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I hate to admit this picture was kind of me last year.. Not to this extreme but I took today for me to realize all of the different ways we can & should be differentiating.  I had quite a few SPED students in my class last year, and I can honestly say I felt like I was doing an amazing job differentiating because I would hand out papers that had a sentence stem or something written for them on their paper. I  didn't realize differentiation should happen for all students. Not just SPED or G/T.

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I really love the way the teacher continues to encourage the students to make them feel successful and that they have accomplished the lesson established at the beginning of class as they rotate through the various stations.  I love this classroom, it is diverse and I can see that all the students' needs are being addressed; the teacher talked about how she addressed the various modalities of learning.  The video is about 5 minutes long.

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Station Rotation: Differentiating Instruction to Reach All Students

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Differentiation in my classroom are flex zones all around featuring different comfort qualities. Dim lighting, varied seating and "freedom" of activities or modes of work can be found to optimize engagement and success.

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This isn't a picture of a classroom, but a great reminder that every classroom is filled with students of different interests, passions, and ways of learning. No two brains are the same, but each student is capable of learning. It requires differentiation for students to learn topics/concepts in a way that it will be remembered and not just completed.

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I fee this picture is a good example of Differentiation, the children are working in small groups of their choice, which gives the teacher time to work one on one with each students.

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Starred Writing is an activity that I have used in my classroom to create a multi-sensory approach to writing. Starred Writing is idea development, in starred writing students must connect each sentence directly to the preceding sentence. Thus building in development for one of the idea points. The actual activity has students stand in a circle with possible sentences for a writing prompt and pass a ball of yarn to the appropriate student sentence that builds on the preceding sentence. The lesson is designed to develop writing with more depth, however, the activity is also visual and tactile and allows for scaffolding for those who need the assistance.

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I feel this is a picture of what differentiation can look like. You have students in small groups. Some are working on computers together and some are working pencil and paper together. They are not in traditional seating but rather where they feel comfortable.

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This is a great example of classroom differentiation. Offering manipulatives or other hands on support for students who need them.

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In this summer school classroom, the teacher taught guided Math to eight different groups of students  ranging from First through Fifth grade. The teacher created the acronym STACK for the rotation system. She referred to it as stacking up all of the components of great learning. Here is what the acronym stood for:
S-Small group-teacher table differentiated lessons
T-Technology-computer rotation (iPod, iPads)
A-Apply-skill practice, problem solving, "apps", anything applying the skills
C-Create-math journal, critical writing, critical thinking, group activities, etc.
K-Kinesthetic-hands on! (This is the conceptual part of Math)

Her idea was to hit on the key components of guided math while promoting higher order skills through activities and engagement!

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I did a project on how a single disease can effect multiple body systems. I allowed each student to pick which disease they wanted to research.

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Carmen  Campbell

This project was so much fun and is a great example of differentiation.  Each child was able to select one person to research.  The purpose was to use research to create a choice of outcomes.  The choices included were oral presentation, written paper, slide show, and visual representation.

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Just a helpful way to realize and understand the best ways to help students in the classroom. Being “fair” isn’t enough. It’s not a one size fits all kind of thing. Each student needs help in different ways.

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An activity with a low floor and a high ceiling involves providing students with a picture of a Cartesian Plane. They first brain storm on their own writing down all they know about it. Share with a partner. Then volunteer their responses whole group. Then some students volunteer to show and tell the parts they know. The nexr step is for students to write five sentences describing what they know about Cartesian planes.

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y axis coordinate geometry coordinate grid plot png points graphs quadrants axes functions

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High ceiling Low Floor

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In this photo it shows the use of flexible grouping. The students who needs extra help or enrichment are with the teacher. There seems to a choice where students can either work in partners or work alone. This is beneficial for students because it allows the students to choose what is more comfortable for them.

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Just a handy visual stimulating chart to help shine light on myths and truths of differentiation.

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This is perfect! Everyone may even be learning the same thing but all doing it differently! Love Love Love this!

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This is a picture from a day in my classroom, this group of students were working on station work on the floor, while other students were working on their Chromebook or other stations.

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This is showing how different students are students are using various avenues to learn. This is a great idea for my classroom as different sudent prefer learning different ways!

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It appears as though the students in this image are possibly split into groups according to their learning styles. I've found that differentiating in this way can be very effective, but it's main drawback is that it takes time to learn each student's learning style.

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This image shows how students are grouped which is a great way to differentiate instruction and activities. I tend to group students based on their needs in order to help them succeed. I also provide different activities for students to choose from so they can pick something engaging rather than making them do a specific one that will bore them.

