Differentiating Content by
Readiness & Interest
Some background
"Content is the "input" of teaching and learning. It's what we teach or what we want students to learn." Tomlinson summarizes differentiating content by focuses on two key aspects of teaching, what we teach and how students access it (p. 72). Content doesn't always have to come from a PowerPoint lecture or from a chapter. There are many ways to change up the what and the access. I have added a few examples - if you want more strategies and examples check out Vanderbilt.edu, edutopia.org and cultofpedagogy.com.
iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/di/cresource/q2/p05/
www.cultofpedagogy.com/tag/differentiation/
www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-ways-to-plan-john-mccarthy
"Content is the "input" of teaching and learning. It's what we teach or what we want students to learn." Tomlinson summarizes differentiating content by focuses on two key aspects of teaching, what we teach and how students access it (p. 72). Content doesn't always have to come from a PowerPoint lecture or from a chapter. There are many ways to change up the what and the access. I have added a few examples - if you want more strategies and examples check out Vanderbilt.edu, edutopia.org and cultofpedagogy.com.
iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/di/cresource/q2/p05/
www.cultofpedagogy.com/tag/differentiation/
www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-ways-to-plan-john-mccarthy
Strategy 1 - Adjusting Lexile Levels
WHAT? Adjust the reading level of your texts. Use WiDA and/or MAP data to determine where your kids are. Adjust up or down based on student struggles and successes.
HOW?: Use Rewordify.com to adjust Lexile level, add word bank, and add highlighting. Use Newsela to find articles and stories that are already differentiated AND that come with comprehension questions already!
rewordify.com/index.php
newsela.com/
WHAT? Adjust the reading level of your texts. Use WiDA and/or MAP data to determine where your kids are. Adjust up or down based on student struggles and successes.
HOW?: Use Rewordify.com to adjust Lexile level, add word bank, and add highlighting. Use Newsela to find articles and stories that are already differentiated AND that come with comprehension questions already!
rewordify.com/index.php
newsela.com/
Strategy 2 - Add a word bank
WHAT? Adding a vocabulary word bank allows students who need support the access to that support. This is a simple strategy that is easy to apply. The hard part is figuring out what everyday words might come up in your unit that our EAL students need help with too. Maybe a word bank for content words and a word bank for English words that have meaning in this new unit.
HOW? Add a text box to your Word or Pages document and fill it with needed words. Copy and paste this word bank on all worksheets, formative assessments, and summative assessments.
WHAT? Adding a vocabulary word bank allows students who need support the access to that support. This is a simple strategy that is easy to apply. The hard part is figuring out what everyday words might come up in your unit that our EAL students need help with too. Maybe a word bank for content words and a word bank for English words that have meaning in this new unit.
HOW? Add a text box to your Word or Pages document and fill it with needed words. Copy and paste this word bank on all worksheets, formative assessments, and summative assessments.
Strategy 3 - Change up your delivery
WHAT? Changing the way we deliver content can help increase student engagement. It gets pretty boring sitting and listening to lecture or reading the chapter...
HOW? Flip your class OR record a video of yourself teaching the lesson. Add this video to Canvas or OneNote so kids that need to see and hear it again have easy access to this.
*Use Screencast-o-matic.com to record your computer screen. You can add a document camera to the screen as well to have the ability to show students how to do something. Once you finish the video upload it to where you store your documents and resources. I like OneNote, but Canvas works too.
*Use screen recording feature on iPad, couple with "goodnotes" app OR the regular notes app, then upload to OneNote or Canvas. This has been great in physics, it allows me to model how to solve complex word problems.
www.goodnotes.com/
screencast-o-matic.com
Strategy 4 - Modify by Interest
WHAT? Do all students have to know all of the facts about the Civil War? Or do all students have to master each problem in math? Can some kids become the experts on some aspects of each of these and still meet the standard? If yes, then try breaking apart the lesson into interest sections.
HOW? Add a Microsoft Form survey at the beginning of the unit. Use these data to guide creating your plans. Kids could complete readings, projects, or experiments based on what they are interested in. It takes a bit of work to prepare so many different tasks, but the kids will love it and be 100% engaged.
WHAT? Do all students have to know all of the facts about the Civil War? Or do all students have to master each problem in math? Can some kids become the experts on some aspects of each of these and still meet the standard? If yes, then try breaking apart the lesson into interest sections.
HOW? Add a Microsoft Form survey at the beginning of the unit. Use these data to guide creating your plans. Kids could complete readings, projects, or experiments based on what they are interested in. It takes a bit of work to prepare so many different tasks, but the kids will love it and be 100% engaged.