Project

1: UDL Before and After

Universal Design for Learning: Before and After: Take a standard, worksheet,
objective, or lecture-/test-based activity and make it UDL. Your work can be a 500-
750 words paper or a 3-7 minute video or 23-30 PowerPoint Presentation (with
Narration). This document contains a rubric and three examples.


Your work should have the following elements:


Overviewbriefly describe what you are doing. Include the standard, objective, or
goal.


Beforewhat is a traditional, non-UDL, way this gets taught?


Explanationhow and why are you doing it this way?


Afterdescribe your new way to do this?


Assessmenthow do you measure student success?


UDL Guidelineswhat are the 3-4 UDL Guidelines that you address? How does
your project address them?





Overview

Before

Explanation

After

Assessment

UDL Guidelines

UDL Before and After Rubric

3
Clear, concise
description with
goal and objective
Clear description
of traditional
teaching method:
characterized by
lecture, print-only
delivery and
assessment
Clear and
compelling of how
and why you are
doing
New project /
activity engages
students and
correlates to UDL
principles.
Potentially engages
all students in a
classroom
Clear and doable
assessment that
captures the
objective.
Persuasive
rationales for 3-4
UDL Guidelines

2
Description is
generally clear and
concise, objective
or goal mentioned
General
description of
activity.

1
Unclear goal or
missing
objective/goal
Poor description of
activity.

Generally clear
Missing how or
explanation of how why of activity
and why.
New project /
activity offers a
different approach
to traditional
methods.
Potentially engages
more students in a
classroom.
Assessment
captures objective.

New project
/activity offers
little different to
traditional method.
Potentially engages
limited number of
students in a
classroom.
Assessment is too
complicated or
does not capture
objective
3-4 guidelines with Missing guidelines
some explanation or explanations.

UDL: Before and After (Example: Making a Scene with Similes)

Overview

Heres an activity that I developed to help students viscerally connect to figurative
language, specifically similes. It can be a pre-reading activity to a piece of literature
that has significant figurative language. In this activity students enact similes as an
alternative to simply using paper and pencil. The objective would be for students to
demonstrate a basic understanding between the literal and figurative use of words
in similes.

It is a part of this curriculum standard:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they
are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.

A key element of this standard is for students to understand how words work in
figurative language. A difficult part for many students is using language to explain
language. Using a physical visual activity can help students who have subtle or
severe language problems. It can also enrich the experience of students who are
good at language by connecting language to visual or physical phenomena.


Before

A traditional way to cover this would be something like the worksheet below. This
worksheet is from k12Reader.com and its a fairly typical activity for grades 4-6
(actually, my children came home with a similar one recently).


http://www.k12reader.com/figurative-language/circle-the-simile.pdf


Explanation

We will UDLify the teaching of similes

Now the fundamental approach to this is to make two-dimensional print become a
three-dimensional activity and stay faithful to the curriculum objective; in this case
it is figurative language. If you want a shortcut to understanding UDL, think how do I
turn 2D 3D.

After

Using three inexpensive flip cameras, I would divide the classroom into three
groups of 8-9 students. Each group would get the instructions below. Actually, I
would print the similes 10 large pieces of paper (like cue cards).

Artifact
________________________________________________________________________

Making a Scene with Similes (handout)


Your group must act and video record the following 10 Simile Scenes

Your group is.

1. As hungry as bears (without growling)

2. As busy as bees (without buzzing)
3. As sturdy as brick houses

4. As slow as snails

5. As light as feathers
6. As quiet as mice
7. As gentle as lambs (without bahhaaahhing)

8. As wise as owls (without saying who)

9. As proud as lions
10. As sneaky as snakes (without hissing)

Every student must participate in every scene, so take turns using the camera.

________________________________________________________________________
Assessment

The assessment would be a checklist review of the video or an observation of the
recording. Watch that was participating in a majority of acting out the similes. If the
students do the action when prompted by the simile, they are demonstrating a basic
understanding of the simile (and its a good building block for later).


UDL Guidelines

3Options for comprehension. The concept of figurative language can be difficult
for some students to comprehend. When they act out the similes, they connect the
behavior of the literal object with the figurative usage.

5Options for expression. Students get to express the power of language without
reading or writing. They can demonstrate a broad and beginning understanding of
similes in physical activity.

9Options for self-regulation. Working in a group is a good way for students to
follow and model other students. The use of a camera adds an extra behavioral
scaffold to emphasize the importance of doing the task--kids take their work more
seriously when it is recorded.


UDL Before and After (Example: Nuts for Fractions)

Overview

One gateway skill for math students is the ability to add and subtract fractions with
unlike denominators. Spending time and doing this in a UDL way will pay off in the
long run. In this activity students get a visual and tactile experience with adding
fractions with unlike denominators in a customized Smartboard Activity.


This activity is a part of this common core standard.

CCSS.Math.Content.5.NF.A.1 Add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators
(including mixed numbers) by replacing given fractions with equivalent fractions in
such a way as to produce an equivalent sum or difference of fractions with like
denominators


Before

This is a problem from a 5th grade textbook

Anna mixed 3/4 cup peanuts with 3/8 cup almonds. How many cups of nuts did she
have?




Theres an interesting premise in the problem above with the nuts, as it is an
authentic application of adding fractions with unlike denominators. However, its
very static. How can we make this hands on? How can we reveal the underlying
premise of finding the Lowest Common Denominator (LCD)?

We could have mixing cups with nuts, but that might be messy (though there is a
version of this activity where students use the soft string of a mop head). We would
also have to use something other than nuts because of the prevalence of nut
allergies in schools. An effective and efficient way to handle this would be to create
a SmartBoard activity.

This activity gives students a visual and tactile way to do a variety of problems with
fractions of unlike denominators.

After

We created a SmartNotebook file (Its available at the Smart Exchange, just search
for Nuts for Fractions).

In this activity students get a variety of scenarios of nut mixing. They have to move
blocks of nuts that are in 1/8 increments. There are 8 problems here, and would be
good for a group of 3-5 students.

Ideally, this would be one of 4 stations that students would rotate through. The
other stations could be written problems, manipulatives, a game-like activity,
students explaining the LCD in a video, etc.


Assessment

For each group I would have a different Smart Notebook file (e.g. Nuts for Fractions
1.notebook, Nuts for Fractions 2.notebook. etc.) Each group would simply save their
work. I would peripherally observe the groups to make sure each student got a
chance to participate in manipulating the board. It would be a pass/fail assessment.
Every group needed to have 80% of the problems correct and every group needed
to share at the board.

UDL Guidelines

2) Provide options for language, mathematical expression and symbols. This
activity demystifies the process of the LCD.

3) Provide options for comprehension. This activity gives students a tactile and
visual way to understand addition of fractions with unlike denominators.

4) Provide options for physical action. Sometimes we need to accommodate
students with limited mobility, and sometimes we need to accommodate students
who have trouble staying still. Allowing students to get out of their seats and touch
the Smartboard is a helpful strategy.

8) Provide options for self-regulation. Working collaboratively in a group, and the
pacing of the problems will help students learn to self-regulate.

UDL Before and After (Example: Nuts for Fractions, VIDEO VERSION)


If you would like to explain your work orally and use visuals, consider creating a
video or PowerPoint with narration.


Go here to see a video version: http://youtu.be/Rr8yZ4kb4hY