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Differentiated Instruction: Administrator Checklist
Phonemic Awareness
Phonics/Word
Recognition
o Words presented
orally or on picture
cards
o Words presented
in isolation on
cards
Integrated
Explicit
Scaffolded
Systematic
Fluency
Comprehension
o Books or passages o Strategy selected is
to practice phonics
appropriate for the book
elements
or passage
o Books or passages
that provide
challenging practice
Vocabulary
o Items
selected from
the reading
o
o
o
o
The teacher manages smooth transitions from large to small groups
All children in the classroom are engaged in meaningful activities
The teachers uses appropriate data to form and reform groups
The teacher makes connections to grade-level instruction
o
o
o
o
There are two and only two major areas of instructional focus
Instructional talk is clear and brief
The teacher names the focus skill or strategy
The teacher models the focus skill or strategy
o Group size facilitates attention and practice
o The teacher provides extended guided practice, with every student
responding
o The teacher corrects errors
o The teacher has a plan for a series of lessons for the group
o The teacher has a plan for progress monitoring
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Model Lesson #1: Differentiation for Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, and Word Recognition
1. Alphabet Review (3 Minutes)
Alphabet Review
o Sing the ABC song
o Say the ABCs
o Track the ABCs on an Alphabet Strip
This lesson is for the
very weakest group.
The children don’t
yet know the
alphabet.
o strip
Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll
Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz
2. Initial Sound Sorting (3 Minutes)
Today we are going to work with words that have
different beginning sounds. Some of our words will
start like /s/ sun, /s/ sun, /s/ sun. Say that with me.
/s/ sun. Others will start like /r/ rat, /r/ rat, /r/ rat.
Say that with me. /r/ rat. Let’s do them together.
Then the teacher models each item.
“This is (a) _______.
_______ rat? Or _____ sun?
Now you try. First name the picture, then say rat or
sun, then choose the same beginning sound.
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3. Letter Names and Sounds (3 Minutes)
The name of this letter is ___. What name?” (Students respond
chorally.) “The sound of this letter is ____. What sound?” (Students
respond chorally.)
I am going to say a letter name and you point to it.
I am going to say a letter sound and you point to it.
I am going to show you a letter and you tell me the name.
I am going to show you a letter and you tell me the sound.
Rr
Ss
Aa
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4. High-frequency Words (3 Minutes)
Today we are going to learn to read and spell some really useful words. The first word is an. Say that word.
Now watch me count the sounds in an: /a/ /n/. We hear two sounds. Say the sounds with me: /a/ /n/. Now
watch me spell the word an. The first sound we hear in an is /a/, and it is spelled with the letter a. The
second sound we hear in an is /n/, and it is spelled with the letter n. An has two sounds and two letters.
Our next word is the. Say that word. Now watch me count the sounds in the /th/ /e/. We hear two sounds.
Say the sounds with me: /th/ /e/. Now watch me spell the word the. The first sound we hear in the is /th/,
and it is spelled with the letters th. The second sound we hear in the is /e/, and it is spelled with the letter
e. The has two sounds and three letters.
Now I’ll say a word and you point to it. Now I’ll say a word and you spell it.
the
an
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5. Tracking Memorized Text (3 minutes)
Now let’s sing a clean-up song. First sing with me:
Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere.
Clean up, clean up, everybody do their share.
Now I’m going to sing it and point it. Watch me. My
finger touches the word when I say it. Now you do it with
me.
Clean up, clean up.
Everybody everywhere.
Clean up, clean up.
everybody do their share.
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Model Lesson #2: Differentiation for Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, and Word Recognition
Say-it-and-move-it (5 minutes)
This lesson is for a
stronger group.
The children know
most of the
consonant sounds,
but they are having
trouble with vowels
First we are going to work on hearing the sounds in words.
Line up your markers on your arrow, and get your finger ready to say
it and move it. I’ll say a word. I’ll say my word slowly. Then I’ll say it
and move it. Then you’ll say it and move it.
pin, fig, lip, sip, mitt, pop, log, mom, top, fog
Now you do them all on your own. I’ll say the word, you’ll say the
word slowly, then you’ll say it and move it.
