Izilandria Alcorn

Special Education 420

Inclusion Assignment 3
 1. What is universal design for learning?

The universal design for learning has three principles in order to engage all learners in

the curriculum. The three principles are representation, action and expression, and

engagement. What this means is as educators we want to have our curriculum well rounded as

well as be inclusive for every type of learner. Representations mean the curriculum is

represented than just visual, such as audio or hands-on. By creating a diverse representation in

the curriculum it allows students to find their learning strengths with how they best learn new

information. The second principle is action and expression, this allows students to interact with

materials in more than one way. This means students can make a poster or take a quiz to show

their understanding and be assessed. Having a curriculum that includes action and expression it

allows students to further engage students in learning. The last principle in universal design for

learning is engagement. As future educators, it is important to engage students, as well as

motivate students to learn. This connects to students choosing their own learning. The UDL

principle is to promote inclusivity, as well as recognize diverse learners. (Morrin, Universal

Design for learning, 2014). Universal design for learning helps all students learn as well as

grow in the classroom. As our textbook mentions, it is seen as a curriculum enhancement as

well as curriculum modification (pg. 352).

2. Why is UDL important for general education teachers to know? Explain what makes it

UDL

When considering instruction as a future educator, it is important to recognize what

works and what doesn’t. A personal connection to this is my own academic career. Since I am

left-handed, I’ve noticed that I think and learn differently than all my peers. I always felt like a

burden in the classroom because I always needed re-explaining, or explained content in various

ways in order to comprehend it. For a long time, I thought that I was dumb but then I realized

that I needed to reteach myself in different ways. It is crucial as a general educator to learn as

well as utilize the UDL model. As mentioned above, the UDL model consists of three principles:
representation, action and expression, and engagement. As a teacher, it can be challenging to

create universal design of instruction, because there are so many different ways to teach

required content as well as common core. However, what makes the curriculum follow the UDL

model is being able to include various ways for students to engage as well as learning content.

What makes curriculum universal design for learning is creating a diverse curriculum that

engages all learners to participate as well as engage in their learning.

Our textbook describes that Universal Design for Learning is creating “A system for

identifying appropriate goals, materials, methods, and assessments for all students” (pg. 356).

General educators need to know this model because this is beneficial for diverse learners

because it allows both assignments and assessments and the proper level of challenge.

Teachers can identify if the curriculum is following the UDL model because it is the appropriate

level of challenge for students with special needs (pg.356).

3. How can you alter your lesson plan and RTI structure to be UDL? If it is already UDL
explain why.

Considering my lesson plan from the inclusion assignment part two, it is about the

butterfly life cycle. I think there is differentiated instruction that the teacher can implement in the

lesson plan, but I think there is room for improvement in creating a UDL based lesson plan.

When reviewing my lesson plan, there can be modifications as well as in the RTI structure. (I

will write in red to show revising).

➢ Introduction: (10 minutes)

○ Explain to the students that they will be listening to the story The Very Hungry

Caterpillar by Eric Carle. Give students the option to have the audio version of
 The Very Hungry Caterpillar. As stated in our textbook, students with audiobooks

will have the opportunity to stop and think about the selected text. (pg.367).

○ Show the students the cover of the book.

○ Ask the students what they think the book will be about by looking at the

illustration on the cover and reading the title.

○ Call on a few students to offer their ideas.

○ Explain to the students that while you are reading, they should listen for the

following words: butterfly, chrysalis, eggs, and caterpillar. Have them consider

how these words relate to the story and the very hungry caterpillar.

○ Explain that a butterfly is a winged insect. As the teacher is explaining what a

butterfly is, and that its an insect, have various pictures representing an insect’s

key characteristics, and why a butterfly matches it. By also including pictures, this

gives the instruction also a visual representation of content, which allows for

diverse representation of content. This then creates the UDL model because it

now is including all learners. Morrin, A. (2014). Universal Design for Learning

(UDL).

