Differentiating Instruction for GATE Students
in the Elementary Classroom
Presented by: Paula Golem 2011
Identification - Indicators
 Previous teacher recommendation
 STAR / CST scores
 Classroom Assessments- Reading Results/SRI
 Classroom Performance
 Thinking/Reasoning/Problem Solving Skills
Referral/ Testing Process:
 Teacher completes forms
 Submits by December 15th.
 Parents notified by mail in January
 Testing Occurs on 2 Saturdays in February
 Results mailed out before end of the school year.
Goal Setting and Planning for the GATE student
 Team approach – Use of IDLP form
 Teacher establishes goals based on observation and assessment
 Student is interviewed: Interests and Personal Goals
 Parent shares goals at parent conferences and signs form.
 Ongoing progress Monitoring and communication
 Students are not always aware that differentiation is occurring.
Strategies Used in Differentiation:
 Kaplan’s icons of depth and complexity;
 Maintaining access to the core curriculum- Proven mastery
 Changes in content, process, product, environment, and pacing.
 The Art of Questioning
 Use of Higher Level Thinking Skills / Bloom’s Taxonomy
 Differentiated expectations for GATE students
 Greater freedom in choice and independence given –projects
STUDENT DRIVEN !
 Assignments must be ENGAGING AND MEANINGFUL
 Heightened sensitivity to social/emotional needs of the Gifted
What is NOT GATE differentiation:
 More of the same.. additional pages of work below instructional level
 Helping struggling students in class with their work
 Helping the teacher with classroom chores.
**A Sample of Differentiated GATE Activities occurring in the
classroom:
Writing:
 Monthly Class Newspaper
 SCRIP Writer’s Workshop
 Every Picture Tells a Story Writing Folder
 Poetry Books/ Songs/ Plays
 Pen Pal Letters
 Research on selected topics with Power Point or Hyperstudio
Presentations
 Kidspiraton/ Inspiration semantic webbing
 Student write their own books
Reading:
 Appropriate novels chosen by student’s interest and reading lexile
 Book Clubs Discussions
 Author Studies and Comparisons
 Contact with the Author
 Tumble Readers
 Student narrated books on tape
 Orchard Software
Mathematics:
 Open Ended Question and Responses
 Math Journal with Logic and Problem Solving Challenges
 Challenge Box of puzzles and mind teasers
 Making the EDM games more challenging
 Computer websites / Orchard Software
 Excel Math
 Computer Jeopardy
Technology:
 Wiki Spaces – class and individual sites, written and maintained by
the students
 Web Quests
 Power Point/ Hyperstudio
 Digital Photo Essays
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**Two Parent Evening Meetings:
Instead of traditional informational meetings; At Lang Ranch we
frequently choose to invite parents and children to participate in
hands-on GATE activities and experiments with “Mad Science”
Suggested Websites for GATE students:
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www.educationalwikis.wikispaces.com/
www.gateadventures.com
www.gamegate.com/gamesjsp
www.blogwikispace.com
www.xwiki.com
www.wikispaces.com
www.curriki.org
Suggested Sites for WebQuests:
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www.webquest.org
www.sentex.net
www.yesnet.yk/ca/schools/wes/webquest
Paula Golem 2011