Section 3: Other UDL Ideas

Engagement

Activity
Students could work in groups during
the summative assessment. This
would match up with the principle
8.3: Foster collaboration and
community. They could use a spelling
word of their choice from the week
for a cross-curricular activity with
Language Arts.
At the beginning of the lesson, the
goals for learning should be
highlighted for the students both
orally and written on the board. This
will match up with checkpoint 8.1:
Heighten salience of goals and
objectives.
The teacher should use language that
promotes motivation and interest in
the topic. This aligns with the UDL
checkpoint 9.1: Promote expectations
and beliefs that optimize motivation.

How would this help students meet the goal?

Students can assist each other with the learning goal of
understanding how counting squares is a strategy for
calculating area. This can help the assessment move
faster in a time crunch. Students can also help each
other check their work and explain any misunderstood
concepts.

By clearly describing to students the purpose of the

lesson, they will be more able to see the full picture of
the lesson. They will understand more how the activities
of the lesson tie into the topic of area and perimeter.

If the teacher is interested in the subject, then the

students will be to. If the teacher is disinterested, the
students will not feel motivated to learn the material.
Enthusiasm is vital in education, and especially in math
where so many students feel a disconnect to their
personal lives.

Representation

Activity
How would this help students meet the goal?
As a take home activity or
It would help students with more practice in calculating area.
homework extension activity,
It would also assist them in strengthening the salience of the
have students find the area in goals by making it more applicable to their everyday lives.
inches of something in their
house. They can determine the
area by measuring the lengths of
the sides and multiplying or by

breaking it up into squares and

counting. This would coincide
with checkpoint 3.4: Maximize
transfer and generalization.
As a class, the students can
The students will be able to see the kinds of things they can
come up with a list of things
calculate area for. They will be able to see across the board
they could calculate the area of. the similarities in each object listed and how the area would
The teacher can write it on the be calculated.
board as they come up with
each idea. This meets checkpoint
3.2: Highlight patterns, critical
features, big ideas and
relationships.
Students will take a list of
Students will understand that area can be calculated
objects and order them from
precisely, but can also be calculated and compared using
biggest to smallest in terms of more general methods beforehand.
area. This could be done as part
of the Anticipatory Set. This
meets checkpoint 3.2: Highlight
patterns, critical features, big
ideas and relationships

Action and Expression

Activity
How would this help students meet the goal?
Using a cross curricular plan with art, Students will calculate the area of a shape using squares
students can draw shapes and fun
to do so. While drawing is a relaxing activity, the math
designs on graph paper and color
ties in perfectly with the art. It will also make the activity
them in. They can then calculate the more authentic for the kids if they know that there will
area of their shape using the strategy eventually be an audience for their work.
of counting squares. These can be
displayed in the hallway for other
classrooms to see. This aligns with
the checkpoint 5.1: Use multiple
media for communication.
Students can use an area calculator This ensures that there isnt a barrier for students when
online to check their work when
calculating the area of shapes. It also provides a different
calculating the area of certain
means of calculation instead of using a basic calculator.
shapes, not limited to rectangles.
One example of an online area calculator can be found:
This coincides with checkpoint 4.2: http://www.calculator.net/area-calculator.html

Optimize access to tools and assistive

technologies.
Students will verbally make a list as a This eliminates any potential barriers that may come
class of things they know they could with writing. It also increases the authenticity of the
calculate the area by counting
lesson if students know objects in their real world that
can be used during this lesson.
squares. This coincides with
Checkpoint 4.1: Vary the methods for
response and navigation.