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The awesome thing about differentiated instruction is that it's so doggone versatile. You've already got the general approaches to get you differentiating across the board; to really shake things up, here's a handful of methods you can use specifically for teaching.

Everyone gets their own volume.

Some of these strategies will work better with younger students, some with older, and some can work for all ages with just a little adaptation. Ultimately, you know best what will work in your classroom, so we'll leave you to it.

Or better yet, leave it up to your students, because tip #1 is:

1. Let your students pick their own reading material.

Before you decide either (a) you can't do this because it would mean too much work for you; (b) you can't do this because you don't know how; or (c) you can't do this because all of your students would be reading crap...take a minute to breathe. We'll tell you up front that even though Nancie Atwell (who gave us this idea) is all for choice, even she places some limitations on what books students can read.

For one thing, students are choosing books from her well-curated classroom library, and for another, she bans books that she considers "junk" (we won't point any fingers, but Nancie will: Gossip Girl is mentioned by name, and books based on video games get the boot, too).

She does, however, make exceptions when it appears that a less than literary title may be a student's only entry point to reading.

Atwell discusses her process in brief on the Kids Recommend page of her school's website, and in detail in her book The Reading Zone. Whether or not you're ready to climb on board, you may find some ideas about using student choice to help differentiate your reading instruction.

2. Set up multiple reading centers in your room that focus on different literacy skills.

You can either have students rotate through these centers over time (a new center every 20 minutes, every day, or every week, depending on the complexity and length of the assignments and activities at each center) or allow students to choose which centers they spend time at during a "free choice" portion of the class. Figure 2 on page 9 of the article " Differentiated Reading Instruction: What and How" offers a nice list of ideas for literacy centers that can be adapted for various age groups.

3. Match the level to the student.

It can be useful to work individually with students to help them learn how to tell (eventually they'll be able to do it on their own) if a book they're considering reading is too easy, too hard, or just right. The reason it's so important is described in detail in Melinda Parks' article " Choosing Books that are Just Right." We'll give you a hint: did Goldilocks keep eating the porridge that was too hot? Exactly. And if we want our students to keep reading, the same thing goes.

Want more resources behind that reasoning? Reading Rockets, which produces shows on reading for PBS, offers the Five Finger Rule for choosing just-right books. And even though it's worded for a younger crowd, the method will work just as well for older students.

4. Read aloud in class.

Most folk think this is a more common activity in early childhood education. But when you think about it, there's no real reason to phase it out as students grow out of their short pants. Some students take in information better when they hear it, which is why audio books are such a racket these days.

If you're concerned that students won't get practice reading with their eyes if they do it with their ears instead, encourage them to read along while they listen to a recording or to you (if you've got that awesomesauce reading voice down). At the least, a good way to get them started on their homework can be reading the first chapter of a new book. And hey, you don't have to do it all yourself: go in a circle or do it popcorn style so they can practice their eye-to-vocal-chords coordination too.

And that's another benefit of reading aloud in class. Aside from the fact that it may reel students in or just plain work better for aural learners, it can give some of your students a chance to practice their reading voices while improving diction, enunciation, and self-confidence. And add to that that you'll be able to stop every once in a while to check for understanding. When you do this, you can offer insights and share reading strategies with students. Whether it's a "did you get this five-syllable word" or "maybe we should underline that important-sounding sentence."

Not convinced yet? Go back and read this section out loud and then your doubts will be drowned out for sure.

5. Use multiple levels of the same text when possible (and if necessary).

Some students might thrive on the footnotes in the Signet Classics version of Romeo and Juliet, while others may benefit from a fun, kooky summary with quizzes, themes, and characters to give that extra boost (not to mention some added food for thought).

Also, books like The Odyssey and come in various translations (including the Shmoop translations, we might add), and some of those are more user-friendly than others. You can also find abridged versions of some texts if need be.

