Explore Resources
- State Standards
- Goals
- Methods
- Materials
- Assessment
- Curriculum Content Resources
- Lesson Ideas
- Suggested Software Tools
- Universal Design for Learning
- Related Books and Articles
State Standards
- Access to state standards http://www.education-world.com/standards/state/index.shtml
- Google the following phrase with your state name, "state educational standards STATE NAME"
Goals
- Refer to "Using UDL to Set Goals" to learn more about developing goals that support all learners.
- Use the UDL Goal Setter to help you define clear goals for your class that represent the core instructional purpose of the learning activity and support multiple pathways for achieving the goal.
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Case Story Models for UDL Goals:
- 5-step guide to setting and communicating goals to students from NCLRC. While this site focuses on second language instruction, the sections 'Set Lesson Goals' and 'Structure the Lesson' are effective resources for setting goals and lesson structure.
- Goal Setting Lesson Plan: Goal Setting for Kids is a lesson for teachers to help students develop goals and recognize how goals differ from wishes. Includes links to classroom resources.
Methods
- Refer to Using UDL to Individualize Teaching Methods to learn more about specific methods that support the Principles of Universal Design for Learning i.e. "the what," "the how," and "the why" of learning.
- The UDL Solutions Finder gives you practice in an online environment applying CAST's three UDL principles to derive alternative media, materials, and methods when planning a lesson or a unit of curriculum.
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Case Story Models for UDL Methods:
- The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards presents the exhibits 'Opening Classroom Doors: Teaching Methods', which provides an extensive overview and examples of 22 teaching methods.
- 'How To Adjust Your Teaching Style To Your Students' Learning Style' provides links articles and practical ideas of how to modify teaching methods to reach the diversity of students in class.
- The University of Hawaii, Honolulu professional development site list of common teaching methods in higher education, with the strenghs and weaknesses listed for each.
Materials
- When selecting lesson materials, think about potential barriers in the materials that affect all students' access to learning.
- Read more about how the Universal Design for Learning framework provides guidance in selecting flexible materials.
- A variety of formats (for example, providing a reading assignment on paper, CD, audio tape, or with a text-to-speech reader; assigning a project as an interview, a library research project, or an Internet project) helps ensure access to learning for all students in your classroom.
- The UDL Solutions Finder gives you practice in an online environment applying CAST's three UDL principles to derive alternative media, materials, and methods when planning a lesson or a unit of curriculum.
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Case Story Models for UDL Materials:
Assessment
- Refer to "Using UDL to Accurately Assess Student Progress" to accurately and fairly assess students' understanding./li>
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Case Story Models for UDL Assessments:
- Read 'Authentic Assessment Overview' which includes descriptions and practical ideas for implementing alternate forms of assessment in your classroom.
Curriculum Content Resources
English Language Arts
- The Reading Matrix database of products and evidence select one of the six purposes of technology that support reading for students with reading disabilities.
- Read about Strategy Instruction Goes Digital: Two Teachers' Perspectives on Digital Texts with Embedded Learning Supports. This Reading Online interview features two middle school teachers who have used CAST's universally-designed digital novels with embedded strategy instruction, text-to-speech capability, and multi-media glossary supports to improve their students' reading comprehension and engagement. They share teaching strategies and examples of student work.
- Dade County Reciprocal Teaching Resources. These lesson plan resources from Project WebSIGHT in Dade County, Florida offer a variety of supports for implementing reciprocal teaching, including lesson plans at the elementary and middle school levels.
- Strategy Instruction Assessments and Lesson Plans. These materials, from CAST's Strategic Learning Editions Project, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education, support teachers and students in using strategy instruction in the classroom.
- ReadWriteThink website is a partnership of the International Reading Association (IRA), the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), and the MarcoPolo Education Foundation to provide educators and students with access to free-of-charge content regarding best practices and resources in reading and language arts instruction.
- The Poetry Archive has an extensive collection of poets reading their own work. You can enjoy listening to the voices of contemporary English-language poets and of poets from the past. There are activities and materials specifically designed for teachers and for children.
- Electronic Books and Online Resources: Explore online reading including interactive stories, articles, and books. Involve readers in writing stories including adding to stories, writing new endings, creating illustrations, and facilitating discussions.
- The SEECs Toolkit provides high-school educators with strategies, procedures, activities, and resources informed by UDL principles for increasing reading proficiency in subject area content. The toolkit guides teachers in the use of effective vocabulary instruction and reading comprehension strategies that promote access, participation, and progress in subject-area content for all students.
- PBS Teachers Reading & Language Arts offers interactive online and offline lesson plans to engage students. Database is searchable by grade level and content.
Mathematics
- Web-Based Resources for Mathematics: Tools and Activities for Teaching and Learning are a valuable resource including a large annotated list of free web-based math tools and activities.
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Web-Based Resources for Mathematics: Articles Related to Mathematics Education doc | pdf
These provide users with access to articles that are cataloged according to the type of research, content, and process standards developed by National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. - The Math Matrix is a searchable database that presents evidence and products for the use of technologies that support the instruction of mathematics for students with special needs.
- On line math tools and software is an extensive math site that provides virtual tools and manipulatives to be used with students that have difficulty visualizing.
- PBS Teachers Math offers interactive online and offline lesson plans to engage students. Database is searchable by grade level and content.