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How is a football team like living cell?

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I'm not sure if the photo I uploaded is visible because it is acting weird. However, it is a photo of flexible grouping in the classroom. I love using flexible grouping as a form of differentiated instruction.

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We did an energy resources project but to create differentiation I allowed the groups to choose the topics but the "lower level groups" got first choice (and they knew which ones were the less complex projects beforehand). Also, They got to choose the pros and cons to put on the board but they had to put a certain number all together, but it was their choice how and if they wanted to slant their perspective for their presentation later and their drawings were THEIR interpretations of historical facts about their resource (if it was a renewable resource). There were requirements hidden in each poster, but the differentiation in each one is what made each group desperate to try to finish each one in time and made for a lively debate later. (I am in high school)

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We use a math computer program in kinder that assesses the students and then builds upon their skills. I usually use this during stations time as well to help accelerate their understandings of concepts.

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I enjoy having my students work in small groups. I also think that it is a quick and effective way to differentiation instruction. Having flexibility of different levels or the same level being grouped together provides flexibility that allows me to have the ability to group based on what the students need.

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This image shows students doing things in a variety of ways. Maybe all three of these students were tasked to write a summary of a book. To achieve this goal one girl is reading a book and the boy could be listening to a book and writing thoughts down as he goes. The end goal is the same but the way they are getting there is different. That is differentiation.

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Using math stations in the kindergarten classroom allows for differentiation. The stations I look to implement are never ending and open-ended. Students can make the activity more challenging or as simple as necessary for full engagement.

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One of my dear teacher reader friends, Sherry, recently wrote to me and asked me if I could put together an example of my math stations for the beginning of the year. I know I did a complete example of this in the spring when my students where already well acquainted with the Math Station routine and well after I had the opportunity to assess their readiness in the standards we were covering . . . but the beginning of the year is a completely different bird.

One of the three guiding principles of differentiated instruction is that assessment and instruction go hand in hand, but when those sweet little kindergarten cherubs waltz through the door those first few days, we really don't have ANY clue what their readiness is or isn't.

On top of that, they still need to learn routines and rules and expectations! YIKES! It really easy a great deal for a little one to pick up but here's the good news . . . they pick it up rather quickly.
But what do you do in the meantime? For me, I make stations that are exploratory in nature (we all know if you don't give them a chance to play with the materials before hand they're gonna play with the materials the entire time they're suppose to be working) so that they can familiarize themselves with different math materials and manipulatives and also develop stations that will give me a very quick picture of what they know in regards to initial standards that I will be covering in the first weeks of school.

And . . . I try to cover many of the different multiple intelligences during this time as well. What I don't hit in one area like math stations, I try to pick up in learning centers. My regular math stations usually last for three weeks with students going through each station twice before I change or add to them, but this first set will last only two weeks at the most because, I like to do them everyday and for a shorter amount of time than usual. Once they are complete, I will have a good understanding of where each child is and will be able to start tiering my instruction.

So here is my planning template . . . There are nine stations (only 6 are being used at any given time). And room to record three different tiers as well as indicate the activity and common core to which it aligns.

You remember this is how I store them right? All the tiered materials in the same drawer.

Ok, so here we go . . . an example of a possible first set of math stations I've tried to include pictures of everything. So if you have any questions or need more information about a particular activity . . . JUST CLICK ON THE PICTURE. . . .

1. Play-doh numbers . . . This is going to appeal to your kinesthetic learners and, let's face it, every kindergartener loves play-doh. These fabulous little play-doh mats are free to you from Make Take Teach and I suggest you grab them up. (Just click on the picture for the link.) They have them all the way to 20 but I start out with 1-10. I usually place them face down and tell the kiddos they have to pick the one on top. Tell their partner the number and then make the number and that many pieces of whatever the picture is with play-doh. As you're gonna here things like, that's not 7 or this is easy it's 8 (that's you cue to stop and engage and take some quick assessment notes).

3. Sorting cars . . .tell them they can play with them for a bit AFTER they talk to you about how they sorted their cars. You can find out if they can count one to one with this activity and also if they can sort by more than one attribute. You can also throw in patterning although that's not a kindergarten standard (I still like to do it). You can get the "I can " poster by clicking on the picture.

4. Pokey pin shapes! I love these things. Mrs. Miner's Monkey's presents these wonderful, engaging activities that are GREAT for fine motor and reinforce basic skills such as shapes. Best of all --INDEPENDENT!!!! All you need is a push pin and you're ready to go. (Click on the picture to find out more about these great little activities.)

