Derry Village School

we open the door to learning

Created by:

Dottie Peters May 2007

Important Links:

Derry Cooperative School District

Derry Village School

DVS PACE Department

Differentiation

Introduction

“Differentiating Instruction means “shaking up” what goes on in the classroom so that students have multiple options for taking in information, making sense of ideas, and expressing what they learn.”
~ Carol Ann Tomlinson, 2001, How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms

Differentiating Instruction

Differentiating Instruction (DI) is changes in the pace, level, or kind of instruction in response to the learner’s needs, styles, or interests. It is increasing the likelihood of success for all learners by actively planning for their differences. (Heacox, 2002)

Teachers differentiate by...

• Content (What to teach)
• Process (How they’ll learn it)
• Product (Evidence of learning/assessment)

According to the student’s...

• Readiness
• Interest
• Learning Profile

In order to differentiate, teachers must first think about what is it that they want the students to know, understand, and be able to do. They must clearly establish these learning goals (relevant to the state standards), then select activities designed to reach them.

Things for students to know...

facts, vocabulary, dates, rules, people, places, causes, steps

Things for students to understand...

concepts, principles, generalizations, how things are related

Things for students to be able to do...

basic skills, creative and critical thinking, life skills, convey information, predict

Navigating these resource pages

The purpose of these web pages is to provide teachers with strategies for preassessment, useful tools for planning and implementing activities, specific examples of differentiated lessons, and a list of accessible resources.

Here is a handy overview of the resources in the Derry Village School Differentiation pages.

I. Preassessment

A. Learn who your students are:

1. Interest Surveys and Learning Profiles
2. Multiple Intelligence Surveys

B. Learn about your students’ prior knowledge

1. Post-it note Posters
2. Preassessment Charts

   a. KWL
   b. Knowledge Rating Chart
   c. Prior Knowledge Questionnaire

3. Most Difficult First
4. Analyzing NWEA Data

II. Differentiation Tools

A. Tiered Assignments
B. Totally 10
C. RAFT activities
D. Tic-Tac-Toe or Think-Tac-Toe
E. Anchor Activities
F. The Learning Contract

III. Resource List

IV. Differentiation Units

site info

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