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Sounding and Blending (5 minutes)
Now we are going to sound and blend some words. The way that you do that is to
look at each letter, say each sound out loud and then say them fast to make a
word. “Listen to me. /p/ /i/ /n/ pin. Now you try: /p/ /i/ /n/ pin.
Let’s do them all together. I’ll show you first and then you sound and blend.
Now do them on your own.
When you come to a word that you don’t know you can try to sound and blend it
pin
fig
lip
sip
mitt
pop
log
mom
top
fog
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High-Frequency Words (5 minutes)
Let’s practice some of our speed words. I’ll say a word and you point to it.
(practice first four words)
Now we are going to learn to read and spell two new words. The first word is eat. Say that word.
Now watch me count the sounds in eat /e/ /t/. We hear two sounds. Say the sounds with me: /e/
/t/. Now watch me spell the word eat. The first sound we hear in eat is /e/, and it is spelled with
the letters ea. The second sound we hear in eat is /t/, and it is spelled with the letter t. Eat has
two sounds and three letters.
Our next word is like. Say that word. Now watch me count the sounds in like /l/ /i/ /k/. We hear
three sounds. Say the sounds with me: /l/ /i/ /k/. Now watch me spell the word like. The first
sound we hear in like is /l/, and it is spelled with the letter l. The second sound we hear in like is /i/,
and it is spelled with the letter i. The last sound we hear in like is /k/, and it is spelled with the
letter k. The tricky thing to remember about like is that it has a silent e. We see that e but we
don’t hear another sound. If you remember that, you can read and spell like.
I’ll say a word and you point to it. I’ll say a word and you spell it.
for
Now I’ll say a word and you point to it. Now I’ll say a word and you spell it.
from
to
make
eat
like
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Model Lesson #3: Differentiation for Phonemic Awareness and Phonics
Oral Segmenting and Blending (3 minutes)
These children
can sound and
blend, but
slowly. They are
ready to work
with patterns
First we’ll work with the sounds in words. I am going to say some words slowly
and I want you to say them fast.
wed, ten, jet, fed, den, yet, sled, men, get, red, pen, let
Now I will say some words fast, and I want you to say them slowly.
wed, ten, jet, fed, den, yet, sled, men, get, red, pen, let
Teaching Letter Patterns (8 minutes)
Now we’ll work on reading and spelling three vowel patterns. The /ed/ pattern is the sound
at the end of the word red. It is spelled e-d. The /en/ pattern is the sound at the end of the
word ten. It is spelled e-n. The /et/ pattern is the sound at the end of the word jet. It is
spelled e-t. First I want you to listen to some words and tell me whether they sound like red,
ten, or jet. Point to the right sound.
wed, ten, jet, fed, den, yet, sled, men, get, red, pen, let
Now I’ll read you a word and I want you to spell it on your white board. Remember to use
your patterns. Words that end like red are spelled –ed; words that end like ten are spelled –
en; words that end like jet are spelled –et.
wed, ten, jet, fed, den, yet, sled, men, get, red, pen, let
-ed
-en
-et
Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, and Word Recognition
Integrated
Explicit
o The teacher manages smooth transitions
from large to small groups
o All children in the classroom are engaged in
meaningful activities
o The teachers uses appropriate data to form
and reform groups
o The teacher makes connections to gradelevel instruction
o There are two and only two major areas of
instructional focus
o The teacher names the focus skill or strategy
o The teacher models the focus skill or
strategy
o Group size facilitates attention and practice
Scaffolded o The teacher provides extended guided
practice, with every student responding
o The teacher corrects errors
o The teacher has a plan for a series of
Systematic
lessons for the group
o The teacher has a plan for progress
monitoring
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These data include letter-name
inventories, letter sound
inventories, spelling inventories,
and high-frequency word
inventories. They identify
exactly which items the children
need to learn.
Letter cards from the core are
reused to prevent confusion.
For phonemic awareness, this must be
segmenting or blending; for word
recognition, this must be letter names, letter
sounds, letter patterns, or specific highfrequency words.
The teacher must use manipulatives or
gestures for phonemic awareness; the
teacher must demonstrate the procedures
directly.
The teacher models each item, with all
students responding; then all students
practice individually at the same time.
The lesson plans target different letters
and words each day, but the strategy is
the same; the teacher periodically tests
the items that have been taught.