Katey Brashears

UDL Lesson Plan

CLASS DESCRIPTION
This class consists of 18 first grade students, ranging from five to
seven years of age. The area of content is English/Language Arts. There
are four students with exceptionalities in this class. Maria is an
English Language Learner. She was born in the United States, but has grown
up and lives in a home where only Spanish is spoken. She was not
introduced to the English language until she was there years old when she
began pre-school. She speaks English fluently and has demonstrated that
she fully comprehends spoken English. Maria, however, struggles with
reading and writing in the English language.
Brett is a gifted and talented student. He has a slightly higher than
average IQ. He reads two grade levels above his fellow classmates. Brett
often finishes assignments early. If he does complete an assignment early,
he often becomes disruptive to his classmates. However, if Brett finishes
early and he is given an extension activity, he does not become disruptive.
Mike has been identified as having a high-incidence learning disability.
He struggles to read grade level text and is unable to comprehend what he
has read. Data collected by his teacher suggests he is reading three levels
below his peers. When material is read to him, however, he can answer
questions with a high degree of accuracy. When asked to read aloud in class
or to respond verbally to written direction, Mike often becomes verbally
abusive to the teacher and his classmates. In the area of expressive oral
language, Mike demonstrates the ability to describe scenes, give directions,

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UDL Lesson Plan

and explain steps. However, in written expression, Mike scores significantly

below his peers in his ability to spell words used in everyday writing and to
compose and write an organized, complete letter. His understanding of
mathematical concepts seems strong, but his academic progress in math is
hindered by his difficulties with reading and writing.
Jamal is a student with low-incidence cerebral palsy. He is an
enthusiastic student who is interested in the military and likes to use
computers. He uses a wheelchair for mobility. Jamal speaks quite slowly and
his speech is often unintelligible. With great difficulty, he can write/draw
with a writing utensil and paper. He is much more successful using a
computer with an expanded keyboard. Jamal is struggling with the
increasing amounts of reading and writing. He is particularly engaged in
science and social studies, and he has strong strategic skills. Jamal can
become discouraged easily because in order to simply keep pace, Jamal
must invest tremendous effort due to his motor difficulties.
The classroom contains a copious amount of assistive
technology resources, both low tech and high tech, which help to
teach content so that it is universally accessible. There are many
visual cues and picture boards in the room, in order to assist learners who
are struggling with reading, or students who are English language learners,
or students with reading disabilities. There is a range of writing utensils
available to students in the classroom. For example, there are extra
standard pencils for student use; however, there are also wide pencils,

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UDL Lesson Plan

markers, fat crayons, highlighters, and pens. There are five Page Up
devices in the classroom, which is a tool that is used to hold papers or a
book. Also, each student has his or her own Eye Lighter, which is a
transparent piece of colored plastic that highlights small portions of text.
In terms of high tech tools in the classroom, there are several different
technologies to accommodate all students. There are two ReadingPen
devices accessible to students. There is a Promethean Board in the
classroom that is used for interactive, whole-class activities. In order to write
on the board, students can choose to use either an electronic pen, or an
electronic wand that is longer, and makes it easier to reach. The Promethean
Board is connected to a desktop computer that contains ActivInspire, so that
students and teachers can create interactive flip charts. The classroom has
five laptops, and an iPad. The laptops have software programs installed on
them for student use. The software programs that will be used in this lesson
are Pixie and ActivInspire. The iPad contains several applications as well.
hat are used to assist Jamal, such as Proloquo2Go (an AAC application).
Jamal uses an extended keyboard that can be attached to his iPad or a
computer. He also uses headphones to listen to text, as there is a text-tospeech application on his iPad. For this lesson, there will be a digital camera
in the room for students who want to complete their assessment by creating
a video.

Katey Brashears
UDL Lesson Plan

LESSON PLAN
About This Lesson

Description: In this lesson, students will listen to the story The Grouchy
Ladybug Eric Carle as it is read aloud to them. Students will complete
two activities to help them comprehend the text and identify the order
of the events in the story. As an assessment, students will be required
to create a presentation retelling the story. This lesson is part of a
literacy unit that introduces students to many new stories, components
of stories, and the chance to write a story. This lesson could be used

from kindergarten to third grade.