○ The butterfly starts as an egg and then hatches to be a caterpillar, which looks like

a worm that will eventually grow into a butterfly. (Show diagram with steps of

metamorphosis). Having students retell each step back to the teacher, and then

having students say each step in order and then saying all of the butterfly life

cycles start to finish. By having students retell the life cycle, it allows students to

express their knowledge verbally. It is giving students different opportunities to

show their knowledge of the material. This makes the lesson follow the UDL
 model because it allows students to be assessed in different ways which are

inclusive to all types of learners. Morrin, A. (2014). Universal Design for

Learning (UDL).

○ The caterpillar turns into a chrysalis, which is like a small protective house.

○ Write the vocabulary words on the board (butterfly, chrysalis, and caterpillar).

Pass out whiteboards and when going over each vocabulary word give students

the option to write the vocabulary word or draw it. This is UDL because it’s

giving students the choice in their own learning as well as what type of

engagement they want to make with the content. Morrin, A. (2014). Universal

Design for Learning (UDL).

○ Explain to the students that you also want them to think about what happens at the

beginning of the story, the middle of the story, and the end of the story.

➢ Explicit instruction /Teacher modeling: (15 minutes)

○ Read The Very Hungry Caterpillar aloud. As mentioned above, giving students

the opportunity of an audiobook.

○ When you hear the words you wrote on the board (caterpillar, chrysalis, eggs,

butterfly), pause and ask your students what they think the words mean. Invite

students to share their ideas with a partner.

○ Provide sentence frames to support students in asking and answering questions

about the word meanings (e.g. I'm wondering what the word ____ means. I think

it means ____ because ____ / I think the word ____means ____. I know this

because ____.)
 ○ When you get to the word cocoon, explain to the students that this word is similar

to the word chrysalis.

○ Pause and discuss pictures and what the pictures are showing the students. Invite

students to discuss how the pictures help them understand the word meanings.

➢ Guided practice: (15 minutes)

○ Ask the students to explain, or retell, what happened at the beginning, the

middle, and the end of the book. Have a class discussion about The Very

Hungry Caterpillar. Students will be assessed based on the ideas said, as

well as participation, however, students that get nervous sharing in front of

the class can tell the story in small groups or to me. (rubric attached).

○ Next, point to the words on the board. Ask the students to stand up if they

heard you read any of the words that were on the board.

○ Explain to the students that the words on the board are the four stages of a

butterfly’s life cycle.

○ Ask for a volunteer to come up to the board and put the life cycle stages in

order from 1-4 (1 is the first stage and 4 is the last).

○ Have the students write the numbers next to the words.

○ Ask the students to share their connections about butterflies, the butterfly

life cycle, and any of the stages that they’ve seen in nature.

○ Explain to the students that they will get to illustrate the butterfly life

cycle on their own.

➢ Independent working time: (20 minutes)

○ Pass out coloring materials, pencils, and the Butterfly Life Cycle worksheets.
 ○ Read the directions to the students, and read the caption in each box.

○ Refer to the bottom of the sheet that gives a drawing tutorial for students to use.

○ Instruct the students to begin illustrating their life cycle.

➢ Differentiation

○ Enrichment: Instruct students to retell the life cycle of the butterfly in their own

words on the back of the paper. Introduce this option during independent work

time.

○ Support: Provide a selection of other age-appropriate books life cycles for

students to look through.

○ This will support students in generalizing their knowledge of life cycles to other

living things. Have your students draw the pictures and cut them out, and have a

partner order the stages for them.

➢ Assessment (5 minutes)

○ Rotate during independent work time. Check to make sure that the students are

organizing the life cycle stages in order.

➢ Review and closing (10 minutes)

○ Invite students to come up with movements or a song to summarize the butterfly’s

life cycle using the words they learned (caterpillar, chrysalis, eggs, and butterfly).

○ Pick one of the movements, and practice as a class.

○ Challenge students to turn and talk to a partner, explaining the meaning of one of

the words they learned today during the lesson.

This RTI structure is from my inclusion assignment two, I will continue to modify it in red.

