Maria Wilson

INST - UDL Learning Activity

Money is one of the second grade math standards that we work on, typically towards the
end of the year. There are a lot of different topics in this unit and a lot of learning goals. I find
that with this unit especially, my students come with a wide range of background knowledge.
Some students are able to immediately identify every coin, tell you what each one is worth, and
successfully add up a handful of different coins because they’ve worked on it with their family.
Other students come up to second grade and can only name one or two coins, even though
they worked on it in first grade. This makes teaching money very difficult, as my students’
abilities are all over the place. Some students need the very basic introduction to coins, while
others are ready to work on making change. Considering UDL, I decided to see if I could find a
way to best suit all of my learners without holding anyone back or moving on too quickly for
others.

What are the goals/learning objectives for the lesson/session?

1. Students will be able to identify the names of different U.S coins.
2. Students will be able to identify the value of different U.S coins.
3. Students will be able to add different U.S coins.

How are you already providing (or could you redesign to provide) these three principles in your
lesson/session?

1. Multiple Means of Engagement

In order to get students excited about money, I play a student favorite song on Youtube.
Jack Hartman has a “money song” on youtube and my students always beg me to play it.
Warning, it does get stuck in your head! I also like to engage students through a group
brainstorm. I like to brainstorm why we need money and what we can buy with it. Then, I like to
go over the students learning goals and get them excited about what they will be able to do.
While considering UDL, I have added some new potential means of engagement. One option
could be to have students think about what they need to work on and think about their goals.
Students then can look at a choice board to see the different activities they can choose to do.
Students love choice! Another option is to allow students the freedom to decide who they will
work with, whether it is with a partner, group, or independently.

2. Multiple Means of Representation

Anchor charts are very prevalent in my classroom, as they are helpful for many students.
In this lesson, I would use an anchor chart to help teach vocabulary. Students can then use this
for a reference when needed. Brainpop Jr also has short and helpful videos on money. There is
one for counting coins and another for teaching dollars and cents. I would ensure that the
closed captions were on when I played them. Each video also has a short multiple questions
quiz afterwards that we like to do as a class. Typically, I give students the option of using
manipulatives, in this case fake coins. Students are allowed to use manipulatives as a tool while
completing work.

3. Multiple Means of Action and Expression (plenty of options, provide

models/feedback/supports) (how of learning)

Students will be given the choice to decide what learning objectives they would like to
work on. They would be able to choose three different activities to work on, independently or
with classmates. Students also have options for flexible seating. I have many students who work
best while laying on the carpet, while others work best at a table. Some students use wobble
chairs, or stools, while some like to sit on the benches in the library. They know to find a space
that will be best for their learning. Some students will choose hands-on activities, while some
like to complete paper worksheets and others like using the computers. Each student also has
the opportunity to receive feedback from the teacher, they can seek out a five minute session to
check in or review their learning goals.

Below are the activities they could choose from:

A. Identifying coins activities:

- Worksheet: Color coding (color the pennies brown, color the nickles red, color the dimes
yellow, color the quarters blue)
- Organizing coins into different trays (party platter trays work great!)
- Group of 2-4: Kaboom (pull sticks out of can and identify the coin glued on the stick. If
the group agrees you keep it, if it is wrong it goes back in. Whoever ends up with the
most sticks wins, but if you pull a kaboom you put all your sticks back in the can).
- Computer game focused on identifying coins' names and pictures.

B. Identifying coin value activities:

- Worksheet (write the amount under the picture of a coin, shows both heads and tails
sides).
- Matching game/puzzle pieces…… value of coin & name/picture of coin
- Computer game focused on matching coin names and values.
- Board game. Using a dice to move, students identify the value of the coin shown on the
picture card. If they are right they can move, if not they stay put (answers are on the
back of the cards).

C. Adding coins activities:

- Task cards (different amounts shown, they use coins to build it then add it)
- Worksheet (match the piggy bank to the amount)
- Mystery eggs (eggs contain different coins, students need to add them up)
 - Computer games focused on adding different coins.

How can online resources, materials, applications or tools assist with implementing the three
principles of UDL?

I think online resources are excellent for engagement, such as videos and songs. I
typically start many of my lessons off with a short video, no more than 5 minutes. Online tools
are great for providing multiple means of representation. Some students are visual learners,
auditory learners, and some are hands-on learners. There are excellent visuals that can be
provided online through photographs, diagrams, and videos. You can turn on captions on videos
which is also extremely helpful for many students. There are ways to model different hands-on
activities online too, such as programs that will walk students through an activity step by step. I
also think online tools are great for providing multiple means of action and expression. There
are many different games and activities that students can play to learn a topic, but there are
also different ways students can show what they know using technology. They can create their
own powerpoints, videos, audio recordings, and more.

What else might you need to consider and plan for as you integrate online resources, materials,
applications or tools into the teaching and learning environment?

It’s important to consider any potential barriers for your students. For example, some
students with hearing problems could have trouble hearing any audio supports. Els may have
trouble following along with audio if it goes too fast. Some students have trouble with writing and
need OT support or voice to text. It’s also important to consider multiple ways of engaging
students, as they all have different interests and motivations.