Differentiated Instruction
Work Session
MNPS Exceptional Education Department
Let’s Date!
 For the next 5 minutes
Krista
Brad
Casey
Julie
Craig
Beverly
Amy
Kassie
Diane
I need you to find 9
dates.
 Make a clock on your
paper and find a date
for the different times.
 1 o’clock, 2 o’clock,
etc…until 9 o’clock.
You should have 9
dates!
Super Sleuth
 We are going to speed
date! We will take 3
minutes to discuss the
question that pertains to
your date. When the timer
goes off you will move
onto to your next date and
proceed to answer that
question,etc…
Super Sleuth/Speed Dating
Questions
What is your definition of
differentiated instruction?
1 o’clock date
Give an example of when you
have used a low-preparation
strategy that worked well for
your students?
4 o’clock date
Give an example of when you
have used a high-preparation
strategy that worked well for
your students?
7 o’clock date
When and how do you use small
group instruction?
What is a question that you have
about differentiated instruction
that you hope is answered today?
5 o’clock date
How do you get to know how
your students learn?
What is one way that you have
helped a struggling reader
comprehend text?
6 o’clock date
What are some quick assessments
that you have used to learn more
about what your students know?
9 o’clock date
2 o’clock date
How do you provide choice within
your classroom ?
3 o’clock date
8 o’clock date
Let’s Refresh our memory…
What is
Differentiated Instruction?
Differentiation isn't just about having
different students do different things.
Differentiated instruction is based on
students' needs.
What is differentiation?
Differentiation is classroom practice
that looks eyeball to eyeball with the reality that
kids differ, and the most effective teachers do
whatever it takes to hook the whole range
of kids on learning.
-Tomlinson (2001)
Different vs. Differentiated
Different… Debra is teaching her
fifth graders how to write
persuasive essays. She develops
three different prompts for them to
choose from. Students can write an
essay to convince their parents to
get a pet, to persuade the principal
to extend recess time, or to ask
their favorite author to come to the
class.
 Differentiated… Rachel teaches
her third grade class a writing minilesson about dialogue. She circulates
the room as students write, and jots
down the names of students who
are experimenting with dialogue in
their writing, noting their use of
quotation marks. During
independent writing time, she pulls
the group of students who were not
punctuating their dialogue and
teaches a mini-lesson on quotation
marks. Then she pulls the group of
students who were using quotation
marks correctly and introduces the
concept of indenting for new
speakers.
Differentiated Classroom Structures for Literacy Instruction By: Diane Henry Leipzig (2000)
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/264
9
Teachers Can Differentiate
Content
Process
Product
According to Students’
Readiness
Interest
Learning
Profile
Adapted from The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners (Tomlinson, 1999)
The Key
 The Key to a differentiated classroom is that all students are
regularly offered CHOICES and students are matched with
tasks compatible with their individual learner profiles.
Curriculum should be differentiated in three areas:
1. Content:
Multiple option for taking in information
2. Process:
Multiple options for making sense of the ideas
3. Product:
Multiple options for expressing what they know
-CHOICE-
The Great Motivator!
 Requires children to be aware of their own readiness,
interests, and learning profiles.
 Students have choices provided by the teacher. (YOU
are still in charge of crafting challenging opportunities
for all kiddos – NO taking the easy way out!)
 Use choice across the curriculum: writing topics, content
writing prompts, self-selected reading, contract menus,
math problems, spelling words, product and assessment
options, seating, group arrangement, ETC . . .
 GUARANTEES BUY-IN AND ENTHUSIASM FOR LEARNING!
Choice Boards
Purpose of
Choice Boards
 Homework
 After Reading or Problem Solving
 Learn a vocabulary word
 Projects for a certain topic or book
 Presentation or Demonstration
 Independent Work
 Demonstrate a Skill
Primary Consideration:
What is your learning
target?
What must ALL students:
•Know
•Understand
•be able to Do
Fractions Choice Board
 Learning Goals: Students will…
 KNOW: Fractions show parts of a whole and can
be expressed numerically.
 UNDERSTAND: Fractions represent equal sized
portions or fair shares.
 Be able to DO: Use different materials to
demonstrate what the fraction looks like.
Turville, J. (2007) Differentiating by Student Interest
Turville, J. (2007)
Differentiating by
Student Interest
Differentiation Strategy:
STUDENT CHOICE
THINK-TAC-TOE
Book Report
Draw a picture of
the main
character.
Write a poem
about two main
events in the
story.
Create a Venn
diagram
comparing and
contrasting the
introduction to
the closing.
Perform a play
that shows the
conclusion of a
story.
Write a song
about one of the
main events.
Make a poster
Dress up as your
that shows the favorite character
order of events in
and perform a
the story.
speech telling
who you are.
Write two
paragraphs
about the main
character.
Write two
paragraphs
about the setting.
Let’s Get to work!
You have time now to work as you please (Partners,
Individually, Group). Take this time to work on
Choice Boards
There are some examples for you to look at around
the room and supplies for you to use.
http://daretodifferentiate.wikispaces.com/
Choice+Boards
www.pvusd.net/departments/GATE/choiceboards.php
Pyramid of Learning
10 %
20%
30%
40%
70%
90%
READING
HEARING
SEEING
HEARING & SEEING
DISCUSS WITH OTHERS
TALK/WRITE OR DO/APPLY
TIERED ACTIVITIES
WHAT CAN BE TIERED?
 ASSIGNMENTS
 ACTIVITIES
 CENTERS & STATIONS
 LEARNING CONTRACTS
 ASSESSMENTS
 MATERIALS
 EXPERIMENTS
 WRITING PROMPTS
 HOMEWORK
What is Tiered Instruction?
Teachers use tiered
activities so that all
students focus on
essential understandings
and skills but at different
levels of complexity,
abstractness, and openendedness.
By keeping the focus of the
activity the same, but
providing routes of access at
varying degrees of difficulty,
the teacher maximizes the
likelihood that:
1) each student comes away with
pivotal skills & understandings
2) each student is appropriately
challenged.
Let’s Get to work!
You have time now to work as you please (Partners,
Individually, Group). Take this time to work on a
Tiered Activity
There are some examples for you to look at around the
room and supplies for you to use.
Bill of Rights Example
Template
http://www.doe.state.in.us/exceptional/gt/tiered_curric
ulum/welcome.html
Remember…
If you do not give
students the
opportunity to
open there
mouth, there
brain will
automatically do
it for them.
Think dots
Just a different approach
STUDENTS USE
THINKDOT’s
 ThinkDots:
• Students begin ThinkDots by sitting with other students using
activity cards of the same color.
• Students roll the die and complete the activity on the card
that corresponds to the dots thrown on the die.
• If the first roll is an activity that the student does not want to
do a second roll is allowed.
• Teachers can create an Activity Sheet to correspond to the
lesson for easy recording and management.
THINK DOTS
Describe…
Apply…
Question…
Argue for or
against…
Satirize…
Compare and/or
contrast…
THINK DOTS
Application:
 1.Use “ThinkDOTS” to lead students
into deeper exploration of a concept.
 2.Use “ThinkDOTS” for review before
assessment.
 3.Use “ThinkDOTS” as an assessment.
Let’s Get to work!
You have time now to work as you please (Partners,
Individually, Group). Take this time to work on
Think Dots
There are some examples for you to look at around
the room and supplies for you to use.
http://daretodifferentiate.wikispaces.com/
Cubing+and+Think+Dots
Template
Template
WHY WOULD YOU USE
CUBING/THINK DOTS?
 To engage your students in idea and information
processing activities.
 To match your students learning profiles and
current needs.
 To engage your students forward on many
learning continuums.
 To identify the students readiness levels, interests,
learning styles.
 To use an on-going assessment process.
Social Studies Level 1
Social Studies Level 2
Social Studies Level 3
Cubing with Charlotte’s Web

