Module 3, Lesson 2, Activity 3 Answer Key

1) How did the teacher address the diversity of her learners?

The teacher first conducted an informal assessment of her students strengths and needs in
terms of literacy instruction. She then grouped her students according to their abilities, and
gave each group appropriate activities suited to their current skill level.

2) What are some of the challenges she encountered in implementing this approach?
Classroom management is a challenge when implementing differentiated activities. How does
she ensure that all of her students are busy working and learning, even if she is supervising a
small number of students at a time? Giving clear instructions for each group, and setting a
routine (for example, assigning collectors, clarifying instructions with a seatmate), helped her
in this regard.

Another challenge is materials preparation. Instead of just one set of materials, the teacher now
has to prepare three different sets of materials for the whole class. Initially, this would be a big
challenge. However, once the teacher has a collection of materials for different types of
learners, she can simply reuse materials.

3) How did her class benefit from differentiated instruction?

Working on "just right" materials with the teacher’s supervision or feedback helps students
develop a skill when they need to learn it. Children with more basic skills will not get
frustrated keeping up with the rest of the class, and children with more advanced skills will
not waste their time doing something they already know how to do.

As the teacher works with each small group, she also gets the chance to interact with and
assess each child. Continuous monitoring and assessment in this manner helps the teacher
fine-tune her objectives for each group and each child in her class.

ELLN DIGITAL 96