Content Imperatives for Differentiating Content Adapted from Educator to Educator Depth and Complexity Icon Cards Content Imperatives for Differentiating Content Adapted from Educator to Educator Depth and Complexity Icon Cards and Riverside Unified School District’s GATE Program Bakersfield City School District Extended Programs Department GATE Services Program December 2009

Differentiating Content Differentiation refers to differing content, process (or skills) and products of the core curriculum to make that curriculum more responsive to students’ individual needs, abilities, and interests. Differentiation refers to differing content, process (or skills) and products of the core curriculum to make that curriculum more responsive to students’ individual needs, abilities, and interests.

Role of Content Imperatives in a Differentiated Curriculum Content imperatives represent a set of terms that activate higher levels of knowing. Content imperatives represent a set of terms that activate higher levels of knowing. They focus the investigation of a topic of study from a broad, general area to a more structured and specific one. They focus the investigation of a topic of study from a broad, general area to a more structured and specific one.

Role of Content Imperatives in a Differentiated Curriculum continued They demand more sophisticated resources of information, more analytical thinking to understand the subject matter and more complicated products to share what has been learned. They demand more sophisticated resources of information, more analytical thinking to understand the subject matter and more complicated products to share what has been learned.

Content Imperatives Relationship with Depth and Complexity The relationship is significant. The relationship is significant. Each set of prompts strengthens students abilities to focus on and investigate knowledge at more advanced and sophisticated levels. Each set of prompts strengthens students abilities to focus on and investigate knowledge at more advanced and sophisticated levels. When used in tandem, the content imperatives provide specificity to those dimensions. When used in tandem, the content imperatives provide specificity to those dimensions.

When using both sets of prompts Keep in mind Keep in mind –The learning experience should be feasible for the student to accomplish. –The learning experience should be worth the time and effort students must expend in order to accomplish the task.

Content Imperatives with Icons Origin: or how things got started or began. Origin: or how things got started or began. Parallel: or how areas of study share common characteristics. Parallel: or how areas of study share common characteristics. Convergence: or how ideas meet to form a new or different idea. Convergence: or how ideas meet to form a new or different idea. Contribution: or the benefit or effect of some action or attribute. Contribution: or the benefit or effect of some action or attribute. Paradox: or how things simultaneously can pose opposing or contradictory ideas. Paradox: or how things simultaneously can pose opposing or contradictory ideas.