UNIT PLAN: Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Civilized Man vs.

Beast
Abigail Brown
ED602A Curriculum Planning
Spring 2014

Introduction
When I initially designed a unit around Lord of the Flies, I was a bit hesitant to
propose using such a challenging and emotionally charged piece of literature in an 8th
grade class. The book, while relatively short, packs a seriously punch when it comes to
some of the biggest questions we face as human beings- are we good or evil? Are the
concepts of good and evil worth questioning? Would we even have them if we were left
to our own devices? Are these concepts all that prevent us from being nothing more than
beasts?
I was in 8th grade when I read this novel for the first time in an extracurricular
group called WCATY. In that group we read other novels, such as Animal Farm and the
Little Prince, that explored moral questions and encouraged us to think in ways that were
wholly new, exciting, and in my opinion very age appropriate. Middle school is the age
where kids seem to be at this crossroad between the innocence of childhood and knowing
too much to still feel as though theyre truly children (even if thats exactly what they
are.) That age is full of these kinds of questions- Who am I? What is expected of me?
What would happen to me if I dont follow these expectations, and what are they for? Do
I follow the rules because everybody else does, or do I make my own path? Why do we
have these rules in the first place?
Lord of the Flies examines these questions at length. It illustrates the age-old
battle between civilized man and the beast that is human nature, and I do believe that
with the right scaffolding, it can be an excellent unit for kids in 8th grade even if they
arent in an advanced English/Language Arts class.
At the beginning of this unit, I am presuming my class has a majority of readers
that are capable of reading at grade level, though not all need be. Im further assuming
that most of my students have not read this book yet, and are unfamiliar with its themes
and content.
A simple overview of Lord of the Flies is as follows:
A group of choir boys is shot down mid-flight during a war. These children crashland and wind up on a deserted island. Ralph and Piggy find a conch shell and use it as a
horn to summon the other boys together. Ralph is chosen as their leader, and he in turn
picks a boy named Jack to lead hunting parties for food. They start a signal fire in order
to alert any passing ships to their predicament.
Jack allows the signal fire to go out during one of his hunting parties. Ralph tries
to restore order, but Jack and his fellow hunters are stirred up and the smallest of the boys
are having nightmares. Rumors begin about a beast that lives on the island, and most of
the boys are terrified. One night there is an aerial battle and a pilot is shot down on the
island in his parachute, dead. The boys were asleep but wake up and see the silhouette
and hear noises from the parachute, and believe this is proof of the beast. Jack and Ralph
try to go investigate, are scared out of their wits when they get a vague glimpse of the
dead pilot and run back to the other boys. Jack tires of Ralphs lead and elects himself
leader of a new tribe, and takes most of the boys with him. Ralph tries to rebuild the
signal fire but he and Piggy are mostly on their own, with only a few other boys left with
them.

Meanwhile, Jack is increasingly violent and erratic. He and the other boys in his
tribe kill a sow and stick her head on a pike in the forest as a grisly (and somewhat
Colonel Kurtz-esque) tribute to Jacks reign, and as a sort of sacrifice to the islands
beast. Simon, a boy who has what some critics believed to be a form of epilepsy, sees
this sows head in the jungle and has a vision where the head speaks to him and reveals
that the beast is in the heart of each boy and not an outward independent being on the
island. Simon tries to go tell the boys, and Jacks gang winds up killing him.
Meanwhile, Ralph and Piggy have a great deal of trouble trying to come to terms
with Simons death and Jacks gang end up stealing Piggys glasses to make fire. In the
end, theres a battle between Jack and Ralph. Piggy and the conch are crushed by a
boulder Roger pushes down upon them. Ralph runs for his life and winds up running into
a Navy ship officer. In the time it has taken for all this to happen, Jack and his frenzied
tribe has accidentally set fire to the island which alerted the ship to their predicament.
Ralph and the other boys burst into tears upon seeing the officer, and the book ends.