Prerequisites: Students must be able to read simple text, and students
should be able to write short sentences. Students who are unable to
complete these tasks will be provided with alternative means of
gathering and communicating information. Students should also be
familiar with the author/illustrator Eric Carle, and they will benefit from

background knowledge of ladybugs and other insects.

Estimated time: 1 hour

Potential Use

Purpose: Grade 1 classroom instruction

Grade(s): 1st
Content areas: English/Language Arts
Common Core: Reading Literature
Key Ideas and Details
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.1 (grade 1): Ask and answer questions
about key details in a text.

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UDL Lesson Plan

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.2 (grade K): With prompting and support,

retell familiar stories, including key details.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.2 (grade 1): Retell stories, including key
details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or
lesson.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.3 (grade K): With prompting and support,
identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.3 (grade 1): Describe characters,
settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.7 (grade 1): Use illustrations and details
in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.

Goals

Instructional goals: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the

order of events in a story.

Objective: Students will identify key details in a story in order to
demonstrate an understanding of the sequence of events in a story by

retelling the events in a logical manner.

Variability: There are a variety of learners in this class. Fourteen of the
18 students are on grade level; four students in this class require
special needs. Brett is a student who is gifted and talented. Another
student, Maria, is an English language learner. Jamal is a student with
low-incidence cerebral palsy, and Mike has a high-incidence learning

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UDL Lesson Plan

disability. In order to address the needs of all learners, as well as

provide a variety of methods of assessment, students will be able to
choose the way in which they access the text, as well as choose the
method they wish to complete the assessment.
Assessments

Formative assessment(s): Retell Presentation: The Grouchy Ladybug

Students will retell the story The Grouchy Ladybug by creating a
presentation that shows the sequence of events. This assessment will
demonstrate that students can identify key events in a story.
PROMPT: With your group, create a picture presentation that
shows the events that happened in The Grouchy Ladybug, and
what time they occurred. Label each picture with one
sentence. Example: At 2 oclock, the ladybug met a
_________________. You can choose one of the following methods
to make your presentation:
1. Use the computers to create a digital story on Pixie or
ActivInspire. Draw pictures of each event, or use images on
Pixie. Type labels to describe the picture.
2. Make a poster using poster board and markers. Draw a
picture of each event and write a label for the pictures.
3. Create a video telling the story. (The teacher will record the
video). Include props, drawings, or pictures to show the

events that happened in the story.

Summative assessment(s): Unit Project Create Your Own Picture
Book: Students will create a picture story that includes all of the new

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UDL Lesson Plan

literary elements. This assessment will allow students to demonstrate

an application of the content they have learned in this unit.
Instructional Methods

Opening
o Activate background knowledge of ladybugs, by playing the
Ladybug | Insects for Kids ~ Tea Time with Tayla YouTube video.
o Give each student a copy of The Ladybug Poem. This poem
contains visual cues and can be helpful for ELL students and
struggling readers. Read the poem aloud.

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UDL Lesson Plan

o Introduce the objective: Students will identify key details in

a story in order to demonstrate an understanding of the
sequence of events in a story by retelling the events in a

logical manner.
During
o Divide students into groups of four. (There will be four groups of
four and one group of two. Maria and Jamal will be paired
together so they can share their materials). Use the Big Book to
read aloud to students, and give each group a standard copy of
The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle to follow along during the
read aloud. (Some students are auditory learners and can learn
just by listening, while other students are visual learners and
would benefit from a close-up copy of the story). Tell students to
pay special attention to the characters that the ladybug meets,
and what time she meets them. Read aloud to students. When
the ladybug meets a new animal, hold up that animal card. The
cards contain a picture of the animal, the English word for the
animal, and the Spanish word for the animal. After reading the
story, revisit the section of the story where the ladybug meets
the other animal characters.
o Have students do a shared reading activity in their small groups
by taking turns rereading The Grouchy Ladybug. In the
partnered group (Jamal and Maria), provide a ReadingPen, and
urge them to use Jamals iPad to watch a read aloud video on