Description of RTI:
RTI is response to intervention which allows students to avoid learning difficulties which can

affect behavior and academics as well. (Vaughn, pg. 49) There are three tiers in this model in

order to accommodate a student best as possible.

Tier one- Implementation of effective classroom instructional practices so that all students

have an opportunity to learn. One of the fundamental components of an RTI framework is that

classroom instruction is research-based and associated with high learning outcomes for the

majority of students; thus, students who are not successful are not casualties of poor classroom

instruction but have difficulties that require intervention. Based on our textbook this is the

description of tier one. This means as a teacher tier-one includes all students in evidence and

research-based instruction. (Vaughn, pg. 53) this allows students to have progress made rather

than none. With our lesson, tier-one means instruction for the entire class. When teaching the

butterfly life cycle lesson, students will follow the lesson and engage as a class as well as

individually. Tier one instruction is for the entire class with small group work as well as

differentiated instruction when needed. For the butterfly lesson plan, it is followed through

without additional instruction. When reviewing my lesson plan, I noticed that there weren’t as

many diverse ways of teaching the lesson. In the tier one instruction, I added in more ways for

students to show their understanding. With the modifications made, this makes the lesson plan

follow the UDL model, and creates student connection to comprehension.

Tier two- Provision of secondary intervention. This tier is for students who are not making

adequate progress in the classroom. These students are provided additional instruction, ideally in

small, homogeneous groups of three to five students, three to five times per week for 20 to 30

minutes each session. The purpose of the supplementary intervention is to provide additional

instruction targeted at increasing proficiency in the target area of reading, math, or writing. It is
important to remember that this instruction is in addition to and does not replace what students

are currently receiving in their target area, for example, reading. (Vaughn, pg. 52) In a

classroom, this means small group work as well as additional instruction in order to create

proficiency in a subject. For the butterfly life cycle lesson plan, students will work in small

groups of 3-5 in order to have additional help outside the lesson plan. With tier two, students

who didn’t quite comprehend the lesson or had trouble with it. This would be utilized during or

after the lesson is taught in order to help students with understanding the butterfly life cycle as

well as key terms used during the lesson. When reviewing my lesson plan, I would provide extra

resources and readings in order for students to hit the instructional learning targets, and create

greater engagement for students and the butterfly life cycle.

Provision of a more intensive individualized intervention (Tier 3). This tier is for students for

whom the secondary intervention is inadequate. Some students do not benefit sufficiently even

when provided a Tier 2 or secondary intervention. These students require an even more intensive

intervention (e.g., longer instructional sessions, smaller groups, instruction more specifically

aligned with their learning needs). (Vaughn, pg. 52) Tier three is for students that are still having

struggles to hit proficiency even with weekly RTI. Tier three typically has students in the tier one

but not tier two instruction. With my lesson plan, Tier three can be integrated by including the

students in tier one instruction and then work with a specialist for explicit instruction for the

butterfly life cycle lesson. (Vaughn, pg. 54) When students are in tier three, they will work with

a specialist for explicit instruction, however, when students are in tier one instruction the

curriculum will be UDL. Students will be in a diverse and inclusive environment which will

allow engagement from all learners.

completely UDL. However, once I revised it I realized what needed to be improved as well as

modified. It is important as a teacher to create a welcoming environment as well as an inclusive

classroom. Creating the UDL curriculum allows for all students to learn and engage in new

content.

Acknowledge Sources:

Rubric: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Participation-Rubric-3766439

Bibliography:

Morrin, A. (2014). Universal Design for Learning (UDL): What You Need to Know. Retrieved

November 26, 2019, from https://www.understood.org/en/learning-thinking-

differences/treatments-approaches/educational-strategies/universal-design-for-learning-what-it-

is-and-how-it-works.

Vaughn, S., Bos, C. S., & Schumm, J. S. (2018). Teaching students who are exceptional,

diverse, and at risk in the general education classroom. New York, NY: Pearson.

April Brown (2015). Butterfly life cycle lesson plan.

Retrieved from education.com