UbD 2.0 Templates

STAGE 1 DESIRED RESULTS: Unit Lord

of the Flies
ESTABLISHED
GOALS/STANDARDS
1.
RL 8.1 Cite textual
evidence that most strongly
supports an analysis of what
the text says explicitly as
well as inferences drawn
from the text.
2.
W 8.1 Write
arguments to support claims
with clear reasons and
relevant evidence.
a. Introduce claim(s),
acknowledge and distinguish
the claim(s) from alternate or
opposing claims, and
organize the reasons and
evidence logically.
b. Support claim(s) with
logical reasoning and
relevant evidence, using
accurate, credible sources and
demonstrating an
understanding of the topic or
text.
c. Use words, phrases, and
clauses to create cohesion
and clarify the relationships
among claim(s),
counterclaims, reasons and
evidence.

Transfer
Students will be able to independently use
their learning to
Decode and analyze a text, determine how a
fictional text can be a reference or object
lesson for real-life situations, understand how
historical context can influence the
perception of human nature, derive problemsolving skills and techniques for dealing with
stressful events in everyday life.

Meaning
UNDERSTANDINGS
Students will
understand that
Historical context can
influence the way a
text is written and
what it says about
society.
A fictional text can
teach non-fictional
lessons about human
nature, conflict
resolution, and
civilization.

ESSENTIAL
QUESTIONS
What constitutes a
beast? What
constitutes civility?
What have we
created as a society
in order to maintain
civility and abolish
beastly behavior?
Has it worked?
Is human nature
inherently good or
evil? Can human
nature be influenced
in one direction or
the other? If so,
how?

Acquisition

d. Establish and maintain a

formal style
e. Provide a concluding
statement or section that
follows from and supports the
argument presented.
3.
SL 8.5 Integrate
multimedia and visual
displays into presentations to
clarify information,
strengthen claims and
evidence, and add interest.

Students will know

How to recognize
symbols in a literary
text to identify and
understand the
authors meaning.
How historical events
influence an authors
perception, or
societys perception,
of human nature.
Why fictional texts
maintain relevancy in
a non-fictional world.
How creating an
ordered environment
can produce civility
out of chaos, and why
this is important.

Students will be
skilled at
Decoding symbolism
in a fictional text to
determine the
authors intentions.
Using problemsolving skills to
maintain civility and
avoid beastly
behavior in the
classroom and
beyond.
Writing about themes
in a text and how
they relate to life
outside of the novel.
Utilizing visual,
written and verbally
performed elements
to present acquired
knowledge to a group
of peers.
Thinking critically
regarding textual
evidence, and
journaling in order to
encourage reflective
reading.

Abigail Brown 4/12/14

STAGE 2 G.R.A.S.P.S.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Facets: Empathy, Application, Explanation, Perspective
Performance Task:
Civilized Survivors!
Weve seen how useful rules and order can be for surviving in tricky situations,
and what happens when that order breaks down. With two or three
classmates, come up with several rules that will determine your survival if you
were trapped on an island like Ralph and the boys. Consider our class
questions: What makes a person civilized? How can your rules encourage
civilized behavior?
Use the following process:
1. With 2-3 peers, come up with 7-10 rules for survival on the island- Keep
in mind, theres no telling when or if you will be rescued!
2. Remember to consider what roles people may need to take in order to
ensure the success of your civilization!
3. Create a poster that displays these rules for all survivors on your island
4. What consequences might apply for those who break the rules?
5. How do you choose who does what on your island?
Goal: You and your peers are stranded on an island with little hope of rescue.
Your goal is to make a list of rules that enable you to survive peacefully and
create a civilized community on your island.
Role: Your group is made up of the leaders of your rag-tag band of survivors.
Its up to you to determine what rules are needed to keep order and who does
what to keep your community alive.
Audience: As leaders in your group of survivors, you are presenting your rules
and island roles to the rest of the kids who survived your crash. Remember,
theyre younger than you, probably scared and hoping for guidance! Jack
Merridew is not the best role model in this situation.
Situation: Just like the novel, this island is totally uninhabited, but does
present resources for survival such as food and fresh water. Theres no
telling when or if you will be rescued, so make your rules long-lasting,
important, and easy to follow.
Product: You will present a large poster for the class which outlines the rules
for your surviving community and the different roles that will be filled on the
island. Be sure to include the consequence(s) for breaking these rules, and

