The order when backwards planning a unit

• A. Identify and establish learning goals; Decide how students will show what they have learned; Plan a sequence of lessons that align with learning goals and meet student needs
• B. Decide how students will show what they have learned; Plan a sequence of lessons; Identify learning goals
• C. Identify and establish learning goals; Plan a sequence of lessons; Decide how students will show what they have learned
• D. Plan a sequence of lessons; Identify learning goals; Decide how students will show what they have learned

Answer: (C)

In backward planning, you begin by making the learning goals explicit—the outcomes you want students to achieve. Once the goals are clear, you design the sequence of lessons that will build toward those goals, ensuring the instructional path is purposeful and coherent. Only after outlining the instructional plan do you decide how students will demonstrate their learning, choosing assessments that truly align with the goals and the learning activities. This order keeps everything focused on the desired results and helps ensure that both the instruction and the assessments measure the same intended outcomes. In health education, for example, you’d clarify the skills and knowledge students should reach, chart lessons that develop those abilities, and then pick performance tasks or assessments that validly show mastery of those goals.