Writing a Differentiated
Lesson Plan
A “Walkthrough”
Holly C. Gould, Ph.D.
Kay Brimijoin, Ph.D.
Sweet Briar College
Overarching Concept
A mental construct that frames a set of
examples sharing common attributes.
Concepts are timeless, universal, abstract,
and broad. Concepts may be very broad,
such as “change,” “system,” or
“interdependence,” or they may be more topic
specific, such as “organisms,” “solution,”
“habitat,” or “government.”
Source: Sara Lampe
Planning What Students will
• Know
• Understand
• Be Able to Do
These are the
facts, vocabulary,
dates, places, names, and examples
you want students to
memorize.
The know is massively
forgettable.
Facts (The Civil War
began in 1861; Emily
Dickinson was a recluse)
Vocabulary (entropy,
equilateral triangle,
hyperbole)
“Teaching facts in isolation is like trying to
pump water uphill.” -Carol Tomlinson
KNOW (Facts, Vocabulary,
Definitions)
•
•
•
•
•
There are 50 states in the US
Thomas Jefferson
1492
The Continental Divide
The multiplication tables
KNOW (Facts, Vocabulary,
Definitions)
•
•
•
•
What is the Pythagorean Theorem?
Who was Ptolemy?
What is onomatopoeia?
Who were the leaders of the Women’s
Suffrage Movement?
MISCONCEPTION ALERT!!
• Knows are NOT just the standard. For
example, the following SOL contains more
than just the “KNOW”
SOL 3.4
The student will recognize and use the inverse
relationships between addition/subtraction and
multiplication/division to complete basic fact sentences.
Students will use these relationships to solve problems
such as 5 + 3 = 8 and 8 – 3 = ____.
In this example above, the KNOWS would be:
VOCABULARY-- fact sentence, addend, sum, equation…
FACTS– math facts to 25, format of number sentences vertically
and horizontally…
Major Concepts and
Subconcepts
These are the written statements of truth, the core to the
meaning(s) of the lesson(s) or unit. These are what connect the
parts of a subject to the student’s life and to other subjects.
It is through the understanding component of instruction that we
teach our students to truly grasp the “point” of the lesson or the
experience.
Understandings are purposeful. They focus on the key ideas
that require students to understand information
and make connections while evaluating the
relationships that exist within the understandings.
UNDERSTAND (Essential Truths That
Give Meaning to the Topic)
Begin with “I want students to understand THAT…”
– Prediction of events may require a synthesis of
numerical and graphic data
– People migrate to meet basic needs
– Cultures contain the same elements expressed
differently
– Communication and mutual understanding can be
enhanced when people recognize cultural
similarities and differences
– Voice reflects the author
MISCONCEPTION ALERT!!!
• If a teacher finds it difficult to distinguish between
the “KNOW” and the “UNDERSTAND” it is
likely because the lesson is pitched too low and as
written, it lacks an essential truth; is focused only
on facts and skills.
KNOW: Columbus came to the New World in
1492
UNDERSTAND: When faced with conflict,
individuals and groups either adapt or
migrate to seek better conditions.
Skills
• Basic skills of any discipline
• Thinking skills
• Skills of planning, independent learning, etc.
The skill portion encourages the students to
“think” like the professionals who use the
knowledge and skill daily as a matter of how
they do business. This is what it means to “be
like” a doctor, a scientist, a writer or an artist.
BE ABLE TO DO
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Write a unified paragraph
Compare and contrast
Draw conclusions
Examine varied perspectives
Work collaboratively
Develop a timeline
Use maps as data
MISCONCEPTION ALERT!!!
• The “do” is the learning outcome of a lesson or lesson
sequence. This outcome may be demonstration of
mastering an objective, evidence of a thinking skill,
social skill, or basic skill of a discipline. (YES, “The
students will compare two novels to determine
common themes.”)
• The “do” is NOT what will happen in the lesson or
what the teacher will do. (NOT, “The students will
complete a RAFT assignment in cooperative groups”;
NOT, “The teacher will read Frog and Toad are
Friends to the class and will ask students to complete
one of three task cards based on their interests.”)
MISCONCEPTION ALERT!!!
• The KUDs should be written in such a way that if even if
individual students or groups are all doing different things, all
students will be addressing the same identified learning goals.
NOT: Read Island of the Blue Dolphins and select one of the
following tasks to complete:
• Write a new ending for the story
• Create a diorama of your favorite part of the story
• Write a timeline of events in the story
• Dress as your favorite character and read from the chapter in
that character’s voice
• Complete a webquest on dolphins
Essential Questions
• Use the understanding statements to write
the essential questions.
• Usually how or why questions
• Example
– How does voice reflect the author?
– Why do all cultures contain the same elements?
K,U,or D?
Look at the list of KUDs in the next two
slides. Identify which are Knows, which are
Understands, and which are Dos.
Knowledge? Understanding? Skill?
o Four quarter notes equal one whole note.
o Recite a prayer in Hebrew.
o Graphics can enhance or detract from a
presentation.
o Monet was an impressionist.
o Five pennies equal one nickel.
o Sort objects into 2 piles.
o Jump rope for 3 minutes.
o Maintaining physical health may be influenced
by factors such as diet and exercise.
Knowledge? Understanding? Skill?
o
o
o
o
Count to one hundred in units of ten.
Analyze the causes of the American Revolution.
Describe the rising action in a dramatic story.
Writers use a variety of literary elements to
inform, persuade, describe, and entertain
readers.
o Write descriptive text that describes people,
places, and events.
o Scientists record the results of their experiments
in a careful and detailed manner.
o You can find the decimal for 3/8 by using
equivalent fractions.
English/LA: Point-of-View KUDs
The definition of point-of-view
Truth can look different from
different perspectives.
Show, in writing, how a shift
in perspective can result in a shift in
interpretation of events.
Example: Historical Perspective
KUDs
Know: that different sources provide us with
different interpretations of events.
Understand: An historian’s perspective
influences history.
Do: Consider historical event from multiple
perspectives.
Example: Math
Scale KUDs
Scale is the ratio of a representation to
the actual size of the original.
Many professionals use scale in their
every day lives.
Scale helps us solve and
anticipate problems every day.
Calculate ratios
Interpret scale drawings
Draw an object to scale
Pre-Assessment
• What the student already knows about what is being
planned
• What standards, objectives, concepts & skills the individual
student understands
• What further instruction and opportunities for mastery are
needed
• What requires reteaching or enhancement
• What areas of interests and feelings are in the different
areas of the study
• Ascertaining different learning preferences
• How to set up flexible groups: whole, individual, partner, or
small group
Introduction & Body
• Should have a “hook”
• Contains the sense-making activity
Closure
• Great way to see if students “got it” is to
ask the essential question(s)
If Differentiated…
• What part of the lesson was differentiated?
– Content
– Process
– Product
If Differentiated…
• How was it differentiated?
– Readiness
– Interest
– Learning Preference
If Differentiated…
• Why?
– What identified need prompted you to
differentiate this way?
– Should reflect preassessment
Assessment/Culminating
Performance
• Describe the assessment/culmination
• Describe how you measured the…
– Content – How did you measure that the students got
the “know” section of the lesson plan?
– Understandings – How did you measure that the
students got the “big ideas?” These are reflected in the
“understand” section of the lesson plan.
– Skills – How did you measure the students
performance of the skills listed in the “be able to do”
section of the lesson plan?
(You may have addressed some of the KUD in the body
or closure of the lesson as well.)