6. Ready, brace yourself....watch the movie.

Sure, you'll want to lay on the reminders that it's not a substitute for reading the book. But if there's a promising film (or stage) adaptation available for a text you're studying in class, by all means, dim the lights and give it a go. Or encourage your students to do that at home, if you can't spare the class time.

Getting the information in more than one format will help some students make connections they may not have made otherwise. And it will offer an opportunity for students to compare a text presented in two different media formats, which just so happens to be Common Core standard. That's hitting so many birds with one televised stone we don't even know where to start.

P.S. We have book vs. movie sections in lots of our Learning Guides.

7. Bring in props or visual aids that illustrate some aspect of what you're reading.

If you're reading Lord of the Flies, head to the beach (or a gift shop) and find yourself a conch. Tangible objects that make connections to the text will help some students engage with the material and feel like literature is coming alive. And hey-you don't need to provide them all yourself. Encourage your students to bring in an object and explain its relationship to the text.

8. Offer independent reading time in class.

That way students can enjoy the reading process and also get some practice. There will be some students who don't look forward to this time at all, but there will be others who savor it. And whatever their personal opinion, chances are they've all got something to gain from the practice. Just try to keep it balanced (not every day, not entire class periods) to meet the needs of students in both camps.

9. Encourage students to discuss the materials they read, and do it in various ways.

In other words, discussion shouldn't always be a series of responses to specific questions you ask. From time to time, a handy little "What did you think?" or "Did you like it? Why or why not?" can really do the trick. You don't always need to be all "What does the skull symbolize, and why does it show up at this particular moment in the plot?" Not that there's anything wrong with that, but hey, this is the article on differentiated instruction. So get different.

In other words, try to facilitate the discussion without necessarily leading it. Whether it's assigning individual students to bring a few questions into class, having them take a vote or debate about what a certain line means, or asking each student to come up with a different adjective for one character. By having a range of ways to talk about the books you're reading, you may just find yourself catching your students asking each another those questions before class has even started.

10. Just surrender. Use an app.

For realz. If your students feel most at home online, use ReadTheory or a similar online app. It may not be made out of trees and have pages, but it's designed to improve reading comprehension. It targets a wide range of students (K-12) and starts students with individual assessments so that content will be tailored to their specific needs.

The articles students read and the questions they answer on ReadTheory mimic the kinds of questions they may encounter on standardized tests, which can be a plus or a minus, depending how you look at it. On the one hand, it could be good practice for students, and hey-some students actually thrive with these kinds of learning activities. On the other hand, it's possible your students-and maybe you, too-have had enough of standardized tests, and you won't be so into this option. Still, it's a good way to inject some variety for the app generation.

11. Connect lit to life.

You're reading Anna Karenina and you talk about the role of social status and judgment in 21st-century America. You just finished One Hundred Years of Solitude and you assign a creative writing piece where they bring some magical realism to your very own classroom. They're having trouble with the philosophy behind Notes from Underground so you create a two-minute video showing what would happen if the Underground Man lived and lamented in Silicon Valley.

After all, what's this all about? Reaching the widest range of students with their variety of quirks and learning methods. And if we're lucky, doing it in a way that will keep reading hot and relevant in a world where attention spans are increasingly...oh look, a lolcat!

We think you get the idea.

P.S. Head on over to our Teaching Guides and Online Courses for loads of ideas for differentiation.

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methods of differentiation for teaching reading

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information about methods of differentiation for teaching reading

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help with methods of differentiation for teaching reading

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Methods of Differentiation for Teaching Reading

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Articles for teachers on Methods of Differentiation for Teaching Reading, including tips and strategies that work.

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25 Reading Strategies That Work In Every Content Area
Reading is reading. By understanding that letters make sounds, we can blend those sounds together to make whole sounds that symbolize meaning we can all exchange with one another.

Without getting too Platonic about it all, reading doesn't change simply because you're reading a text from another content area. Only sometimes it does.

