When trying to differentiate instruction for our students, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. Here are 6 Easy Ways to Differentiate Instruction
Check out this list of tools that will help you organize differentiated instruction in your classroom.
This is a differentiated novel assessment that can be used after reading the novel "Wonder" by R.J. Palacio. This tiered assignment appeals to different learning styles and modalities. Students are asked to complete three assignments and they are given a choice in two categories.
Branching Google Forms are a fantastic way to differentiate assessment and reflection in my classroom. Linear forms are great, but not every...
Are you looking for some new ideas or ways to use informal assessments in your classroom? This is a complete A to Z list of assessment ideas for you!
Differentiation can feel a little overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. Here are 3 ways you can start differentiating math in your class today!
Have you been looking for a fun and educational way to engage your students and help them explore French listening comprehension? This set of differentiated French listening activities for primary is perfect for assessing your students’ listening skills. This school-themed resource comes with 8 unique prompts at 3 different levels, for a total of 24 French listening activities! Click HERE to preview the product!
Rubric generators are perfect for classroom differentiation and assessment. Customize yours with an online rubric maker or start with this blank template.
I've been reading the book, Mindsets in the Classroom by Mary Cay Ricci, and just finished chapter 3. It was a real eye-opener. Through all of my years of teaching, I thought I was differentiating by planning and implementing reteaching and enrichment lessons and activities as my class worked through a unit. But in this chapter, I learned how important it is to start the differentiation before the unit even begins! This process begins with the preassessment. So much valuable information can be gathered before you begin teaching a unit. The purpose of the preassessment is to find how much students understand the content before you plan and teach the unit. Do they have a complete understanding of the content? Then they will need enrichment and/or accelerated activities. Do they have a partial understanding of the content? Then you need to make note of the gaps in their learning so you can plan accordingly. Checklists are a great way to keep track of the objectives and student mastery. From this checklist, you will also see students that need to be grouped for instruction. Keep in mind that this grouping will change as students master the objectives. Another insight I gained from this chapter is the different types of assessments used in a classroom. I put together this graphic to sum up the three types of assessment you should be using in your classroom. Click on the image to download the pdf version. You can also download this free packet with three quick and easy formative assessments you can use
Sometimes it feels crazy overwhelming to keep assessing students and know exactly what they do/don’t understand. That’s where these quick and easy formative assessment ideas comes in! M…
We all have students who struggle and require differentiated activities to access grade-level concepts, but how many of you put the same attention into
It can be difficult to learn how to differentiate instruction for the variety of learners in your classroom. Come see how we do it.
Use this choice board as a means of differentiated assessment. Students can choose a project to demonstrate their strengths and communicate their knowledge of the novel. This assessment can be used with any piece of literature across grade levels, and can be modified to fit the needs of the studen...
Are you struggling to meet the needs of all your learners? Learn how to differentiate for EVERY student without spending hours prepping!
The Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills- Revised (ABLLS-R) is a criterion referenced assessment used to assess the strengths and deficits of children with language delays. It was originally written in 1998 by James Partington and Mark Sundberg. If that second name sounds familiar, that’s because he also wrote the Verbal Behavior Milestone Assessment […]
Welcome to an engaging, differentiated, and fun 3 day lesson plan with everything you need to teach Catholic Social Teaching! The lesson is EDITABLE, so you can tweak it to your own students and change the times, groups, etc.! With an aligned objective and assessment, specific differentiation strate...
Assessing student learning is often boring, but this post describes creative and fun ways to assess student learning - especially for formative assessment!
How to Differentiate Assignments in Google Classroom I am often asked about differentiation strategies that will work in the Google Classroom application. Google Classroom is a very robust tool that can make differentiating digital assignments
What is differentiation? A great preschool teacher differentiates all day long! Learn more about this important concept and how it affects students.
Wow!!! I don't know about you, but the past few weeks have been CRAZY!!!!! I know we havn't blogged much, but you know how it is.....classr...
Assessing ESOL students & Changes to WIDA scoring Throughout the school year I constantly assess my ESOL students. I use short formative assessments that I integrated into activities we were already doing. Using Rubrics for quick assessments To get a sense of their speaking level I will sometimes take out the WIDA speaking rubric and
This is an interactive Open Court formatted lesson plan template. It is designed to highlight the green, red, and blue sections for every lesson (Phonics, Reading/Comprehension, and Writing). It is a great way to include your vocabulary, reading strategies, assessments, and much more. In addition, t...
