For her AP Spanish 5 unit on beauty and aesthetics, Westerville Central High School teacher Erin Moehl has asked students to think beyond the canvas. Using protest art as a lens, students examined how artistic expression reflects values and shapes quality of life across Spanish-speaking communities. This year, Moehl gave the popular lesson a fresh twist by using a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach — putting flexibility front and center. Instead of one assignment for everyone, students had multiple ways to engage, create and show what they know.
In past years, that meant a report or presentation. This time, students chose their medium, creating work inspired by architecture, literature, sculpture, visual art, fashion, music or dance — all tied to the AP Spanish exam theme of beauty and aesthetics.
“The project results were incredible,” she said. “They are demonstrating their learning in ways I haven’t seen before.”
UDL is a component of the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework that the District has adopted across all schools. (Elementaries rolled out plans last school year while preschool as well as middle and high schools launched their work this year.)
“Students have changed, the world has changed,” said Kate Thoma, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, during her presentation about the District’s MTSS work at an October Board meeting. “We have the obligation to respond to that. Universal Design for Learning asks us to rethink our instruction to make sure we’re removing any barriers that could cause a student not to be successful in the classroom.”
In the past, teachers may have shaped lessons to address the needs of specific learners. UDL shifts the focus — helping teachers create lessons that reach all students, Thoma said.
The goal of UDL is to give every student equal opportunities to learn, whether that means providing visual support, hands-on activities, technology tools or choices in how they complete assignments.
There are examples of UDL all across the District — and at each high school
CREATING A BOOK QUILT
Students in Sarah Detrick’s African American Literature and Composition class at Westerville South High School recently wrapped up their study of Kindred by Octavia E. Butler — a novel about a young Black woman repeatedly pulled back in time to the antebellum South, where the survival of a white plantation owner’s son is tied to her own future.
Over several weeks, students read aloud, analyzed characters, unpacked pivotal moments and tracked powerful quotes. They captured it all in a “book quilt,” with each square featuring discussion notes, a short analysis and a sketch highlighting key moments or themes from each chapter. The project gave students multiple ways to break down and show their understanding of a complex story — and allowed Detrick to check in, assess comprehension and offer feedback along the way.
“It incorporates a lot of reading strategies so as we stop and read, they are having to think about things visually because they are dissecting as we are reading,” Detrick said.
For senior Lienna Mack, the book quilt helped bring the novel’s historical context and deeper themes to life. The chance to sketch characters and scenes made it easier to process the story — and share her voice.
“I love hearing everyone’s different opinions and what they have to say about it,” she said. “I’m a little shy, so it’s difficult for me to say how I’m feeling.”
It’s easier to express her thoughts through art, she said.
“It helps me understand it more,” she said. “I like drawing out my thoughts and how I imagine what’s going in the book.”
TAKING A COMIC BOOK APPROACH TO EXPLORING HISTORY
As part of their World War II unit, students in Brandon Allen’s Modern World History class at Westerville North High School examined one of history’s most debated decisions: the United States’ use of the atomic bomb on Japan. After a lecture and small-group discussions on its immediate and lasting impacts, Allen posed a bigger question — Was it justified? In past years, students answered in writing. This year, Allen opened the door to choice. They could take a visual approach to their response such as an infographic or comic strip. They could record an audio track or video of their thoughts. They could craft a response with a different audience in mind such as writing a letter to the ghost of Harry Truman about why the use of the atomic bomb was or was not justified.
“Allowing them to choose the style that works best for them is a better way at accessing a topic not everybody is comfortable with,” he said. “So it’s a more accessible way to get into history.”
With a general education class and a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, flexibility matters, he added.
“It’s that common quote that if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it’s going to grow up thinking it’s stupid,” he said. “So why would you expect all of them to learn or prove their knowledge the same way?”
Sophomore Kayden Blanton was prepared to write a response to Allen’s question. But after talking to him further about the topic, Blanton started to visualize scenes and conversations for a comic strip. They put their ideas to paper, creating a comic strip featuring two characters that argued both sides of the argument — until ultimately deciding against bombing Japan.
“It’s better at telling a story,” they said. “You can write in the comic and express different emotions and different sides of the argument with different characters and come to a resolution in the end.”
BOWLING FOR MOMENTUM
Like many new units, WCHS science teacher Jody Christy kicked off her AP Physics lesson on linear momentum with a lab. To explore motion in a straight line, students sketched tracks on whiteboards and rolled a variety of spheres — tennis ball, ball bearing, pickle ball, golf ball, ping pong ball — along the path, measuring force and speed for each object.
The hands-on activity set the stage for a follow-up discussion, where students took notes on key concepts and tackled practice problems. Christy then pushed learning further by having students design their own experiments to demonstrate what they had learned.
“I want them to scientifically prove that it’s true,” she said. “I like to have my students ask me questions. I like to then give them the answer and then give them the opportunity to prove that I’m not lying.”
Students tested collisions using different balls, measuring mass, distance, and time as objects struck one another. In another experiment, the class examined how force and time affect momentum by pushing a bowling ball with a broom. Two students demonstrated varying forces and push durations while classmates observed. The visual made the concept click, Christy said, as students could see how greater force resulted from the broom bristles compressing farther back. To wrap up, Christy challenged students with a real-world scenario: calculating the momentum involved when a stopped car is rear-ended. The approach allowed students to review and apply content without a traditional lecture. By presenting material in multiple ways, Christy’s UDL-based instruction helps students engage with concepts through their individual strengths.
USING ART TO EXPLORE LANGUAGE
As part of Moehl’s beauty and aesthetics project, students randomly selected a Spanish-speaking artist to anchor their presentations. They created an original work inspired by that artist and reflected during their presentations on questions of beauty—what it means, whether their piece was beautiful, and the impact their artist had on the Spanish-speaking community. The final projects exceeded Moehl’s expectations. Students produced a wide range of work, from sketches and paintings to fashion design and poetry. “They were able to express themselves in a way that showed deeper connection to the artist and reflect upon it,” she said.
“They were able to express themselves in a way that showed deeper connection to the artist and reflect upon it,” she said.
WCHS senior Cedar Smith studied Cuban surrealist painter Wilfredo Lam, drawn to his abstract treatment of the human form. Inspired by Lam’s work, Smith created a painting that explores a mother’s love and how it transcends race and culture. Her final piece: a cubist interpretation of a breastfeeding mother with her baby.
“It’s caring in such a raw and natural way, unrestricted by modern conventions,” Smith said.
While Smith typically gravitates toward digital art, such as photography and nature scenes, the project introduced her to a new medium she’s eager to explore.
“Art and expression are so important to understanding even a language,” she said. “So having that cultural background — it adds to the depth of understanding of the language."