Differentiating Through Tiered
Assignments
January 15th
Best Practices
Green Hope ES
Purpose
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Why? Revisit, useful, easy to make, students
like and benefit from choices tailored to their
strengths
Planning/designing a tiered assignment
Examples of tiered assignments-complexity,
resources, processes, products
What is differentiation?
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“A teacher reacting responsively to a
learner’s needs.”-Carol Ann Tomlinson
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The goal is maximum student growth
and individual success.
Alignment with Teacher Evaluation
Tool…
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4a. Teachers know the ways in which learning takes
place…. and adapt resources to address the strengths
and weaknesses of their students.
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Accomplished Identifies appropriate developmental
levels of students and consistently and appropriately
differentiates instruction
4b. Teachers plan instruction
appropriate for their students
 These plans reflect an understanding of how students
learn. Teachers engage students in the learning
process.
 Accomplished
Monitors student performance and
responds to individual learning needs in order to
engage students in learning.
4c. Teachers use a variety of
instructional methods.
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Teachers choose the methods and techniques that are most
effective in meeting the needs of their students as they strive to
eliminate achievement gaps. Teachers employ a wide range of
techniques including…… learning styles, and differentiated
instruction.
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Accomplished Ensures the success of all students
through the selection and utilization of appropriate
methods and materials.
What is a tiered assignment?
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After introductory whole class
lesson
Multiple versions of the same
assignment or long term
project that allow students to
build on prior knowledge
Common follow-up activity is
needed when students finish
their assignments at different
times.
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Tier 1-remedial
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Tier 2-grade level
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Tier 3-challenge
Topic __________________
Tiered
Obj. #’s ________________
Whole Group
Introductory Activity:
Lesson
Planning
Guide
Tier 1
Tier 2
Tier 3
Assessment
Assessment
Assessment
Whole Group
Culminating Activity
Designed by
Amy Van Lerberghe,
WCPSS
Tiered Lesson Planning Guide
Objective:
Tier 1
Tier 2
Tier 3
When designing a tiered activity,
use these ideas as a resource:
Tiers
Questioning Cues Possible Products
Tier 1 Activities/
Assignments
Describe, name, define, label,
select, identify, write, describe,
memorize, list, draw, match
illustrate, explain, compare,
paraphrase, restate,
Dictionary, diagram, collage,
newspaper, speech, graph, story,
outline, restate, or revise
Tier 2 Activities/
Assignments
Collect, produce, solve, model,
examine, survey, distinguish between,
categorize, select, interpret ,infer,
separate, investigate
Survey, questionnaire, report, model, an
idea broken into parts, mobile, painting,
puzzle, diagram, map, illustration,
forecast, sculpture, solution
Tier 3 Activities/
Assignments
Invent, judge, evaluate, give opinion,
hypothesize, imagine, prioritize, critique,
what if, recommend, plan, weigh,
assess, compose, develop, role-play,
create, summarize
Set of rules, an alternate course of
action, invention, detailed report, poem,
experiment, cartoon, game, trial, selfevaluation, debate or group discussion,
a standard established, valuing,
formulate a hypothesis and test
Another Resource:
Bloom’s Chart or Wheel
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Level
Verbs
Products
Tiered Assignment Strategies
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Complexity
Resources
Process
Products
Complexity
Are there points when some students need more time to work
on content or a skill and other students are ready for more
advanced work?
Tier 1
After reviewing information about frogs and toads from the Dept. of
Natural Resources, record characteristics on a chart. Write a sentence
explaining how they are alike. Then write a sentence explaining how
they are different.
Tier 2
After reviewing information about frogs and toads from the Dept. of
Natural Resources, complete an open compare/contrast graphic
organizer with conclusions paragraph
Tier 3
After reviewing information about frogs and toads from the Dept. of
Natural Resources, imagine and create a conversation between a frog
and a toad in which they are talking about their likenesses and
differences. Include their feelings about their unique characteristics.
Resources
World Ecosystems
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Tier 1-Books-Desert Mammals,A Desert Scrapbook
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Complete the missing parts of the bubble maps for desert animals
and desert plants.
Tier 2- Website Zoom Learning
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Is there any activity in which varied
resources could be matched with
student needs and readiness?
Collect information about the desert ecosystem. Prepare a diagram
with plants and animals of this ecosystem.
Tier 3-Internet Search
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Research the desert ecosystem animal and plant adaptations.
Create a new plant and animal that would be able to survive in this
ecosystem. Prepare a diagram of these new species within their
ecosystem.
Process
Sequence
Is there an activity in which the
students could benefit from
working on the same outcome but
doing different kinds of work?
•Tier
1 After using print and /or non-print text make a list of events.
Place the events in sequential order. Create a flow chart and
illustrate the events. Label the events-beginning, middle, and end.
