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UDL Lesson Plan Template

Plan with Universal Design for Learning: clear goals, likely barriers and options for engagement, representation and expression. Free and editable.

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The standards the lesson addresses: Common Core or state standard codes, with a short description.

Clear goals kept separate from the means of reaching them, so students can take different routes.

Where could learners get stuck? Look at the lesson design, not at individual students.

UDL principles

Choice, relevance, collaboration, self-regulation.

Present information in more than one way: text, audio, visuals, models.

Different ways to show learning: write, draw, record, build.

Lesson

Lesson sequence

The steps of the lesson with timings.

Ways to check the goal that do not depend on one format.

Everything you need to prepare: texts, slides, manipulatives, handouts, tech.

What worked, what to change, who needs a re-teach.

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    What is a UDL lesson plan?

    A UDL lesson plan designs options into the lesson from the start, so more students can reach the goal without a separate plan for each. It is built on the three principles of Universal Design for Learning: multiple means of engagement (the why), representation (the what) and action and expression (the how).

    Universal Design for Learning was developed by CAST, a US nonprofit, and is set out in the UDL Guidelines (version 3.0 was published in 2024). It is widely used in special education and inclusive classrooms, and many states reference it in their guidance.

    The sections of this template

    • Goals. Write the goal so it is separate from the method. "Write an arguable claim" lets students draft, record or build one; "write a paragraph" doesn't.
    • Possible barriers. Where could the lesson design get in the way? Long text-only instructions, one way to respond, little background knowledge. Think about the design, not about labeling students.
    • Engagement. Choice, relevance, collaboration and ways for students to monitor their own progress.
    • Representation. Present key information more than one way: text and audio, visuals, models, vocabulary support.
    • Action and expression. Different ways to show learning (write, draw, record, build) and tools such as speech-to-text, open to everyone.
    • Lesson sequence, flexible assessment and materials. The steps of the lesson, how you'll check the goal in more than one format, and what you need to prepare.

    UDL in practice

    You don't need ten options for every activity. Start with the biggest barrier you've noticed in past lessons and design one or two options around it. Offer supports to the whole class rather than handing them to particular students: it saves time and avoids singling anyone out. Students with IEPs or 504 plans still get their listed accommodations; UDL works alongside them.

    Worked example: UDL lesson plan

    Here is a complete example made with the maker above. Use it as a model, or load it into the form and change it to suit your class.

    UDL lesson plan

    Writing a strong claim

    SubjectEnglish language arts (writing)Grade7
    DateLength50 minutes

    Standards

    CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.1 (write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence).

    Goals

    Students will write an arguable claim on the question "Should our school have a longer lunch break?" (the goal is the claim, not the format used to produce it).

    Possible barriers

    Long text-only prompts; blank-page anxiety; limited background on the topic; writing as the only way to show thinking.

    UDL principles

    Multiple means of engagement (the why)

    A question students care about; choice of working alone or with a partner; a checklist so students can monitor their own progress.

    Multiple means of representation (the what)

    Two strong and two weak claims shown as text and read aloud; a short video clip of a debate; anchor chart with color-coded parts of a claim.

    Multiple means of action and expression (the how)

    Students can write, record audio, or build a claim with sentence strips. Speech-to-text and word banks available to everyone.

    Lesson

    Lesson sequence

    TimeActivity
    8 minHook: four corners vote on the lunch question; students explain their position aloud.
    10 minMini-lesson: what makes a claim arguable? Sort example claims into strong/weak.
    20 minWork time: students draft a claim and two reasons in the format they choose. Teacher confers.
    7 minGallery walk: peers leave one sticky-note suggestion.
    5 minSelf-check against the claim checklist.

    Flexible assessment

    Claim checklist (arguable, specific, answers the question); collected in any format.

    Flexible materials and tools

    Anchor chart, claim sorting cards, debate clip with captions, sentence strips, devices with speech-to-text

    Planned time: 50 minutes of 50

    Common Core State Standards codes are cited for reference only; see the official Common Core site for the full standards. © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.

    Frequently asked questions

    What are the three principles of UDL?

    Multiple means of engagement (the why of learning), multiple means of representation (the what) and multiple means of action and expression (the how).

    Is UDL the same as differentiation?

    Not quite. Differentiation usually adjusts teaching for particular students or groups after you see a need. UDL builds options into the lesson design from the start so fewer adjustments are needed. Many teachers use both.

    Who created UDL?

    CAST, a nonprofit education research organization founded in 1984, developed the UDL framework and publishes the UDL Guidelines.

    Do I write a UDL plan for every lesson?

    Many teachers use the UDL headings for key lessons and keep a standard plan for the rest, with a few UDL options added. Switch formats in the maker without losing what you've written.

    Other lesson plan models

    5E modelEngage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate. The inquiry model for science.Madeline HunterThe classic seven-step plan for direct instruction.SIOPContent and language objectives for teaching English learners.edTPACentral focus, academic language and planned supports for student teachers.UbD / backward designBackward design: results, then evidence, then the learning plan.DanielsonMapped to Domain 1 of the Framework for Teaching for observations.ASCA (school counselor)Mindsets & Behaviors standards with a plan for participation and outcome data.Special education lesson plan templateIEP goals, accommodations and data collection.