Science content can often by full of jargon, research citations, and odd text features.

Social Studies content can be an interesting mix of itemized information, and traditional paragraphs/imagery.

Literature? Well, that depends on if you mean the flexible form of poetry, the enduring structure of a novel, or emerging digital literature that combines multiple modalities to tell a story. (Inanimate Alice, for example.)

This all makes reading strategies somewhat content area specific. Stopping (maybe the most undervalued strategy ever) and Rereading might make more sense in science, while Visualization and Text Connections may make more sense reading literary works. Questioning the Text may make equal sense in both.

But if you'd like to start with a basic set of strategies, you could do worse than the elegant graphic above from wiki-teacher.com. (Useful site, by the way.) It lists 12 basic reading comprehension strategies, to which we've added 13 for a full fourth of a hundred.

Looking for related curricula ideas? Check out our Reading Comprehension Strategy Resources
25 Reading Strategies That Work In Every Content Area
1. Reread

2. Activate Prior Knowledge

3. Use Context Clues

4. Infer

5. Think Aloud

6. Summarize

7. Locate Key Words

8. Make Predictions

9. Use Word Attack Strategies

10. Visualize

11. Use Graphic Organizers

12. Evaluate Understanding
To the above list, we'd add:
13. Question the Text

14. Stop!

15. Monitor & Repair Understanding (While Reading)

16. Paraphrase

17. Annotate the Text

18. Adjust Reading Rate

19. Prioritize Information

20. Use Graphic Notetaking

21. Predict

22. Set a Reader Purpose

23. Text-connections (text-to-self, text-to-text, text-to-world)

24. Skim

25. SSQ (Stop, Summarize, Question)

We'll gather these and put them in a Before Reading, During Reading, and After Reading matrix soon. Only because we like you.

See Also: 25 Self-Guided Reading Responses For Fiction And Non-Fiction
25 Reading Strategies That Work In Every Content Area

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25 Reading Strategies That Work In Every Content Area

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25 Reading Strategies That Work In Every Content Area Reading is reading. By understanding that letters make sounds, we can blend those sounds together to make whole sounds that symbolize meaning we can all exchange with one another. Without getting too Platonic about it all, reading doesn't change simply because you're reading a text from another content area.

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Three Apps to Help Differentiate for SPED

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Three Apps to Help Differentiate for SPED

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Using tech to meet the needs of all learners.

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I had the best time with teachers the last few days, curriculum-mapping away. It's what curriculum directors live for: discussions of vertical and horizontal alignment. However, about halfway through the second day, I could tell that I had "lost" two teachers, more specifically, two intervention specialists. Attempting to bring them into the conversation, we had a bit of a heart-to-heart, and this phrase came out: "My kids can't do these standards."

My heart broke with this sentence. Of course, part of it is that students with special education needs are still not always seen as part of the all in "all" of our kids, but at the same time, it was clear that these teachers needed some strategies to help work with their students. Although I knew that in the short time I had to work with these educators, I would not be able to solve all, I did know that they were capable and that they could use APPS to help students acquire our college- and career-ready standards.

As we worked together, I shared with one of the teachers my version of the acronym APPS for technology integration within the classroom: how will an application help students Acquire meaningful content standards; how will an application help students Progress through meaningful feedback; how will an application measure Proficiency of student learning, and how will an application S upport the student in learning content. You can find more examples of this in my other blog posts on . an example.

The following are three APPS that I shared with the teacher I was working with, and that I believe you too can use to help redefine your classroom and facilitate higher-order learning activities that encourage self-directed learning and ongoing assessment for our students with special needs as well as their classmates.