Basic Cube

Abstract Cube

1.Draw Charlotte as you think she looks.

1.Use a graphics program on the computer and
create a character web for Wilbur.

2.Use a Venn diagram and compare Charlotte and
Fern.

2.Use symbols on a Venn diagram to compare
Wilbur and Charlotte.
3.Use a comic strip to tell what happened in this
chapter.

3.Draw the farm and label the items, people, and
buildings.
4.Shut your eyes and describe the barn. Jot down
your ideas.

4.Use a storyboard to show the progress of the plot
to this point.
5.Predict what will happen in the next chapter
using symbols.

5.What is the message that you think the writer
wants people to remember? Draw a symbol that
illustrates your ideas.

6.When you think of the title, do you agree or
disagree that it is a good choice? Why or why not?




6.In your opinion, why is Charlotte a good friend?
Example: Onomatopoeia
Side One/Dot 1
Find an example of
onomatopoeia in a
poem
from our anthology
Side Two/Dot 2
Make a list of all the
examples of
onomatopoeia
that you can think of
in two minutes. Have
your partner time
you.
Side Three/Dot 3
Write a letter to
Webster’s Dictionary
from
onomatopoeia on the
topic, “We are words,
too! Include us!”
Side Four/Dot 4
Write a limerick,
concrete poem, or
haiku using at
least one example of
onomatopoeia.
Side Five/Dot 5
Side Six/Dot 6
Why do you think
Research the origin of
writers use
the word
onomatopoeia? What
“onomatopoeia.”
purpose does it serve? Where does it come
from? What do its
parts mean?
Walkaway thought…
“In the end, all learners need your energy,
your heart, and your mind. They have that in
common because they are young humans.
How they need you, however, differs. Unless
we understand and respond to those
differences, we fail many learners.”
- Carol Ann Tomlinson
Thanks for your time
and attention!
We hope you enjoyed the
presentation and learned
something you can take back to
your classroom/school!
Instructional Facilitators with the
Exceptional Education
Department
Kristi Coggin-Elementary
kristi.coggin@mnps.org
Jackie Clark-Middle
Jacquelyn.Clark@mnps.org
http://teacherinstitute.wikispaces.com