any roles such as hunter, fisher, water-gatherer or fire-tender that may be

needed to survive.
Standards and Criteria for Success: Your posters will be placed in a
prominent spot in the classroom, and they will be test-driven for one day in
class as we continue through the unit. Each group will have the chance to
enforce the rules they have made for at least one day in class, so make them
realistic! Ex. No speaking out of turn, Everyone has equal responsibility, You
must share food/water/resources with others, etc. Individuals will be graded
by their participation in the project, the quality of their rules AND by how well
they adhere to the rules of other groups during their day for their rules to be
enforced.
Individuals will be graded according to the following criteria:
1. Each student in your group of 3 will need to provide at least 2 of the 7-10
rules on your poster.
2. Each poster must include at least 4-6 roles for those included on the
island.
3. Each poster must include reasonable and fair consequences for breaking
the rules.
4. When presenting your poster, each group member must take a turn
speaking to introduce their rules and the roles they chose for the island,
and explain why these roles and rules will be successful in
maintaining order.
5. Rules, once posted in the room, will be used during class periods for the
remainder of the unit. REMEMBER: Classmates will decide whose rules
are the most effective!
The group whose rules are voted most successful by their classmates
will receive a prize at the end of the unit!
Evidence:
Students will show they have achieved Stage 1 goals by demonstrating
student understanding of how fictional texts maintain relevancy in a nonfictional world, and how creating an ordered environment can produce civility
out of chaos and why this is important. Students will need to rationalize their
choice of rules and roles to demonstrate their understanding of civilized
behavior. Although this is a group project, students will be graded individually
on their contributions to the poster. (See rubric.) At the end of each day of
test-driving the rules of each group, students will do an exit slip providing
their feedback for whether those rules were successful, why or why not, and
what they would have changed.

Making A Poster: Lord of the Flies: Civilized Survivors!

Teacher Name: Abigail Brown
Student Name:

CATEGORY

________________________________________

Content Accuracy

At least 7 rules and 4

roles are displayed
on the poster, and
there are fair and
equitable
consequences for
breaking rules.

5-6 rules and 3 roles

displayed on the
poster.
Consequences are
present but may
need additional work.

3-4 rules and 2 roles

are displayed on the
poster.
Consequences are
present but are
neither fair nor
equitable.

Less than 3 rules or 2

roles are displayed
on the poster.
Consequences are
impractical or absent.

Clarity and
Organization

Every role, rule and

consequence is
clearly thought out
and widely applicable
inside and outside
the classroom.

Most roles, rules and

consequences have
been thought out and
are reasonable inside
and outside the
classroom.

Some roles, rules

and consequences
are reasonable,
however most are not
applicable inside and
outside of the
classroom.

Rules, roles and

consequences
require revision and
additional thought.

Graphics Originality

Several of the
graphics used on the
poster reflect an
exceptional degree of
student creativity in
their creation and/or
display.

One or two of the

graphics used on the
poster reflect student
creativity in their
creation and/or
display.

The graphics are

No graphics made by
made by the student, the student are
but are based on the included.
designs or ideas of
others.

Knowledge
Gained

Student can
accurately answer all
questions related to
facts in the poster
and processes used
to create the poster,
and defend their
reasons for choosing
the rules,
consequences and
roles they created.

Student can
accurately answer
most questions
related to facts in the
poster and processes
used to create the
poster, and can
provide adequate
reasons for choosing
the rules,
consequences and
roles they created.

Student can
accurately answer
about 75% of
questions related to
facts in the poster
and processes used
to create the poster,
reasons for choosing
the rules,
consequences and
roles they did are
unclear.

Student appears to
have insufficient
knowledge about the
facts or processes
used in the poster,
student cannot
provide solid reasons
for choosing the
rules, consequences
or roles they created.

Use of Class
Time

Used time well during

each class period.
Focused on getting
the project done.
Never distracted
others.

Used time well during

each class period.
Usually focused on
getting the project
done and never
distracted others.

Used some of the

time well during each
class period. There
was some focus on
getting the project
done but occasionally
distracted others.

Did not use class

time to focus on the
project OR often
distracted others.

