The authors of the text, Assisstive Technology: Access for All Students, describe UDL as important and impactful for learning, saying “it is a means to adapt—for all learners—all materials, methods, strategies, and delivery of instruction and evaluation instruments that are accessible and without barriers. In essence, educators can design appropriate educational programs so that all students have access to successful learning.” (Beard, Carpenter, & Johnson) This approach goes beyond the traditional teaching to the middle to progressive teaching to all. UDL acknowledges and embraces variation and diversity in learners and in curriculum delivery. The classroom, like the world it reflects, is changing rapidly. Not only have the faces of the student population in many classrooms across the country changed, but the demographics of communities in US schools. “Of special concern is the continued gap in achievement for children in different demographic groups, especially given the increasing diversity of U.S. classrooms.” (Proctor, Dalton, & Grisham) The reliance on shared cultural experiences as a safety net to learning is no longer necessarily the same for the majority of students. UDL approach to individual learners, learning styles and means of assessing mastery of learning outcomes by definition designs to successfully address these differences in learning and variations in teaching methods.
CAST’s UDL LESSON BUILDER
Lesson Overview
| Title: | VOCABULARY REVIEW |
| Author: | Unknown |
| Subject: | Georgia Studies |
| Grade Level(s): | 8 |
| Duration: | 2 periods (50 minute classes) |
| Subject Area: | Civics |
| Unit Description: | GOAL: The student will be able to locate, analyze, and synthesize information related to social studies topics and apply this information to solve problems/make decisions. (Georgia Department of Education, 2012) |
| Lesson Description for Day: | Reinforce vocabulary, identify synonyms and antonyms, list words that relate to vocabulary word, develop appropriate social interactions, fun |
| State Standards: | SS8CG1 The student will describe the role of citizens under Georgia’s constitution. (Georgia Department of Education, 2012) |
Goals
Unit Goals: |
Identify and define key content vocabulary and vocabulary that may be difficult |
| Lesson Goals: | Explain concepts; separation of powers, checks and balances, rights and responsibilities of citizens, political parties, voting rights qualifications, wisdom, justice and moderation (Georgia Department of Education, 2012) |
Methods
Anticipatory Set: |
Talk to students about short and long term memory, ask is rote memorization technique helpful? Does it last long or just long enough for the quiz or test? Explain “hook” concept of learning by association to something familiar.Ask what they know about government from where they are from and/or from here. (5-8 minutes) |
Introduce and Model New Knowledge: |
Begin semantic webbing in whole class discussion. Are there notable similarities or differences to the governments what are they? Do we have a vocabulary word for it? How is it connected in our discussion? Draw connections on board to vocabulary and student explanations. Encourage students to use pictures and/or symbols that are meaningful to them. (30 minutes)Allow students to share their knowledge in discussion, NO forcing. |
Provide Guided Practice: |
Using vocabulary, definitions and student explanations begin to draw boxes (some type of shapes) for headings and subheadings, strands and semantic map of vocabulary. Put students in small groups to continue semantic mapping. |
Provide Independent Practice: |
Highlight vocabulary and phrases that define the term, make flash cards; vocabulary on one side, students’ definition on the other from their semantic map.Internet – http://www.Glogster.com pair students to create vocabulary poster based on semantic maps save to electronic portfolio |
Assessment
| Formative/Ongoing Assessment: | Student will pull a card from pile of student vocabulary cards and act out the term using clues from flip side of card, student attempts to guess the term explaining the reasoning behind his guess. |
| Summative/End Of Lesson Assessment: | Add digital semantic vocabulary to electronic portfolio. |
Materials
| Large white paper, color markers, highlighters |
| 100 – 150 3 x 5 index cards |
| Smart board or white board colored markers for teacher modeling semantic mapping |
| Internet – http://www.Glogster.com pair students to create vocabulary poster based on semantic maps save to electronic portfolio |
References
Beard, L. A., Carpenter, L., & Johnson, L. (n.d.). Assistive Technology: Access for All Students, 2nd Edition. Pearson Learning Solutions.
http://www.udlcenter.org/sites/udlcenter.org/files/ScaffoldingEnglishLanguageLearners_0_0.pdf
Georgia Department of Education. (2012, August 01). Retrieved from Georgia Standards.Org: https://www.georgiastandards.org/Standards/Georgia%20Performance%20Standards/Gr8-Social-Studies-Standard.pdf
Proctor, P. C., Dalton, B., & Grisham, D. L. (n.d.). Scaffolding English Language Learners and Struggling readers in a Universal Literacy Environment With Embedded Strategy Instruction and Vocabulary Support. Retrieved from w w w . u d l c e n t e r . o r g:
