Universal Design for Learning Case Studies

Elementary – Scenario I

Karen Armenta teaches third grade at Sliding Rock Elementary School in Big Sur,
California. She has been working on a thematic unit with her students on the tidal
pools that line the coast of California. The students are reading Life in the Oceans
by Lucy Baker. In addition, Ms. Armenta has been bringing in magazine and
newspaper clippings about the tidal pools that her students read at centers, then
complete writing or math activities around them.

Ms. Armenta has planned a field trip to a tidal pool, and will have her students
and identify explore the various sea creatures living there. In addition, she will
have her students publish a picture book of the tidal pool creatures, using images
taken on a digital camera, with descriptions and supplementary information
provided by the students.

Elementary – Scenario II

Gary Nesbitt teaches fourth grade at Loon Lake Elementary School in Ellsworth,
Maine. He and his class have been exploring the history of the area, including the
impact that French and English settlers had on the indigenous populations of the
area, such as the Passamaquaddy and Penobscot tribes. In their efforts to find out
more than the text books tell them, they have been to the local library, the Maine
Historical Society, the Maine Maritime Museum, in Bath, and to the Penobscot
Nation Museum, in Indian Island, Maine.

The students are using the computer lab to create a chapter for a text that the
school is putting together on area history. They will include images, text and
resources for further research, as well as questions for review and practice test
questions. Mr. Nesbitt will help them put the chapter on the school’s web page,
and the students will use the web page as a tool to study for Maine’s content and
performance standards assessment, the Maine Educational Assessment (MEA).
 Universal Design for Learning Case Studies
Secondary – Scenario 1
Mr. Sakiestewa has a class of thirty students in Algebra I, and is currently working through the
unit on calculating area of circles. He spends the first twenty minutes of class each day
summarizing the content of the section. He uses examples on the overhead and on the
chalkboard. He also gives the students the opportunity to work two problems from the next
homework assignment with him in class. The remainder of the period is spent grading papers
while the students work on homework.

Mr. Sakiestewa collects the previous night’s homework at the beginning of class. He keeps a
folder on his desk of the answers to the previous homework assignments, which the students
can check, at their leisure, after getting their homework back. If any student has a question,
Mr. Sakiestewa takes time to work through the question with the student.

At the end of the section, Mr. Sakiestewa gives the students a paper-pencil exam which is
comprised of 25 multiple choice questions. The students submit the exam, as well as all work
(calculations) to be graded. After grading the exam, Mr. Sakiestewa allows the students to
defend their answers, using appropriate logic and justifications. If the defense is successful, full
credit is given. Retake the exam, with half credit given for answers that are correct on the
second try.

Secondary Scenario 2
Ms. Robbins teaches 9th grade PE/Health at Otter Bay High. She rotates between the PE and
health components of her class every three weeks. For the upcoming three week rotation, she
will be teaching the students about the effects of tobacco, drug and alcohol use on the body.
She has designed the unit around print materials that she has received from various
government offices and private organizations, such as the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the
American Council for Drug Education, the Center for Prevention Research, the Center for
Education and Drug Abuse Research and the National Center on Addiction and Substance
Abuse.

Each day, the students work in groups to complete informational summaries of the print
materials provided to them. Each group focuses on a different topic or issue. For example, one
group works on information pertaining to inhalant use, while a second group works on
information related to the long-term effects of marijuana. At the end of each week, the groups
present their findings to the class, using visual aids, activities, demonstrations, or other
interactive techniques.

At the end of the third week, Ms. Robbins will facilitate a series of debates on key issues that
are raised during the unit, such as whether or not higher rates of teen pregnancy can be
attributed to the impaired judgment associated with drug or alcohol use. Students are also
responsible for completing a take-home essay exam. In addition, they will write a paper that
presents the effects of their researched substance, but from the perspective of the substance
itself.
 Universal Design for Learning Case Studies
Special Education – Scenario 1
Mrs. Sidney is a K-5 resource room teacher who provides supports for students in reading and
math. Students come to her to work in groups to work on IEP goals in reading and math. She
wants to begin a unit on money with her 3rd-5th grade students. Many of them have IEP goals
around developing life skills based money skills. She wants them to learn the value of money,
how to make change, and how to use money in real life scenarios.

Mrs. Sidney decides to begin using math manipulatives for this lesson. She gets the paper
money and coins that accompanied the kit for her math textbooks. Following the lesson plan in
her teacher’s guide, she introduces each type of paper and coin to the students so that they
learn the value represented. She has several assessment points for her lesson, including
identifying money and its value. After students can accurately identify money, she will move on
to making change. At the end of the lesson, students will have a project in which they will use
money to buy presents from a catalog.

Special Education – Scenario 2

Mr. Owens is a middle school special education teacher who works in a significant support
needs classroom. Students in his class have a range of moderate to severe disabilities including
autism, developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, and intellectual disabilities. One of the
objectives this year is to teach personal hygiene. He plans for students to learn about the ways
in which their bodies have changed and the ways they need to change the way they care for
themselves.

Because this is a life skills goal, Mr. Owens wants to ensure that students understand the
relevancy to learning this skill. He brings various products to school and asks students how each
of them are used and why. Students will be assessed on their ability to correctly identify which
hygiene products address which areas of the body.