Date Created: Apr 26, 2014 07:51 am (CDT)

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Lord of the Flies Unit, Stage 3 Learning Plan using AMT

By Abigail Brown
Day 1: (A) Hook and intro to the unit. Before the students enter the classroom, there will
be ocean sounds playing, a picture of an island beach projected on the white board, I
might have some sort of tropical scented candle lit, too. The Do-Now once the kids have
taken their seats will be to ask questions that introduce the topic of the unit indirectly:
Define these words: Conch shell, Civilization, Allegory, Beast. This way I can check for
prior knowledge while the students will (hopefully) become curious about what these
words may have in common. There will be an intro to the book, and the learning targets
will be introduced and posted in the room. ELLs and general ed students alike will need
vocabulary lists in order to understand the book, as some language may be challenging
for them. These lists will be distributed at the end of each day and correlate with that
evenings readings, and there will be a word wall to refer to in the classroom as well.
Students will be assigned reading for the first night and will be introduced to the rubric
for their activity. The class discussion will go over the definitions of those words from
the Do-Now. Once a general basis of understanding is achieved for these definitions, the
definitions will be added to the word wall. Students will need to give a decent definition
of one of those words, (without looking at the wall), as their first day exit ticket.
Day 2: (M) Reading journals will be passed out. Students will be using these journals to
write about the readings they have done, and address the Do-Now questions on the board
when they come in. Todays questions will be What makes up a civilization? How does
a person act civilized? There will be a discussion about these questions and students
will have the chance to write their ideas on the board in turn.
Students will view a brief section (3 minutes) from the 1990s movie version of the book
where the kids have arrived on the island and are laying out rules for living together
there. Ill let the students know that they should pay attention to this part- it will relate to
our activity tomorrow, and they should come prepared with markers and a strong will to
survive tomorrows activity will need them to be on their A-game!
After watching the clip from the movie, students will be asked whether this clip changes
or supports their opinions about what makes up a civilization. Students may discuss with
a partner and then share with the class.
The rest of the class time will be given to read or catch up on reading, as were moving
quickly through the book. Students who are caught up may do their journaling for the
reading.
Day 3: (AT) CIVILIZED SURVIVORS!!! Todays lesson will be the activity plan
developed for Stage II. Students will at this point have a working understanding of the
rules laid out for the island in the book, and at least a suspicion that these rules arent
exactly working out for the boys. The lesson will be introduced by referencing the video
clip seen yesterday and explaining the activity for the day. Details for the activity can be
found in the outline for stage two. After the activity, students will be told which small

groups rules will be used for tomorrows lesson, vocab lists will be distributed, reading
pages will be assigned.
Day 4: (AMT) Students share an entry to their reading journals as a Do-Now, discuss in
small groups. Todays lesson will introduce the historical context of the novel- The
author seems to have a very negative view of human nature. Why might this be so?
Show a very brief clip of some WWII footage and introduce a clip of William Golding
explaining the book in his own words. Students are invited to guess what these two clips
may have in common. Students will probably surmise that William Golding fought in
WWII; I will confirm this and ask the students to consider what that might have been like
and how it would have influenced his writing. Ask the students to journal about how
their own life experiences have changed the way they see the world for worse or better.
Introduce vocab lists and reading for that night, exit ticket will be an evaluation of how
todays rules from stage II went.
Day 5: (MT) Mini pop quiz for the Do-Now, 5 questions T/F. Look again at the historical
context for the novel. Class discussion topics: What has changed since WWII? Has it
changed for the better, the worse, or do things seem the same? Discuss how Goldings
view of humanity may have changed if he lived in the current day and age, and why or
why not. Are we more civilized? More beastly? How has our definition of the word
beast changed since the beginning of this unit? Students will have time to write down
responses and discuss them with peers in groups of 3, then each group will share out with
the class at least 1 thing they learned today, or 1 thing they found interesting from todays
talk. Vocab lists for that night will be distributed, as well as pages to be read that night.
Exit tickets assess student rules developed to this point. By tomorrow, students will have
finished reading the book.
Day 6: (T) Do Now- Pair share ideas related to the questions on the board: Now that the
book is finished, what might you have done differently in Ralphs place? In Piggys? In
Jacks? Is there a character you relate with most? If so, why? After discussing this, we
will pass out the rubric for the final project. Students can choose between writing an
essay, performing a skit and answering a few short questions, or making a
painting/poster/drawing and answering a few short questions to assess content
knowledge. Students will decide and sign up for which summative assessment they
would prefer. Afterwards, students will participate in a brief Fishbowl-format debate
regarding the following topic: Would you have sided with Jack or Ralph? Why?
Day 7: (MT) What is Civilization? What is a Beast? The Do-Now will be to define
these terms in their OWN words in their reading journals. Since everyone has had a
chance to read the book by this point, we will now discuss as a class who, or what, the
beast was on the island and how it pertains to the title of the book: Was it perhaps one of
the boys? A group of them? All of them? Did it stand for something else- maybe human
nature? Where does the term Lord of the Flies come from, and what does it mean in
this context? Without rules and order, would we just be beasts? This discussion is to
prompt some ideas for the students final projects. The discussion will be held in the
following format: Students will be given time to write down each of these questions.