Science
- Web-Based Resources for Science, Technology, and Engineering: Tools and Activities for Teaching and Learning is a directory of online tools and resources. Educators can use these materials to enhance curriculum to improve the participation of students with disabilities in science, technology, and engineering content areas.
- The Access Center provides varied resources to support science curriculum.
- PBS Teachers Science/Technology offers interactive online and offline lesson plans to engage your students. Database is searchable by gradelevel and science content.
- NASA's Imagine the Universe! Lesson Plans provide teachers with teacher-created lessons and units exploring the Universe. This site makes use of NASA imagery and lessons are linked to the math and science standards they support.
- NASA Explores Express Lessons and Online Resources provides background articles for teachers and choices for related lessons for K-12. Lessons are linked to national educational standards in science, math, technology, and geography.
- Explore Science Lessons and Quick Activities at reachoutmichigan.org. Lessons are grouped by subject and grade level and offer interactive science units, lessons or quick activities to use with students.
Social Studies
- Editorial Cartoon Collection Project provides editorial cartoons and related lesson plans from the Dirksen Center that teach students how to identify issues, analyze symbols, acknowledge the need for background knowledge, recognize stereotypes and caricatures, think critically, and appreciate the role of irony and humor.
- It's No Laughing Matter: Analyzing Political Cartoons by the Library of Congress provides a framework for learn about cartoonists' persuasive techniques in political cartoons.
- Picturing Modern America: Historical Thinking Exercises for Middle and High School by the Education Development Center provides historical thinking exercises for middle and high school students.
- Teaching with Historic Places by the National Park Service provides lesson plans, tips and tools for using National Parks and Historic Places in k-12 curriculum.
- Lift Every Voice: Music in American Life is a multimedia exhibit of American culture from the University of Virginia.
- History Matters: The US Survey Course on the Web is designed for high school and college students and teachers, providing a gateway to multimedia and interactive history resources on the web. This site includes the wwwHistory section which provides annotated links, organized by subject and time period, to useful sites for teaching American History.
- PBS Teachers Social Studies offers interactive online and offline lesson plans to engage your students. Database is searchable by gradelevel and content.
- The Library of Congress presents The Learning Page: Features And Activities as well as lesson plans to support using the Library of Congress collection in your classroom.
Lesson Ideas
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UDL Model Lessons:
- Understanding Plot and Vocabulary (Grades 9 and 10) Lesson 2
- Understanding Plot and Vocabulary (Grades 9 and 10) Lesson 4
- Engaging Students in Writing Mechanics (Grades 9 and 10) Lesson 1
- Engaging Students in Writing Mechanics (Grades 9 and 10) Lesson 4
- The Life Cycle of Plants (Grade 1)
- Data Analysis and Probability (Grade 6)
- Understanding Characterization (Grade 8)
- Poetry and Art Anthology Project (Grade 6)
- Developing Comprehension Using Reading Strategy Supports (Grade 9)
- Vocabulary Development(Grade 9)
- Pre-Reading: Building Background (Grade 9)
- UDL Lesson Builder
- Trackstar is a growing database of annotated link collections submitted by K–12 teachers for use in their own Internet-based lessons. It is a great place for browsing and borrowing when planning a lesson and is also a fast way to discover which web sites other teachers are using for a particular topic. (Hint: Start by going to "Find a Track" and using the "Keyword Search" tool.)
- Search Thinkfinity is a comprehensive collection of lessons across content areas for all grades. "Our goal and our mission are to support the present and future needs of our global society, and, through Thinkfinity, deliver resources to advance the knowledge and skills that are required of citizens in the 21st century."
Suggested Software Tools
Internet Browser Software
- Firefox (PC and Mac)
- Internet Explorer (PC only)
- Safari (PC and Mac)
Free Text-to-speech software
- Click Speak for Firefox (download free at http://clickspeak.clcworld.net/downloads.html)
- Natural Reader for Internet Explorer (download free at http://www.naturalreaders.com/download.htm)
- free TTS to work with Microsoft Word on the PC (use Speech in Microsoft Word)
Software and Internet Classroom tools
- Microsoft Word (word processing)
- Microsoft PowerPoint (slide shows)
- Inspiration (concept maps & timelines)
- Free blog tools: edublogs, blogger
Universal Design for Learning
- What is Universal Design for Learning?, http://www.cast.org/research/udl/index.html
- UDL Toolkits: Teaching Every Student, http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/toolkits/tk_introduction.cfm?tk_id=61
- Curriculum Access and Universal Design for Learning, http://ericec.org/digests/e586.html
Related Books and Articles
- Rose, D. & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal Design for Learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/
- Rose, David H., Meyer, Anne, and Hitchcock, Chuck (Eds.). (2005). The Universally Designed Classroom: Accessible Curriculum and Digital Technologies. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press. http://gseweb.harvard.edu/hepg/universallydesigned.html
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Jackson, R., Harper, K., & Jackson, J. (2001). Effective teaching practices and the barriers limiting their use in accessing the curriculum: A review of recent literature. Peabody, MA: Center for Applied Special Technology, Inc.
Retrieved [insert date] from http://www.cast.org/publications/ncac/ncac_effectivetp.html
Click here for this report in Microsoft Word format - Spooner, F., Baker, J. N., Ahlgrim-Delzell, L., Browder, D., & Harris, A. (2007). Effects of training in universal design for learning (UDL) on lesson plan development. Remedial and Special Education 28(2): 108-116(9).