5. Hot Rod Tens Frame - Self-correcting and independent. Students can use the car cards that come with activity (in case you don't have any toy cars. Myself, with 3 boys, I always have cars.) or use toy cars. There is a number showing and once they have counted that number onto their 10s frame, they remove the clothes pin to see if they did it correctly. I love INDEPENDENT and this one fits the bill.

6. Geoboard numbers. Another great visual, kinesthetic activity. Get the downloadable geoboard cards from Marking Learning Fun website for FREE. Just click on the picture.

7. I Spy Speeding Numbers - They spy the numbers on the sheet and match it up to the tens frame. It's a way to introduce them to I-spy's which they love, love, love. They love to figure out where all the numbers are and it's tiered so you as soon as their you see a kiddo that needs a little more challenge, they can have the same kind of activity at their level. (Click on the pic for more information).

8. Race Around The Room... This is a tiered activity, but to start out with, I would only use one level and the very first tiered activity. If a student finished early, you have the other activity available for them to complete. And you have a really good idea of where they are at counting objects and their letter formation. This is a classroom favorite because kids get to move around and look for the cards. It's also a good one to teach them the rooms and routines for 'write the room' activities.

9. Stamping number stations. I like these stations from Krissy Miner. Krissy has really great independent activities that I can tier easily and the kids LOVE them.
Ok, so those are an example of some stations for the first two weeks of school. Of course, you could change any of these out with a math songs cds for one station, math books at another or whatever you think you (and your kiddos can handle).

Thanks for making me plan them so early. I have a whole month before school starts. Remember that when you start these out there won't be much tiering but you can have your materials available so that if needed, you can students the next tier of I-Spy or Stamping or whatever it is. Be ready to carry around a clipboard (my tool of choice and make notes and check off where your little cherubs are in terms of readiness so that you can (as quickly as teacherly possible) start tiering. I'll be back in a couple of weeks and give you an example of how that might look too. Until then, a few suggestions for those first several days of math stations when you are ready to pull your hair out . . . remember to MODEL, MODEL, MODEL the activities they will do. Don't get to bent out of shape if things are completed EXACTLY as instructed. Stop the activity and use it as a teachable moment.

Also, start right away, showing students how to take and get materials on their own. I assign a materials handler for each group. That is the ONLY person who gets, takes out, hands out and returns materials.

Any questions? Please don't be afraid to drop me a line.

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Differentiated Math Stations For The Beginning of The Year and A Couple Of Freebies! - Differentiated Kindergarten

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One of my dear teacher reader friends, Sherry, recently wrote to me and asked me if I could put together an example of my math stations for the beginning of the year. I know I did a complete example of this in the spring when my students where already well acquainted with the Math Station...

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High Ceiling Low Floor
The floor indicates baseline instruction in which all students can engage in the learning immediately with little frustration.  The ceiling indicates tasks which the child can engage in and still experience room for growth and exploration before boredom or frustration occurs causing the student to disengage. Low floor, high ceiling for all students does not limit students rather it allows them to continue to reach higher and go deeper in their learning.  It allows learners to step out of the box and become thinkers with different ways of showing their thinking and learning.

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This illustration shows a differentiated classroom because each student is learning in their own way. I especially like the range of items the students are using and the way they all seem engaged in their tasks. There is technology present as well as hands-on materials and listening devices for the students to use to learn.

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I like to allow students the opportunity to collaborate with their peers in a multitude of platforms. I do this through stations. I have a series of cards that I use to help guide students from station to station. Students get individual cards based on their ability level that is organized on a ranking sheet. I update this sheet after every formal assessment based on their progress. Students go to stations that have different activities that update with content.  Each student card will match the ranking sheet with a shape. This helps locate students on the stations map. The color of the day would tell them what order their stations would be in. However, the station categories remain the same. They follow the acronym "GRIT."
G- Group, Hands on
R- Reteach with the Teacher
I- Independent Work
T- Technology
Students see different ability groups within each station except the Refine with the Teacher station. This allows them to collaborate with different ability levels while also having complex material presented with my guidance based on their ability. I adapted these stations from a MATH station training that I attended performed by a teacher in Abilene named Amy Arick so that you could use this acronym no matter what content area you were in.

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Help kids be thinkers rather than googlers.

