks.
What are the three stages of Understanding by Design?
Stage 1, identify the desired results. Stage 2, decide the assessment evidence. Stage 3, plan the learning experiences. Each stage is built to match the one before it.
Can AI write a unit plan?
Yes, as a first draft. Chalkie, MagicSchool and Eduaide can outline a unit from a topic and standard. Check the goals, the assessment and the pacing against your own calendar.