•Tier
2 After using print and/ or non-print text, dissect the events.
Change the order and analyze how the change affects the events in
the text. Demonstrate the importance of logical sequence in a real
world sense.
•Tier
3 After using print and / or non-print test, formulate a logical
sequence to accomplish a task and test it. Identify strength and
weaknesses of the sequence. Establish criteria for judging logical
sequence.
Learning Styles
Product
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Is there an activity that could result
in more than one way for students
to show what they have learned?
Kinesthetic
Design a flag for the
Lewis and Clark
expedition and write an
explanation of the
symbols. Would the
symbols on the flag be
appropriate at the
beginning and the end of
the journey? Support
your point of view with
three reasons.
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Logical/Mathematical
Develop a series of three
maps which show the
importance of the Lewis
and Clark expedition to
mapmaking. Use scale
and a key. Read from
the journals of the
explorers and include
landforms they named
Introduction to Animal
Life Cycles
Materials: Leveled Books
Tadpole Diary by David Drew
Diary of a Honeybee by Bill Kier
A Butterfly’s Life by Melissa Blackwell Burke
Whole Group: Individually or in pairs, student fill out K-W-L (What I Know, What I Want to Know, What I Learned)
charts. Then the teacher leads class discussion and fills out a K-W-H-L(What we Know, What We Want to Know, How
We’ll Find Out, What we Learned) chart for the class.
Butterfly Group
Students read
Butterfly’s Life
individually or in
pairs. Next, student
use the book to
illustrate and explain
the butterfly’s life
cycle on their blank
life cycle chart.
Honeybee Group
Students read Diary of
a Honeybee
individually or in
pairs. Next, students
use the book to
illustrate and explain
the honeybee’s life
cycle on their blank
life cycle chart.
Small groups: Students from each tier meet, share, and plan a
method to share their findings with the class. All groups will
need teacher support, but the butterfly group will probably
need the most. Groups may be given chart paper and asked to
provide a large illustration with explanatory labels.
Tadpole Group
Students read Tadpole
Diary individually or in
pairs. Next, students
use the book to illustrate
and explain the frog’s
life cycle on their blank
life cycle chart. The
illustration in the back
of the book provides a
chart with 7 stages.
Students will have to
choose the 4 most
important.
Whole Group Activity: Students listen to the
teacher read, Journey to Ellis Island: How My
Father Came to America by C. Biermann. As a
class, make a list of the character traits the
Cavendish family members exhibited on the trip.
Tier 1: Create a double bubble map comparing the Cavendish family and a family from
modern times. Consider how they relate to each other and what their community was
like.
Tier 2: Write a letter from one of the Cavendish children to a relative in England. In your
letter, describe some of the differences in everyday life in the New World compared to life in
England. Your letter should be at least 2 paragraphs long with rich description. Please follow
the friendly letter format.
Tier 3: The Cavendish family could only take one trunk for each person. As a group,
create a graphic product that answers the following two questions: If you lived in their
time, what would you have included in the trunk? Consider what they would need in their
new home. If your family today moved, what things would you put in the trunk?
Whole Group Culminating Activity: Choose your favorite Cavendish family member. Make
a list of all of the jobs or roles that member played in both the family, the old community and in
the New World. Put a star next to the role you think is most important. Write 3-5 sentences
under your list explaining why you thought that was the most important. Share with the class.
Number Theory
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Create a mind map
that will help
someone remember
number theory.
Develop a die or
spinner game using
prime/composite or
even/odd numbers.
Select from these activities:
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Design a string of
math operations
whose answer is
128.
Create a “Guess My
Number” booklet,
using any of the
following as clues:
squaring, factoring, multiples, prime/composite,
even/odd, and divisibility.
Are you…
 Creating
Level 4
Opportunities?
Go forth and create!
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Choose a third quarter topic with objective(s)
on which to concentrate.
Complete a tier 2 grade level assignment.
Move on to tier 1 less complex activity.
Use Bloom’s thinking levels wheel to generate
an above grade level activity for tier 3.
Remember to concentrate on one day of tiered
activities or long term projects.
Create a simple tiered assignment
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There are 2 templates to choose from
Each person build, use, and bring one to the
Feb 15th early release
We’ll remind you 
Resources
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This power point on website
April and Lee
Samples scanned
Depth of Knowledge Levels from Annemarie
Website connections
www.caroltomlinson.com/ASCD
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http://www.specialconnections.ku.edu/?q=instruction/universal_design_for_learning/teacher_to
ols/tiered_assignments
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http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/every-learner/6680
http://www.lessonplanet.com/article/language-arts/creating-tiered-lesson-plans-for-languagearts
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Review our purpose:
Questions? Comments?
Planning a tiered assignment
Choices in tiered
assignments
Constructing a tiered
assignment
Thank you!
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Green Hope Teachers ROCK!!!!