One of the concerns with some special needs students is that they can't read the complex text that is required of them at grade level. Research has consistently proven that we need to make sure kids get exposure and regular practice with grade-level text. Simply giving students texts that are not at their Lexile level is problematic, so what can teachers do to ensure access to complex texts for all readers?? Try one of these free Google tools! Take an on-grade-level text, maybe from . Download the free TextTeaser Google Chrome extension (it's available for other browsers as well-just do a quick web search). TextTeaser summarizes the content from a webpage as a list of sentences or in paragraph form. What's really great is that you adjust the output using a slider to give different detail levels of the passage or article. An intervention specialist can work in a small group or one-on-one, helping the students make sense of the larger passage. The summary can be used to preview the text or as a refresher to allow students to access the content, main ideas, and vocabulary so that they can participate in those rich, on-grade-level conversations An alternative to TextTeaser is , a tool that performs basically the same task.

is the second of the APPS I'd recommend. Often, students with special needs who are struggling in math need some type of visual to represent mathematical relationships. When this isn't provided, these students will shut down and become frustrated. To be frank, many of us need those visuals. In addition to providing just such a visual, Desmos harnesses the social nature of online interactions into meaningful math inquiry. For example, by using the Function Carnival tool , students are given the freedom to experiment with functions and are given direct feedback that allows them to revise their thinking and improve their mathematical practices AND practice perseverance as they iterate and work their way to the correct solution. Lastly, and most powerfully, this tool gives teachers the ability to randomly pair students with electronic devices, allowing students to create questions and challenges for each other based on aligned content. This can help students with special needs as it provides a model for mathematical thinking. Check it out at https://teacher.desmos.com/ . In Ohio, at least, this is a crucial tool to which students need to be exposed, since this is the same calculator interface we will be using on our State Achievement Tests.

The last of my recommended APPS is really one that can be used in all disciplines, and isn't limited to math or ELA. As students progress into higher and higher grade levels or as content gets more and more challenging, it is essential to help students see the relationships between ideas. Often, students with special needs, who have difficulty with organizing information, need support in keeping ideas and these relationships straight. is a great application that allows you to draw a diagram-a mini map, concept map, flow chart, etc.-and convert it to a text outline, and vice versa. This is a great way to help students with special needs organize information for something that they need to write. It can also be used to in relationship to the text itself. For example, copying and pasting a portion of text into a Word document will allow the software to create a diagram of the text to help students organize this text and make sense of the relationships amongst ideas, perhaps say, in a science text. Students also have the option of manipulating these diagrams to reorganize them in ways that are uniquely suited for how they learn to process the information. Although it is appropriate for all students, adults can benefit from it as well. I used it when I started writing this blog!

While these APPS don't solve everything, they do transform classrooms into areas of grade-level learning for all students. Through the use of APPS, I know that you will discover additional ways to help support all students. I encourage you to respond to this blog or e-mail us to tell us how you're using them. I'd love to learn more, too!
This post originally appeared on Achieve the Core, in partnership with Student Achievement Partners.
Dr. Bryan R. Drost

Dr. Bryan R. Drost is the Director of Curriculum and Instruction for the ESC of Summit County. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Education from Hiram College, a Master's of Education in Educational Foundations with an emphasis in Standards-Based instruction, as well as a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in assessment from Kent State University. He is the chairperson for the Ohio Foreign Language Association Technology Integration Committee, an Ohio Department of Edution Network of Regional Leader, a member of ODE's Fairness and Test Use Committee, a national supervisor for edTPA, part of NCME's Standards and Test Use Committee, and one of Ohio's Core Advocates. He has presented throughout the state and country on various topics related to instructional shifts, assessment, world language pedagogy, and technology integration. In his spare time, Bryan enjoys biking, cooking, and playing the piano. His greatest joy is teaching others to improve instruction for kids.

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Three APPS to Support Students with Special Needs - NEA Today

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I had the best time with teachers the last few days, curriculum-mapping away. It's what curriculum directors live for: discussions of vertical and horizontal alignment. However, about halfway through the second day, I could tell that I had "lost" two teachers, more specifically, two intervention specialists.

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