This post shares tips and strategies for teaching different learning styles to meet the needs of all learners.
I'm going to share a differentiated lesson plan from start to finish. In the article Begin with the Highest Level Learner in Mind I promised that I would share the process, and here it is.
There is a very wide variety of digital formative assessment tools that can be used for free. I’ve made simple graphics for 18 of them. Most of the tools work with any web browser, so they are great for laptops, computer labs, iPads, Chromebooks, tablets, and smartphones.
Most districts are now requiring teachers to provide data-driven differentiation. What can you do for those students who are labeled as gifted learners? If they are already high achievers, it can be difficult to help them reach a higher level of success. These tips will help you and your students achieve their goals and keep you from pulling your hair out! Let's start by defining each of the terms. What does data-driven mean? Data-driven is when data from test scores are broken down and used as the foundation for instruction. What is differentiating instruction? Differentiating instruction is when teachers modify instructional ideas, tools, resources, and/or activities to meet the students' individual needs. For example, teachers may use leveled books so each student can read about the same material on their own reading level. Who is the gifted learner? A gifted child may have some of the following traits: creative extreme curiosity sensitive perfectionist vivid imagination resourceful independent quick thinking self-critical excellent reasoning skills learns quickly without extra practice advanced sense of humor extensive vocabulary an avid reader leadership abilities very observant interested in cause-effect relations dominate discussions variety of interests good at synthesizing self-confident concerned with justice and fairness risk-taker very inquisitive full of energy able to work independently The identity of a gifted learner is different in each state. Find your State Definitions of Giftedness The tips below helped my gifted learners show improvement throughout the year and on their academic progress assessments. 1. READING The best way to increase reading test scores for the gifted learner is to have high-quality literature at their fingertips and provide students with the opportunity to have discussions focused on critical thinking questions. Their lessons should be developed using classic stories and novels. The Junior Great Books Series is an exceptional choice. It offers both fiction and nonfiction text. The fictional anthologies have high-quality literature that is based around student-centered discussions for comprehension and critical thinking. It also includes writing. The nonfiction series offers high-quality informational text with an inquiry-based learning format. Reading classic novels is another option. The following is a list of some of my favorite classic novels: Secret Garden Treasure Island Charlotte's Web Anne of Green Gables A Wrinkle in Time The Hobbit Black Beauty Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe The Adventures of Tom Sawyer The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Are you looking for a Secret Garden Unit that will keep your students engaged in higher-level thinking in every chapter? In addition there is a vocabulary quiz, character chart, and test! Are you looking for critical-thinking skill questions and plans for any book? These may be helpful: HIGHER-LEVEL REASONING- BOOK RESPONSE QUESTIONS READING STRATEGIES WORKSHEETS 2. MATH The best way to increase math test scores for the gifted learner is by acceleration. Enrichment definitely helps, but acceleration gets the job done. Most gifted learners can learn at a quicker rate and don't need review and extra practice. If you can allow your gifted students progress through the curriculum at a faster rate, then you can use higher grade-level concepts once finished with the grade-level plans. These students will be able to grasp the grade-level material as well as advanced material in one year. Most gifted learners will be able to follow written instructions. If not, a quick lesson for the small group may be needed. Remember: They don't need the repetitive practice. Give them an anchor chart or poster with directions and examples or a quick video from Khan Academy and wahhhlllaaaa! 3. PRIOR TO THE STATE TEST Even if you haven't had the time for much differentiating throughout the year, this next idea will be helpful prior to the test. First, make sure you have the standards for a grade level higher. Then, highlight vocabulary terms in both reading and math as well as advanced math concepts. Create three lists of 12-20 new words and/or concepts. Three weeks prior to the state test, provide a list each week to the gifted learner. While you are reviewing grade-level content with the rest of your class, these students will be learning new words and concepts. It can be achieved through self-learning or a project-based activity. It works well independently or in a small group. The gifted learner should be accountable for their learning through grading the project or an assessment. I hope these ideas help you differentiate for your gifted learners!!!!! Connect With Me! TPT Store Facebook Pinterest My Blog
We've all used exit tickets in our classroom for informal assessment, but sometimes it can become boring. Read this post to get exit ticket ideas on how you can engage students with exit slips and still assess your students!