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I love working in small groups in my 7th grade science classroom. I have tables set up in groups of 4 and will initially group them based on their test scores, usually with one high scoring, 2 middle of the road and one low scoring so I can allow collaboration. I do also change the groups up to group them in closer related scores so I can reach the struggling students. One of the best ways I was able to give extension and reviews is how we set up our google classroom. We had a Warmup, Learn, Practice, and Check. This allowed me a Pre-assessment in the warmup and where I needed to review or focus on in the notes. After that the students could go along the notes with me or at their own pace.  The practice had options for activities for the students to do that ranged from easier to complex. After they were done I gave them multiple ways to "check" their understanding.

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Engage your students with fun quizzes while instantly obtaining valuable mastery data. Automatically differentiate learning based on student performance.

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I had such a diverse ability group this past year. In order to differentiate in my classroom, I would have some students label their work while others would write complete thoughts and sentences. As students grew academically and became more confident, they would add more detail and complex sentences and eventually stories!

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Working with small groups is one of the easiest ways that I have found to implement differentiation in my classroom. I teach junior high math, and my partner and I would combine classes once a week in the library to give students a change of scenery and get them moving around in a larger space. This gave me the opportunity to really reach not only struggling students but also offer enriching extensions to those that need it. I am still a new teacher and plan on expanding my repertoire of differentiation tools, but I have found that grouping can be a great jumping off point and collaborative learning opportunity.

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I am planning on doing quite a few Socratic seminars next year for my assessments and reviews of concepts. During the videos today I was having trouble thinking of ways to apply the methods spoke of in a social studies setting, but i think this will cover it nicely. Each student will have a different set of Big Idea statements and questions they bring to the discussions, some will be more in-depth than others, but as we go through the discussion and I engage them with further questions to their responses all students will further their understanding of the topic. Though each students final thoughts may be of different complexities they should each be more in-depth than when they started.

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Take the cardboard chair challenge!

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This is a fun activity where students are working cooperatively to construct a mobile that move only by them blowing on it. They are only given certain materials they are allowed to use to build their mobiles and then we race them to see which team can blow their mobile the farthest in 10 seconds. This is an AIMS activity and I use this activity at the end of the year. It challenges my G/T students and also allows my other students to stretch their minds. They can make the most complex mobile to the simplest mobile and they have a trial run, and then they get the opportunity to adjust their mobile. It is a great way to see differentiated instruction happening with one common goal.

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I'm a big fan of collaborative learning, and try to incorporate it into my classroom. One of my favorite activities we do is our own historical version of Shark Tank. We usually do it twice per year, for the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution. Students get assigned to groups and as a group they have to pick an invention as their "product," research it, write a collaborative essay, and develop a pitch. On presentation day they pitch to our "Sharks," usually admin, resource officers, their coaches, whoever I can get in. The kids love the activity, the Sharks love it, and it is always a lot of fun. It allows for differentiation because within their groups they divide and conquer based on strengths by themselves, which is really neat to see. I don't have any pictures from when we did it, but I'm attaching a picture I found online of a class doing something similar.

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I will be teaching science and my passion for science lies in nature and the outdoors. Sometimes, science class can get a reputation for being boring and all indoors, so I would want to do outdoor fieldwork labs. These could include having students work in groups to identify trees, rocks, bugs, and plants, or make outdoor resources like gardens or pollinator homes. I think this would be useful for all students, but especially those who enjoy hands on activities. It would also be something to switch up daily routines and keep kids excited about coming to class.

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I think it is important to understand that differentiation in a classroom is a multitude of things. It doesn't have to be extra work for the teacher as long as we ask is it helping the student be successful with the learning target.

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In Reading class, instead of just reading the play, act it out. Give students various jobs according to strengths. Of course they have to read the play, but you will see what they enjoy doing. Are they actors or behind the scene types? They all shine and extremely enjoy contributing to the whole!

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Rationale

Performance reading, or fluent oral reading, can be practiced when young students join in a repeated reading of a book with memorable phrases or sound effects and added gestures, or when older students plan how to read passages of a book with expression for an audience.

Fluent oral reading has three aspects: accuracy, or reading the words in a text without error in pronunciation; automaticity, or reading the words in a text correctly and effortlessly; and prosody, or reading with appropriate expression and phrasing to reflect the meaning of a passage.

Research has shown that fluent oral reading learned through performance reading leads not only to engagement in and enjoyment of reading for students, but to reading comprehension (Rasinski & Hoffman, 2003), and it is one of the goals established in the research report of the National Reading Panel (NICHD, 2000).

