Universal Design for Learning Lesson Plan SPED 245

Teacher(s): Ms. Armanda Morico

Date: Lesson for March April 10, 2014
Subject: Writing
2-Day Lesson
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using
effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

Behavioral Objective: Student will be able to utilize the graphic organizer story map for assistance with
sequencing and developing a narrative of an important event in their life, which describes a conflict that arose
but was resolved.
Materials: Items necessary for the completion of the lesson
1. Graphic organizer: Story map
2. Blank comic
3. Short story: The Mouse Mother by Opalanga Pugh
Procedure:

Activating Prior Knowledge: The instructor will tell the three students that they will be starting a new English
language arts lesson, where they will be writing a narrative about a personal or fictional experience in which
some type of conflict arose. The students will have to explain what solution they came up with in order to
resolve this conflict. In this lesson, students will select a topic for a personal or fictional narrative and then do
the prewriting with the graphic organizer: story map, to reinforce the plot structure.

In order to engage the students and give them a better understanding of the activity they will be starting, the
teacher will ask the students if anyone is familiar with comic strips and writing a comic. If the students are
familiar with comics, the instructor will ask the students to explain and specify any experience they have
writing or reading comics.

As a group, the instructor and students will be filling in a comic of their own. The instructor will show the
students a comic strip with different pictures, but the text will be missing from the comic. The students will
brainstorm ideas and come up with text that tells a story, making sure it makes sense. This activity will be used
as a way to get the students comfortable looking at comics, and understanding their structure and purpose.

Modeling: The instructor will first introduce the graphic organizer (Story Map) that the students will be using,
and make sure that each student understands how to use and complete it. The instructor will remind the students
that they will be writing a short narrative of their own that describes a personal or fictional experience in which
conflict arose, but a solution was found. In order to ensure understanding, the instructor will fill out a story map
graphic organizer using a conflict/resolution story. The fictional story will describe an experience in which a
student was being bullied. The main character decided to confront his problem by advising his teacher about
what was going on. In this particular story, bullying was the conflict and advising the professional was the
solution.
The instructor will model how to use the graphic organizer, by accurately filling out each section,
including: title and author, main characters, supporting characters, setting, problem, and solution. The instructor
will demonstrate how to complete a story map, and will help the students identify the storys structure by asking
questions that focus their attention on specific elements of a narrative. The instructor will model how to
complete a story map by also pointing to the spaces on the blank story map where students should write their
answer.

[Note: This specific graphic organizer was chosen because it will help the students develop their own narratives,
by focusing on the key elements of character, setting, conflict, and resolution development. The story map will
help the students sequence the events of their story.]

http://www.dailyteachingtools.com/images/StoryMap2.jpg

Guided Practice: The instructor will read a short story The Mouse Mother by Opalanga Pugh. In addition,
the instructor will also give the students a copy of The Mouse Mother to follow along to. After the instructor
reads the short story, the students will be filling out a story map graphic organizer based on The Mouse
Mother. The students will have to identify the key elements of the short story The Mouse Mother and use
this information to fill out the story map graphic organizer. The students will have a printed copy of the short
story to look back on. The students will fill out each section of the story map, which includes: title and author,
main characters, supporting characters, setting, problem, and solution. The instructor will be present in order to
guide students through this process of filling out the graphic organizer, in order to ensure whether or not the
students understand how to accurately complete a story map.


Short Story called The Mouse Mother
Original version by Opalanga Pugh; Re-told by Debbie Dunn
There was once a Mouse Mother who had five Mouse Babies. One day, a Cat came along and got ready to
pounce upon those babies.
The Mouse Mother took a deep breath. Inside her head, she told herself, I can do this! I know I can! I
have to do this in order to save my children. Okay, Inner Wisdom! How can I do this?
The Mouse Mother reached deep down inside of herself and brought up all of her courage, all of her
dignity, and all of her Inner Wisdom. She said, in her biggest mouse voice, Bow Wow!
The Cat was terrified and turned tail and ran away.
Then the Mouse Mother looked down at her babies and said, Now let that be a lesson to you. It is very
important to learn a second language.


Independent Practice:
For the independent practice portion of the lesson, students will be using their story maps as a guide to creating
their very own comic strips. The students have learned how to fill out and use a story map graphic organizer,
and will be planning out a short comic of their own using this strategy they have learned. The students will have
to think about their own experiences in life, and think back to a time where they were met with a conflict. If
they are unable to come up with a personal experience, they will be required to use their imagination to make
one up. This may take up a significant amount of time, depending on the students ability to come up with a
story. Their short stories must include: title and author, main characters, setting, supporting characters, problem,
and solution to the problem.

Assessment:
Teacher will conduct a formative assessment of the students story maps in order to ensure that each
student properly filled in the different sections of the graphic organizer, including: title, author, main
characters, supporting characters, setting, problem, and solution.

UDL Guidelines:


Multiple Means of Representation:

1.1: Offer ways of customizing the display of information: The instructor will display information in a
flexible format so that the following perceptual features can be varied.
Graphic organizer (Story Map) and Worksheet will be displayed in color, and be given to students in print
format and will also be available for them to look at on a computer.
The size of text on the graphic organizer (Story Map) and worksheet will be enlarged and the color used
for information will vary in color. (Red, blue, orange, and black.)
Students will be creating comics of their own, and it will be in their hands to choose what colors,
illustrations, and texts are to be included in their comics.

1.3: Offer alternatives for visual information: The instructor will be providing students with both oral and
written instructions, so as to ensure that students comprehend what is asked of them. Students will be given a
worksheet that displays the directions needed to log onto www.toondoo.com and get started on their comics.
Directions will also be displayed on a laptop computer screen, visible to every student.

3.1 Activate or supply background knowledge: Together with the students, the instructor will be filling in a
blank comic so as to get the students familiar with working with comics and implementing text into the comic
strip.

Multiple Means of Engagement:

4.1 Vary the methods for response and navigation: Instructor will provide students with multiple forms of
response, including: Story Map graphic organizer, verbal response to instructor, and using the computer to
create a comic strip.

5.3 Build fluencies with graduated levels of support for practice and performance: Instructor will provide
differentiated feedback to each student, based on their needs.

6.3 Facilitate managing information and resources: Students will be provided with a graphic organizer as a
prewriting tool to help them organizing their thoughts and develop a sequenced conflict/resolution story to
make a comic.

6.4 Enhance capacity for monitoring progress: Instructor will make sure to ask the students questions in
order to guide self-monitoring

Multiple Means of Expression:
7.2 Optimize relevance, value, and authenticity: Activities and sources of information will vary so that they
can be:
Personalized and contextualized to learners lives & Culturally relevant and responsive: The students will
create narratives about a personal or fictional experience, and will transcribe this experience into a
conflict/resolution comic strip.
8.4 Increase mastery-oriented feedback: During guided practice, the instructor will provide students with
feedback that is substantive and informative rather than comparative or competitive.