Then, they have five minutes to consider the questions on their own. After five minutes,
students are encouraged to raise their hand and give their thoughts about any of these
questions. Another student may add their thoughts about that question, or they may
provide their thoughts about any of the other questions. After the discussion, they can
use their notes to start working on their projects.
Day 8: (T) Students are given a work day to get farther on their projects. Student skits
and posters will be presented tomorrow.
Day 9: (T) Students who have decided to present posters or skits will be
performing/presenting the first half of the day. The latter half will be given for silent
work time- students will either be working on their essays or answering the short
questions for the other half of their summative assessment.
Day 10: (M) Essays are due. Students are given the opportunity to provide feedback
about the unit and the book itself while other kids who may need a little extra time to
finish up may do so in the team or common area, or in another quiet room if need be. Did
they enjoy it? Why or why not? What did they like best or least about it? Has it changed
their perspective? Was there any activity they would have liked to have done? Students
will vote on whose class rules were the most successful. That group (or groups) will be
rewarded with a class-determined reward, and students will have the option of watching
more of the film of Lord of the Flies until the bell if we finish our discussion early.

Lesson Plan Template

Name:____Abigail Brown______
Lesson Overview
Title of Unit
Subject area
Grade level
Duration of unit
Unit Description

Unit goals
(Standards)

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

English/Language Arts
8
2 Weeks
In this unit, we will be exploring civilization and the nature of
the human condition as proposed by William Golding, and
investigating how the authors experience with war and
international conflict has shaped his perspective and influenced
his writing.
1.
RL 8.1 Cite textual evidence that most strongly supports
an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences
drawn from the text.
2.
W 8.1 Write arguments to support claims with clear
reasons and relevant evidence.
a. Introduce claim(s), acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s)
from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and
evidence logically.
b. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant
evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an
understanding of the topic or text.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify
the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons and
evidence.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style
e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from
and supports the argument presented.

Knowledge & Skills

3.
SL 8.5 Integrate multimedia and visual displays into
presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and
evidence, and add interest.
Students will understand/know
I can understand and explain the use of a literary symbol
in a fictional text.
I can explain how historical context influences an
authors writing
I can draw parallels between a fictional text and modern
day social relationships.
I can use a text to construct problem-solving skills and
share those problem-solving skills effectively with my peers.
Students will be able to

