Sara Maglov

ED-602

Spring 2018

UDL Lesson Reflection

The lesson I chose to adapt using UDL is titled “Our Place in the Galaxy” and it is a 5th grade

science project. Much of the assignment is students engaged in research to produce a final product.

The information the students are asked to research is highly motivating and engaging in itself. My

students tend to gravitate towards science activities and excel in assignments steeped in concrete

facts and information. As the original lesson is written students were to read a text to identify details

related to planet size, atmosphere, place in the solar system (in relation to the sun) and classification

and then work to create a poster to display the information gathered. I chose this activity because,

while it is highly motivating, it did not account for any learner variability. Hen previewing this lesson I

anticipated my students with fine motor difficulties, decoding deficits and language based learning

disabilities to become frustrated with what should be a fun and engaging activity. My ultimate goal

was to provide multiple means of representation and action and expression to ensure all of my

students could access the information, engage in the act of note taking and reading for detail and

create a product they were proud of and worked to their individual strengths.

The first thing I addressed was the access to the information. The lesson calls for reading an

article, with minimal visuals, and working with a partner to find the information required for the

project. In order to make this more accessible for the learners in my classroom I provided options for

accessing the text. Some students used screen reader technology to have the grade level text read

to them. These students have decoding difficulties but have strong listening comprehension skills.

These students also tend to be more independent and value the opportunity to work on their own or

in a small peer-lead group. By providing this technology access I was able to ensure I honored their

learning preference while still meeting their unique needs. Another group accessed leveled text with
the support of a human reader as needed. These students have decoding difficulties as well as a

lower level of reading comprehension. The leveled texts are modified to be accessible to a reader on

a lower reading level and have the support of more images. These images support comprehension

and allow for the students to work more independently. The access to the human reader as needed

ensures understanding without the student relying too heavily on support from an adult. Still another

group had text that was created using BoardMaker symbols. These students require significantly

modified curriculum. Using the BoardMaker program makes the text accessible and allows these

students to obtain the same information as their classmates. I wanted to ensure all of the students

had the opportunity to learn the material. Therefore, I changed the way the information was

represented rather than the information the students were required to learn. I wanted to stay away

from lowering the learning standards or objectives. These changes addressed the UDL principle of

Multiple Means of Representation and specifically speaks to the idea that we must provide options

for language. They also provide options for perception in that students have alternatives for both

auditory and visual information.

I also addressed the action of taking notes. I did not want to eliminate this entirely or provide

students with a human scribe because the act of note taking is valuable and an important life skill.

Therefore, rather than solely rely on traditional methods I allowed the students to access Google

Docs to type their information, a fill-in-the-blank note sheet and another with a human scribe as

needed. These adjustments allowed me to provide options for executive functions as well as

communication. Students demonstrated what they were learning throughout the lesson in

meaningful ways that allowed them to learn a valuable skill. I was also able to view notes throughout

the several days this project took to ensure students were organizing their information appropriately

and their information was accurate.

The other portion of this lesson I paid special attention to was the summative assessment.

Creating a poster with traditional paper and pencil poses a problem for the students in my room with

fine motor difficulties and also causes frustration for those that do not prefer this method. I wanted to
ensure each student was responsible for producing the same display of information while being

mindful of students’ preferences and strengths. Students were given the option to use traditional

paper and pencil, create a PowerPoint presentation, or Traditional poster with provided pictures and

printed information- This option is ideal for students using the adapted curriculum and materials. The

students can work with an adult to place the pictures in the appropriate order and glue on

information from their note sheets rather than re-writing the information.

Overall the projects were a huge success and students can share the information they

learned across multiple formats (both visually and orally). The students were engaged and excited to

learn so much new information about our solar system. There was a lot of front work to make the

text accessible for all students but, I feel students of all levels learned and were successful so the

amount of time was well worth it. The biggest takeaway I have for using the UDL guidelines to help

shape lessons and activities is that I can address learner variability without changing learning goals

and objectives. These principles and checkpoints help to make the same information and standards

accessible and meaningful for all learners. This idea is one I am excited to share with the other

special educators in my building as well as the general education teachers that struggle to meet the

needs of students with lower cognitive functioning.