Strategy

Engage young readers by choosing a book with memorable repeated language or refrains that they can act out with gestures, sound effects, props, and voices. Have students listen to the read-aloud, and then model the use of gestures, sound effects, props, and voices. Students participate during the reading and repeated readings of the book and can act it out as they discuss it. Mini lessons on phonemic awareness, phonics, and word study can be embedded in performance reading.

After acting out, students can draw in response to the book and write. Kindergarten students could draw and have someone take dictation for them if they are not yet writing. Students in 1st and 2nd grade can label the drawing, write a caption, or do more - depending on their writing ability.

Older students can plan performance readings of texts that feature monologues, dialogues, speeches, songs, or any text that can be voiced by students. They can discuss the text and make decisions about how to use their voices, facial expressions, gestures, movements, props, and costume pieces. Students can do this independently or in pairs or groups. Performance reading can be shared with others in the class, school, or with parents.

Grade-level modifications

K-2nd Grade

Read aloud We're Going on a Bear Hunt, retold by Michael Rosen (1989), a traditional rhyming tale that tells of a family who take a walk and encounter a bear. Model gestures (rubbing hand together), sound effects, and voices (chanting "swishy swashy") when the family is going through the grass. Read dramatically, and slowly. Students can join in the reading with gestures, sounds effects, and voices as they were modeled, and they can act out the story narrative. To use a prop, provide a small blanket or square of cloth to represent the blanket at the end of the story. This prop could be rotated among students as the story is acted out.

After reading and engaging the students in acting out the story, lead a discussion with students using aesthetic reader response questions and prompts:

Show us your favorite part. Act it out!

Has anything like this ever happened to you?

Is there anything you would change in the story? Act it out!

Re-read the story and pause for students to add gestures, sounds effects, and voices. The phrases that students use to join in performing the story can be written on chart paper or sentence strips. Point to the phrases as the students perform them, linking the speaking and performing to the words. During further readings, gradually release responsibility for the phrases that students repeat to increase fluency and comprehension of the story.

Students can draw and write about the story and their own experience of acting it out. Kindergarten students can draw a picture. On their own or with help, they can add label or a caption to the picture. They can also use dictation. More proficient kindergarten writers and 1st- and 2nd-grade students can add a caption and more to their drawings.

Mini lessons on word study can be added to repeated reading of the book. For the book We're Going on a Bear Hunt(Rosen, 1989), do a mini lesson on chart paper or whiteboard using an onset (sw-) and rime (-ash) from the story. (Every syllable in English has a rime, or the vowel and any consonant after it, and may have an onset, or the consonant before the vowel in the syllable.)

Collect a text set of other books good for performance reading to read and act out with the class, or for students to read and act out independently in small groups and share with the rest of the class.

Books

3rd Grade-5th Grade

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village (Schlitz, 2007), the 2008 Newbery Award-winning book, is a collection of 19 monologues and two dialogues from characters living in an English village in 1255. The book can be read independently or aloud, but it is clearly intended as a text for performance reading by students. Introduce it with either a book talk, paging through it as a preview for students, or by passing it from student to student to read a monologue of one of the colorful characters (e.g., Otho, the miller's son; Barbary, the mud slinger; Will, the plowboy; Alice, the singing shepherdess, etc.)

Lead a discussion after several monologues, using aesthetic reader response questions and prompts:

Which character was your favorite?

What did you wonder about that character?

How would you use your voice, face, and gestures to communicate the emotions, attitudes, and motives of that character?

The students can continue reading and discussing the characters.

To do a performance reading of the book, take volunteers for characters. Model a plan for each student to decide how to use voice, facial expressions, gestures, movements, props, and costume pieces for the lines their character speaks to bring the character to life. Students can work in pares to develop their plans.

Students can read to each other in pairs, putting their plan into action, and do a performance reading of the book a few characters at a time, leading up to a continuous performance reading of the whole book. This can be performed for other classes at school, or for parents and community members.

To continue performance readings, collect a text set of good books for performance reading that students can read independently and act out in pairs or small groups and present to the class. Students can also choose books on their own that they would like to use for performance reading.

Books

Differentiated instruction

English language learners

Choose books that contain the content and vocabulary of the cultural and language group of the English language learners in the class. For example, for Spanish speaking ELLs, see these picture books, in which the text is primarily in English but is interspersed with words in Spanish, and where the story lends itself to acting out and performance reading:

Deedy, C. A. (2007). Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree Publishers. (There is also a Spanish version of this book with a CD of the story in Spanish, published in 2008.)