Identify at least one (1) symbol in Lord of the Flies and explain
what that symbol represents in the context of the book.
Explain the correlation between WWII and its effects on William
Goldings view of human nature.
Develop problem-solving skills and identify successful
interpersonal behaviors for conflict resolution based on
inferences drawn from the text.
Lesson
Todays lesson will look at the connection between the novel and
Description/Overview its historical context. William Golding fought in WWII- how has
for the Day
this influenced the novel and the authors perspective? Would
Goldings opinion of mankind be different today? Why or why
not?
Pre-lesson
Students have read a significant portion of the novel to this point,
Assumptions
and are past the mid-way mark. Students are likely familiar with
WWII but may not know that William Golding was a soldier in
this war. Every student will have vocabulary lists throughout the
unit that give explicit definitions of each word they may be
unfamiliar with, and there will be a word wall as well. My
student(s) with visual impairments will have been provided with
an audio version of the book and I will have recordings of these
vocab words and their definitions in addition to a large-text
version of the vocab list prepared for them.
Goals
Daily Lesson
Students will understand how historical context can shape an
Targets
authors perspective and influence their writing. Students will
recognize the impact of an authors experiences on the theme(s)
of their work.
Targeted
Visual impairment including blindness means an impairment in
disability area
vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child's
and key features educational performance. The term includes both partial sight
of disability for
and blindness. (IDEA: 34 C.F.R. 300.8(c)(13).)
UDL
Student may need auditory references rather than visual
application(s)
references, assistive technology and/or a paraprofessional,
preferential seating to view the board and larger text on
assignments, recorded lectures, verbal responses rather than
written answers, and a safe and consistent physical learning
environment. (UDL 1.3, 2.1, 5.1, 5.2, 6.3, 7.1, 7.3, 9.2)
ELL
Provide vocabulary lists and a word wall for student reference,
considerations
students may have a translator or request verbal responses vs
written responses. Additionally, regular check-ins with the
students during individual work time may help. For the units
summative assessment there are options for more verbally-abled
students and an essay option for students who feel more
comfortable writing.

Extension
considerations
for high
achieving
students

High achieving students will have journal prompts each night

that push for more critical thinking. We know that Goldings
view of human nature was influenced by the war. What other
inferences can we draw from the text? What if there had been
girls on the island instead of boys? What inferences can we
draw regarding the age of the boys- would they have acted
differently if they were older? Younger? Why? Students will be
encouraged to look at the final essay or skit in a more critical
light, and possibly delve into the gender bias or less obvious
symbolism present in the book.

Method
Lesson Section

Description

POTENTIAL
BARRIER
FOR
LEARNING:
The student
has
challenges
with

UDL Principles &

Guidelines addressed
including rationale
for selection
Multiple means of

Representat
ion
Action and
Expression
Engagement

Hook/Motivation/Opening As students enter,

(5 Minutes)
there will be
recordings of
WWII
correspondence
playing, and a
picture of battle
from WWII
projected onto
the board/screen.
When the bell
rings, I will play
a recording of
William Golding
explaining why
he wrote Lord of
the Flies in his
own words
(YouTube clip,
about 3 minutes
long at most.)

Seeing the
board, or
written
prompts on
the board.

R 1.3, alt. for visual

info. While the other
students are writing,
either my co-teacher or
I will provide a verbal
prompt for my visually
impaired learner and
allow a verbal
response.

Introduce & Model new

Knowledge/Focus lesson

See above

AE 4.3, Integrate
assistive technologies.

My co-teacher
will start by

(I do)
(10 Min)

asking how the

picture and
recording made
students feel,
what it reminded
them of and why
they think we
might have used
it in this lessonwell take a few
hands to answer
these questions.
Then, Ill
introduce the
historical context
for the novel:
William Golding
was a soldier in
WWII and fought
in the invasion of
Normandy on DDay. Ill have a
picture of him on
the board and
pass a handout to
my visually
impaired
student(s).

Provide guided practice

(we do ) and/or
Collaborative Learning
(we do together)
(20 min)

Class Discussion:
How did students
feel hearing the
recordings of
WWII? How
might Golding
have felt when he
was in battle?
Might this have
influenced this
book? Notice
that he did not
mention war in
his explanation.

Student may take notes

with a braille note
taker, and I will be
recording lessons to
upload to the class
website so information
can be accessed by all
students at home as
well. I will be mindful
to speak aloud anything
I write on the board.
Handouts with large
lettering will allow for
up-close inspection by
visually impaired
students.

Students with
sensory
impairments
benefit from
utilizing the
other senses
during
learning and
practice

E 8.3 Foster
collaboration and
communication by
encouraging group
discussion regarding
this new information,
which again will be
recorded (see above.)

Why do you
think that is?
Does that mean it
did not influence
his writing, or did
he intentionally
leave that out?
Students will
discuss with each
other in a guided
manner.

Provide Independent
practice (you do)
(10 min)

Students are
Reading and
encouraged to
writing text
briefly journal a
reflection about
todays class, and
then read for the
remainder of the
class period.
During the
journaling time,
my co-teacher
and I will be
stopping at the
students desks to
keep them on
task and ask them
about their
response. This
will allow me to
check for
understanding
and make sure
kids are on the
same page, and
help others catch
up who may need
some extra time
or assistance.

