Differentiation Planning

The SKILLS and CONCEPTS students are

CONCEPTS: expected to know and/or be able to do at
the end of the lesson, unit or project.

Content for ALL students should be concept-based, relevant and transferable

Are all students expected to Do the students have a

Yes
learn the same skills and
concepts at the same level
of difficulty/complexity?
No Does the topic or concept
wide variety of abilities and
allow for students to focus
background knowledge of
on one part of their choice?
the topic or skills?

No Yes Yes No

Differentiation by Academic Readiness: Differentiation by Student

Interest or Learning Style:
Why it’s Effective: Zone of Proximal Development
Tools:
Tools: Related Strategies:  Interest Inventory
 DesCartes  Compacting
 Curriculum Ladders  Flexible grouping Related Strategies:
 Lesson Planning  Instructional Ladders  Flexible Grouping
Pages  KWL Charts  Jigsaw
 Literature Circles  Multiple Intelligence options
 Scaffolding  Orbitals
 Varied Questions
 WebQuests
 Varied Texts

The ways students demonstrate what

ASSESSMENTS: they’ve learned, including end of

unit/chapter tests and projects as well as
smaller daily progress monitoring strategies

Assessments for ALL students should focus on - and require the use of –
the skills and concepts being taught

Do I have data to help

Can the final product or
Yes
assessment be provided at
varying levels of difficulty or
complexity?
identify the level at which
No
each student should begin
working and where I’d like
them to end up?
Can the students choose the
manner of demonstrating
what they’ve learned and still
focus on key ideas and skills?

No Yes Yes No

Differentiation by Academic Readiness: Differentiation by Student Interest

or Learning Style:
Tools:
 Rubrics Tools: Ways to Show What You Know
 Strategies to Monitor Progress
(Formative Assessment) Provide students with a rubric that
describes what they must include to show
Related Strategies: their learning, but allow them to choose
 Alternative Assessments whether they make a poster, write a
 Questions Choices
report, create a PowerPoint or complete
 Performance Assessments
some other project that includes what’s
 Tiered Rubrics
 Varied Products required based on the rubric.

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Differentiation Planning, cont.

The activities, lessons,

and materials the
ACTIVITIES & MATERIALS: students will do or use
to practice skills and
gain information.

Activities and materials for ALL students should be purposeful and focused and should
promote higher level thinking and authentic engagement with the skills and concepts

Do I have activities Do I have data (such as Would it make sense to allow

and materials at scores from a pretest) students to choose how they work
varying levels of Yes to identify the level at No with the ideas or skills or to provide
difficulty/complexity which each student activities geared toward different
available to me? should begin working? learning styles or modalities?

No Yes Yes No

Differentiation by Differentiation by
Academic Readiness: Student Interest or Learning Style:

Tools: Tools:
 Lexile Framework  Novel Study Example
 Leveled Reading Articles  Historical Fiction Example

Related Strategies: Related Strategies:

 Anchor Activities  Menus/Agendas  Flexible Grouping
 Appointment Clocks  Simulations  Jigsaw
 Centers/Stations  Think-Tac-Toe  Orbitals
 Cubing  Tiered Activities  Multiple Intelligence options
 Games  Varied Organizers  Audio recordings
 Homework Options  Varied Pacing  Videos
 Learning Contracts  WebQuests

Consider whole group instruction for this lesson/unit.

Or give students a pre-assessment so that you’ll have the data
you need to effectively differentiate by academic readiness.

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