Help your students record all letters of the alphabet with this simple grid. Students will write a different letter of the alphabet in each grid of the chart. Students will be signaled to go back and find any missing letters if they have boxes remaining at the end of the activity. For a fun twist, I often allow students to add alphabet stickers or foam shapes after they have printed letters in each box. Click the image below to hop over to my TpT store to grab your freebie!
Have you been looking for a fun and educational way to engage your students and help them explore French listening comprehension? This set of differentiated French listening activities for primary is perfect for assessing your students’ listening skills. This farm-themed resource comes with 8 prompts at 3 different levels, for a total of 24 French listening activities! Click here for a preview.
I'm going to share a differentiated lesson plan from start to finish. In the article Begin with the Highest Level Learner in Mind I promised that I would share the process, and here it is.
We all have students who struggle and require differentiated activities to access grade-level concepts, but how many of you put the same attention into
Differentiation is the buzzword that just keeps on buzzing! Teachers, administrators, and evaluation systems are placing more and more emphasis on differentiation in the classroom. Sometimes, the thought of organizing lessons to meet the individual needs of all of your students can feel like an overwhelming challenge. One of the best and simplest ways I have found to do this is with colored pocket folders.
WIDA ELD Standards Using Language Objectives to Differentiate Instruction for ELLs. What is WIDA?. ELD Standards (English Language Development Standards). What is WIDA?. WIDA stands for World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment Adopted by 22 states Visit the WIDA website:
Students create a foldable to describe 5 common methods (magnetic attraction, filtration, evaporation, distillation & chromatography) that can be used to separate mixtures. Includes 2 options (blank and guided) for differentiation. Use this activity as part of an interactive notebook. An Easel by TPT Assessment is included. This digital option can be used for: Remote or in-person instruction Practice on any Learning Management System (LMS) or device Student data Related Resources: ⭐ Methods to Separate Mixtures Anchor Chart ⭐ Pure Substances and Mixtures Cornell Notes #40 ⭐ Elements, Compounds & Mixtures (cut & paste) Activity ⭐ Elements Compounds Mixtures (drag and drop) Google Drive Activity More notes, games & foldables available at Sandy's Science. Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards Big Idea 8: Properties of Matter (Benchmark: SC.8.P.8.9)
Elements Effective Instruction Lesson Plan Template from differentiated lesson plan template , image source: avione.net
Checking for Understanding Formative Assessment Exit Slips
The Assessment Tracker for Elementary Teachers is a tool designed to help teachers keep track of and use their assessment data to differentiate instruction in the classroom. This student performance tracking tool allows teachers to visualize their assessment data and create small groups quickly and easily. Simply enter the assessment information (category, title, and date given), enter the baseline scores that you'd want for each status (exceeding, meeting, approaching, and below), then transfer the data into your database! From your database, use the filters on each column to view the data that you want. This will help you easily create small groups and differentiate your instruction! The database also has an "Assessment Stats" feature to show you how many students are considered exceeding, meeting, approaching, or below the expectations. This differentiated instruction tool is suitable for classes with less than 50 students. If you teach multiple classes, feel free to make copies of the Google Sheets document. *Here are some important things to know before you purchase! In order to make this whole thing work correctly, there are Macros (code) embedded into the document. Not all macros are supported on iPad/mobile device/tablet devices. For this product, you will have full functionality on your desktop, but on your iPad/mobile device/tablet, you may not be able to create the groups. When using on your desktop, you will need to give permission for the macros to run. There will be a popup that shows up when you create the groups the first time. Simply follow the instructions that pop up and you will be good to go! Also, due to the amount of code required to auto-transfer funds, it may take up to a minute or two for the groups to be created. A big THANK YOU to my husband who is a Google Sheets/Excel genius for making this happen. Follow my TPT store to get notified of new products! I offer 50% off for the first 48 hours - Follow Me Here You can also follow me on social media --> @atrailblazingteacher I am not affiliated or associated with Google, nor do they endorse this resource. Don't forget to leave feedback! :) TPT offers credits that can be applied to future purchases! To earn credits, simply rate and comment on the product.