AE 6.3 Facilitate
managing info and
resources. Audio
books will be provided
for this and all other
units, and students will
be encouraged to take
advantage of tech
resources like BARD
or software that
provides text-to-voice
capability.
Students with visual
impairment are also
encouraged to journal
by recording their
responses or sharing
thoughts aloud with the
instructor rather than
writing if they prefer.

Assessment

Formative/on-going
assessment method

Summative
assessment/closure
activity/exit pass

Description

POTENTIAL
BARRIER
FOR
LEARNING:
The student
has
challenges
with

Class discussion,
the daily journal
entries by students,
answers to the DoNow prompt on the
board. Exit tickets.
Before students are
let out, theyll fill
in the blank of this
question, aloud, by
quickly going
around the room.
Keep it short, only
a few words. If
William Golding
were alive today,
he would think that
human nature
was (Bad?
Peaceful? Better?
Depressing?
Different?)

Viewing the
board or
handouts

UDL Principles &

Guidelines addressed
including rationale for
selection
Multiple means of
Representatio
n
Action and
Expression
Engagement
See above

E 7.3, reduce
threats/distractions.
Having another written
prompt might be
challenging for the student,
so to foster inclusion and
assess understanding of all
students using the same
method, the exit slip will
be a short verbal response.

Co-Teaching Structure to be used and rationale

Structure
Rationale
I Do and We Do sections will be team-taught in order to facilitate
The I do and We greater discussion, and because the discussion is an open forum.
do sections will be Well be discussing more abstract concepts that both teachers
team teaching, the should have a good basis in understanding. As for the You Do
you do will likely section, we will likely be addressing advanced students and
be alternate
struggling students by doing individual check-ins at their desks,

teaching for this

lesson

assessing where theyre at, and providing more guidance or pushing

for more in-depth thinking depending on the student. This avoids
the stigma of some students being removed in a group, and still
allows us to check in with kids when we need to.

Materials (adaptations and regular materials): Attach

Adapted materials are verbal rather than visual/tangible to account for the students
visual impairment.

Reflection
Having completed the unit plan, I will admit that I found the process both
challenging and rewarding. I have a much firmer grasp of the UDL and UBD
frameworks and how to use them to the benefit of the students in my classroom, but I also
know how time-consuming and difficult it can be to really stay aligned with your
standards throughout a unit. I think that this practice has given me a lot of fodder for
future units as well. Now that Im more comfortable with the standards, I feel that this
opens up some interesting opportunities going forward. My next unit will likely be
longer, and contain multiple works of fiction rather than one singular book. I think, too,
that although I most enjoy a class discussion as the centerpiece of a lesson, Ill need to
move out of that comfort zone for future lessons and be more creative.
I think the most challenging part was finding out how to fit things within a 45
minute period. It was really enjoyable to create a GRASPS activity, but somewhat
problematic to scale it back to fit one or two class periods. I think, given time, Ill get
better at that part.
In regards to UDL and making my lessons accessible to all students, I feel a little
intimidated going forward. I loved learning about this concept and applying it to my unit
because it forced me to think about my lessons in a more creative way, but I also have
some anxiety about whether I did enough. I think the most helpful aspect of creating
lessons with this framework in mind will be actually knowing my students, and being
able to work with them individually to find out what would make things best for them. I
dont think any two people with the same disability are alike- Just like two kids may sing
well but sound completely different, two kids who may have EBDs or have ADHD may
need totally different adaptations or modifications, and being open to the students as
individuals will be a lot easier to work with than working with an abstract concept.
Overall, I felt that the class prepared me well for the next step toward licensure.
Im particularly eager to look at my next practicum experience through a lens of
Universal Design for Learning, as Ill be placed at two different alternative high schools.
This will give me an excellent opportunity to see how UDL can be applied in classrooms
with very diverse student ability, from students who are extremely advanced to kids who
might have EBDs and learning disabilities in greater numbers than at other public
schools. I requested this placement in hopes that I can gain the greatest amount of insight
possible, and I cant wait to apply what Ive learned here in the classroom.