Mora, P. (2006). ¡Marimba! Animales from A to Z. New York: Clarion.

The teacher can focus on using nonlinguistic strategies to make the story comprehensible (i.e., props and realia and gestures).

Students can be paired with a buddy - a student who is a more proficient English speaking ELL or an English speaker. The ELL uses props, gestures, and sound effects, while the buddy speaks the words and phrases. When using an English text that also has words in Spanish, such as the picture books listed above, the less English proficient student can say words in Spanish and gradually add words in English as they become more comfortable with speaking them, while the more proficient English speaker can say more words in English.

Struggling students

Scaffold performance reading by making, or helping the students make, cue cards with words and phrase in large print. The cue cards can be used initially for the student to repeat the words after the teacher models them, and then students can use them as they practice.

Students can be paired for performance reading of a picture book, poem, song, or book excerpt. The teacher can pair students by how well they work together, and a more able reader can be paired with one who struggles. Students can read and practice performing a text together and share it with other pairs or the class.

Assessment

Cocreate a rubric for performance reading with students that can both guide and assess a student's ability to use repeated phrases and language, characters' voices, gestures, sound effects, or props, as appropriate for each story or poem used. Younger students can discuss their performance reading with others, first noting their strengths and then making suggestions for things on which they can improve. Older students can do a perr-assessment with another student, again first noting strengths and then areas needing improvement. Here is an example of a teacher created rubric for kindergarten through 2nd grade.

Language: Repeated words or refrains

Always correctly joins refrain; speaks/reads enthusiastically

Usually joins refrain; some omissions or errors

Occasionally joins or does not join refrain; frequent errors or omissions

Story Characters' Voices

Correctly uses voices; changes expression and volume to reflect voices of different characters

Usually uses voices; some difference in expression and volume

Limited, inappropriate, or no use of voices of characters

Gestures, Sound Effects, Props

Consistently and appropriately uses throughout the story; even adds appropriate variations

Usually uses appropriately

Does not use or use is limited and may be incorrect or inappropriate

Resources

Cox, C. (2009). Shakespeare kids: Speaking his words, performing bis plays. Denver, CO: Libraries Unlimited.

Rasinski, T. (2003). The fluent reader: Oral reading strategies for building word recognition, fluency, and comprehension. New York: Scholastic.

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literature-based teaching in the content areas

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Performance reading, or fluent oral reading, can be practiced when young students join in a repeated reading of a book with memorable phrases or sound effects and added gestures, or when older students plan how to read passages of a book with expression for an audience.

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The use of technology can help provide a way to differentiated the product of an assignment. Retelling stories can be difficult for learners who are not auditory. As I teacher, I try to offer students choice in how they demonstrate their knowledge.
One way is for students to code a bee bot in order to retell the story. It allows my students who enjoy coding to retell but also adds a challenge to their learning.

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When you take the same road every time you miss out on a lot of  detail.   Don't be afraid to take the road less traveled.

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Learning new vocabulary... Instead of just doing flash cards act out the word. Students will have to create their own role play to describe the definition

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I really enjoy using cooperative learning in group formats while still using proximity teaching. Just like the picture, students group to do labs/in class assignments and talk amongst each other about ways to go about a problem they encounter. As a teacher, I am always nearby and am ready to praise and redirect when needed. I like this method the best because students piggyback from each in order to reach their goal before even calling me over.

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After reading many, many fiction stories during the school year, I allow my 1st graders to write their own! They partner up with a friend to write their own fiction story which includes characters, settings, problems, and solutions. They create a book for their classmates to read full of details and precious illustrations. They love sharing their books with the class and we sometimes choose a book to act out.

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When I was in high school, I remember a project we did in physics class at the end of our senior year where students had to build a boat made entirely of cardboard and duct tape. Our goal was to get our team completely across the school pool without sinking. Everyone in the school knew about this project and were excited for when it was their turn to be a part of it. Looking back now, I can see how this is the perfect example of differentiation with complexity as each team member had different ideas for completing the task, and each team had the freedom to come up with something unique to get across that pool...This is so powerful to me because I still remember that physics class, yet I now teach English (hence the long post).

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Get to know your students.

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Last year, my class that saw the most success with differentiation had a wide variety of student ability levels, but the students were teammates and willing to work together. This year, I want to focus on being more effective in utilizing the relationships within a class to create groups that can work well together at various levels. Simply letting students explain, in their own words, how they go about solving a problem can help each other in ways I never could, because I could never think through the same problem in the same way.