Step 2: Think Like a Student

Any backwards planner worth her salt will start with an objective in mind. We call ours a Target Task - it's the problem or prompt that represents the peak thinking you'll ask students to do.

But how many teachers actually *do* the Target Task? We think you should.

Completing your own Target Task, and writing down a narrative of the exact thinking you did to complete it, will give you a detailed intellectual roadmap that we call a Mastery Response Narrative. You'll use this narrative to anticipate misconceptions, plan activities, and strategize what sort of feedback you'll need to offer kids as they work.