Grade 4 · 45 minutes
This worked example is an illustrative lesson plan. Adapt the materials, timing, and supports to your learners.
Learning goal
Identify a nonfiction passage’s main idea and support it with two relevant details.
Barrier to address
A dense passage and a written-only response can obscure comprehension when decoding or handwriting is the barrier.
Representation
Use a short passage about how bees pollinate plants. Preview pollination and pollen with an image and a plain-language definition. Provide the same passage as selectable text, with a read-aloud option and a copy divided into short sections.
Engagement
Let students choose to mark up the text independently or discuss candidate details with a partner. Ask both groups to explain why a detail supports the main idea.
Action and expression
Offer a written response, a brief audio explanation, or a graphic organizer. Each response must state the main idea and explain two supporting details from the passage.
Assessment and feedback
Use a three-part check: the main idea fits the whole passage, two details come from the text, and each detail supports the idea. Ask students who picked an interesting but unrelated fact to explain the connection and revise.
Reflection after teaching
Record which formats students selected and where they struggled to justify their details. Use that evidence to decide whether to model another example or adjust the reading supports.
Plan your own lesson
Start with the blank UDL Lesson Plan Template and review your plan with the Lesson Planning Checklist.