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UDL Lesson Plan

YouTube. Again, encourage students to pay close attention to

the series of events in the story.
o Give each group of four a graphic organizer. Using graphic
organizers help Mike visualize the information and organize his
writing. The three out of four groups that are on grade level will
receive a handout that has a column that contains pictures of
clocks that match the times in the story, and another column
that is blank. Students can write, draw a picture, or place a
sticker of the animal in the box next to the time the ladybug met
the character. The group of higher level students will receive a
blank organizer. They will be required to refer to the text to fill in
the events as well as the times they occurred. The partner
group, Maria and Jamal, will play a matching game. They will
receive two sets of cards: cards with pictures of clocks, and cards
with pictures of the animals. While students are working, project
the flip chart on the Promethean Board. The flip chart contains
pictures of clocks that show all the times in the story. Behind
each clock picture is a picture of the character the ladybug met
at that time. When students are finished working, they can use
the Promethean pen or wand to drag the clocks aside to check
their answers.

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UDL Lesson Plan

o The assessment for this lesson is a group presentation.

Introduce the prompt:
o Allow students to work in their groups and take the role of a
With your group, create a picture presentation that shows the
events that happened in The Grouchy Ladybug, and what time
they occurred. Label each picture with one sentence. Example:
At 2 oclock, the ladybug met a _________________. You can choose
one of the following methods to make your presentation:
1. Use the computers to create a digital story on Pixie or
ActivInspire. Draw pictures of each event, or use
images on Pixie. Type labels to describe the picture.
2. Make a poster using poster board and markers. Draw a
picture of each event and write a label for the pictures.
3. Create a video telling the story. (The teacher will
record the video). Include props, drawings, or pictures
to show the events that happened in the story.
facilitator during this portion of the lesson. It is OK to help
students with technology, but allow them to develop the retell

presentations on their own.

Closing
o Each group will have a turn to present their projects.
o After the presentations, ask Brett to read the objective aloud to
the class. Ask students to raise their hands if they feel that they
accomplished the daily objective.

Materials

Materials and supplies:

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UDL Lesson Plan

o One Big Book copy of The Grouchy Ladybug (read aloud)

o Five standard copies of The Grouchy Ladybug (one for each
o
o
o
o
o
o
o

group)
Graphic organizer
Ladybug Poem
Laptops with Pixie, desktop computer with ActivInspire
Flip chart
Poster board
Markers
Digital camera (and cable or memory card reader to share the

video)
o Animal cards with a picture, the English word, and the Spanish

word
o Animal stickers
o iPad with Proloquo2Go app
o iPad headphones and extended keyboard
o MP3 player and headphones
o Stress ball
o Eye Lighter
o ReadingPen
Resources included:
o Ladybug | Insects for Kids ~ Tea Time with Tayla (YouTube video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XS1bvDtnM0
o The Grouchy Ladybug Read Aloud (YouTube video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekTonmCLnmk
o The Grouchy Ladybug Read Aloud (Justbooksreadaloud) http://justbooksreadaloud.com/ReadToMe.php?
vid=GrouchyLadybug

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UDL Lesson Plan

SYNTHESIS AND REFLECTION

CEC Standards 1(Learner Development & Individual Learning Differences),

3(Curricular Content Knowledge), 5(Instructional Planning Strategies)

1. Describe the artifact and identify the standard(s) reflected.

This artifact is a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) lesson plan that
provides differentiated instruction for a diverse group of learners in a
classroom. Additionally, the lesson plan includes the identification of
additional supports for two students in particular who require

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UDL Lesson Plan

accommodations to access the content. This lesson incorporates three of the

professional standards issued by the Council for Exceptional Children:
Standard 1: Learner Development and Individual Learning
Differences
Standard 3: Curricular Content Knowledge
Standard 5: Instructional Planning Strategies
As this is a UDL lesson, I have been able to see how the application of
the UDL Guidelines can promote the success of a diverse set of students.
The first guideline, multiple means of engagement, is applied
predominantly in the beginning of the lesson, though it is important to
develop an engaging atmosphere that continues throughout the course of
the lesson. Providing students with a video to activate background
knowledge as well as reading a poem that contains visual cues can help to
draw in auditory and visual learners.
During the development of new learning, the UDL guideline multiple
means of representation is vital to promote universal learning. Each and
every student learns differently, and this guideline stresses the importance
of creating a variety of activities that allow students to reach the same goals.
For example, during the group activity in which students were required to
order the events in the story, I developed three different assignments that
would reflect the accommodations and supports needed by each student.
Some students were asked to draw pictures next to the appropriate time (on
grade level), some students were asked to fill in the entire chart (above

