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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: Fluency and Comprehension
Syllable Patterns (3 minutes)
Let’s warm up with some review of vowel team syllables. Remember that you
know everything you need to know to read long words. When you see a new
word, look for the vowel patterns, decode each syllable, and then blend and
check. I’m going to give you a list of words. Each word has one syllable with a
vowel team and one that is closed. Draw a line where you think the syllables
are, and then read the word. When you’re done, we’ll do them together.
explain
mislead
canteen
increase
sustain
brightness
roadblock
tighten
contain
boneless
explain
mislead
canteen
increase
sustain
brightness
roadblock
tighten
contain
boneless
explain
mislead
canteen
increase
sustain
brightness
roadblock
tighten
contain
boneless
Choral/Partner/Echo Reading (8 minutes)
Our new book is called Owl Moon by Jane Yolen. Let’s read
it chorally first. Then I’ll ask you to get into partner
position and reread it. Finally, I’d like you to whisper read
it until time is called. Think about improving your
expression each time you read.
This lesson is for
children with relatively
good decoding skills,
but who lack fluency.
The lesson begins
with some limited
work on word
recognition, but the
focus is on multisyllabic words.
explain
mislead
canteen
increase
sustain
brightness
roadblock
tighten
contain
boneless
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After Reading
Inference Question (4 minutes)
Describe the feelings of the girl at the end of the
story. Why did she feel that way?
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Model Lesson #2: Fluency and Comprehension
Echo Reading/Partner/Whisper Read (11 minutes)
This lesson is for a slightly
stronger group in terms of
word recognition. It is not
necessary for the teacher
to spend a portion of the
small-group time reviewing
word recognition skills.
Our new book is called Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the
Gold Coins by David Adler. We are going to work with the
first chapter today. Let’s echo-read it first. Then I’ll ask
you to get into partner position and reread it. Finally, I’d
like you to whisper read it until time is called. Think about
improving your expression each time you read.
After Reading
Summary Question (4 minutes)
What are the most important details so far?
What were the main events in this chapter?
How did the chapter end?
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Model Lesson #3: Fluency and Comprehension
Choral Reading/Partner/Whisper Read (11 minutes)
Our new book is called You’re Aboard Spaceship Earth by Patricia
Lauber. We are going to work with the first half of the book
today. Let’s choral-read it first. Then I’ll ask you to get into
partner position and reread it. Finally, I’d like you to whisper
read it until time is called. Think about improving your expression
each time you read.
What is the most important information so far?
Give me a summary of the most important parts of
the section on the water cycle.
This lesson is for a
slightly more
advanced group.
These children do
not need the heavy
support of echo
reading and so the
teacher begins with
choral reading.
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Fluency and Comprehension
o The teacher manages smooth transitions
from large to small groups
Integrated 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
Explicit
o There are two and only two 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
Children should be seated so that they
do not need to move for partner work.
This includes ORF, phonics and sight
word inventories
The teacher should remind students of
how they applied the comprehension
strategies to a recent core selection.
For the weakest group, this will include how
to decode long words. For all three groups,
the teacher should mention oral expression
and the specific comprehension strategies
on which the lesson will focus.
Choral reading provides fluency modeling.
Think-alouds and prompts are useful in
comprehension.
Choral and echo reading are for fluency
practice, but teacher must monitor.
The lesson plans systematically rotate
selections while the skills remain the
same.