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UDL Lesson Plan

grade level), and two students with language barriers and physical
restrictions were invited to play a matching game. All students are able to
complete a variation of the assignment that teaches and strengthens the
same skills.
The final UDL guideline, multiple means of expression, involves
allowing each student the opportunity to demonstrate what they have
learned. For example, if a student can write, but with great struggle, a
writing assignment could not only interfere with the assessment process, but
it could also be very frustrating and discouraging to the student. In this
lesson, the students were asked to demonstrate the ability to identify the
main events in a story by retelling the story in a picture presentation.
Students could draw and write, use the computer to create a Pixie
presentation, or use a digital camera to record a short video retelling the
story. This way, students ability to exhibit their new skills is not hindered by
an unreasonable, unattainable, assessment process.
In order to meet the universal needs of a variety of learners, many low
tech and high tech assistive technology supports were included in the lesson.
Two students in particular, Mike and Jamal, have exceptionalities that require
additional supports for this lesson. First, I provided modified writing utensils.
Students in first grade are still developing fine motor skills, and therefore it
can be difficult to hold standard school supplies. Additionally, Jamal has low
incidence cerebral palsy, and it can be very challenging for him to write.

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UDL Lesson Plan

Using thicker pencils, crayons, and other writing tools can make it easier for
him to write on paper.
There are five Page Up devices in the classroom, which is a low tech
tool that is used to hold papers or a book, for students that may have
difficulty holding reading materials. The Eye Lighter is another low tech
assistive technology tool that is given to each student to help them
concentrate on a specific section of the text. This tool is particularly
beneficial to Mike, as he tends to struggle with reading and organization.
A ReadingPen is a portable scanner that can scan text to read words
aloud, in order to help students with comprehension and fluency.
Additionally, this tool has the capability to define words when a student
encounters a word they are unfamiliar with. Maria, an English language
learner, would benefit very much from this high tech tool.
One student, Jamal uses an iPad. The iPad contains many apps that
are used to assist Jamal, such as Proloquo2Go (an AAC application). Jamal
also uses an extended keyboard that can be attached to his iPad, or a
computer, to make it less challenging for him to type.

2. Describe how this artifact demonstrates mastery of the identified

standard(s).
The construction of this lesson plan has provided an opportunity to
apply, and develop mastery of, three CEC standards. A complete
understanding of the first standard, Learner Development and Individual

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UDL Lesson Plan

Learning Differences, can be identified, as I have successfully identified

and addressed a variety of learners and their individual needs. The third
standard, Curricular Content Knowledge, was applied, as I created a
lesson that is both accessible to all learners and appropriate for the grade
level. Additionally, the content of the lesson is directly related to several of
the Common Core Standards for Kindergarten through grade 2. Finally, my
mastery of Standard 5: Instructional Planning Strategies is reflected
throughout the entire lesson, but perhaps the most concrete representation
of this standard is the development of the SETT charts. I created two SETT
charts, one for each student with exceptionalities. This demonstrates that I
am able to identify learning differences and provide accommodations to
promote the success of each student.

3. Describe how the knowledge, skills and dispositions learned from

completing this artifact have a positive impact on student learning.
Completing this UDL lesson plan has allowed me to develop new
knowledge, skills, and dispositions that will have impact student learning in a
positive way. For example, I have learned how to appropriately format a UDL
lesson plan that includes all of the necessary information. I was also able to
create SETT charts for two students, and developing these charts has
encouraged me to look at teaching differently. For example, the SETT
Framework requires the teacher to identify a students strengths and needs,
the environment in which the student will be learning, the tasks the student

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UDL Lesson Plan

will be required to complete, the tools necessary for the student to be

successful, and a rationale for the assistive technology supports that are
being utilized. The practical application of the UDL guidelines, SETT charts,
and Common Core Standards has allowed me to develop a new set of skills in
terms of addressing the needs of students with exceptionalities. Therefore,
my future students will each have the opportunity to learn, explore, and
thrive in my classroom.