1. Differentiated Instruction in the Science ClassroomBy
Millard E. Lightburn, Ph.D.
District Supervisor (Science K-5)
Mary Tweedy and Keisha Kidd Curriculum Support Specialists

2. Mathematics and Science
Outcomes
Create multiple paths so that students of different abilities, interest or learning needs experience equally appropriate ways to absorb, use, develop and present concepts as a part of the daily learning process.
Become familiar with a variety of instructional activities to meet individual student learning needs.
Establish a repertoire of teaching strategies.
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3. KWL DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION What I know What I want to know
What I learned
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4. What Is Differentiation?
What differentiated instruction is NOT:
What differentiated instruction IS:
It is not individualized instruction (specific to the 1970's).
It is not disorderly or undisciplined.
It is not just modifying the instruction up or down..
It is more qualitative than quantitative.
It is a blend of whole-class, group and independent learning.
It is continually adjusting to meet the goal of matching learner to learning.
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5. Differentiated Instruction is…
“A set of unique decisions that the educator makes to bring learning within the grasp of all students. Remember, this includes students who are working on grade level, below grade level, and for those students working above grade level!” Carol Tomlinson (2005)
“A teaching philosophy based on the premise that teachers should adapt instruction to student differences such as readiness levels, learning preferences, and interests.”
Carol A. Tomlinson (2005)
It is a thoughtful PROCESS!
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Why Differentiate?
All kids are different.
One size does not fit all.
Differentiation provides all students with access to all curriculum.
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“TELL ME AND I WILL FORGET.
SHOW ME AND I MAY REMEMBER.
INVOLVE ME AND I WILL UNDERSTAND."
-Ancient Chinese Proverb
After reading this quotation, you can talk about how differentiated instruction is validated by this statement. All students are involved in planning for Differentiated Instruction to work.
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Your Learning Style
Activity # 1:
What is your primary learning style?
Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic/Tactile
Before doing the activity:
Predict your learning style
Predict which will be the most common learning style in the classroom.
Read the direction on the chart “ Learning Styles” and determine your primary learning style.
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10. Principles of a Differentiated Classroom
All students participate in respectful work.
Teacher and students work together to ensure continual engagement & challenge for each learner.
The teacher coordinates use of time, space and activities.
Flexible grouping which includes whole class learning, pairs, student-selected groups, teacher selected groups, and random groups.
TOTAL TIME 5 MINUTES
Ask participants what consists of “respectful work”.
When it says “Teachers and students work together”, what does that mean to the participants?
“Teacher coordinates use of time, space and activities” how can a teacher recruit assistance? (answers: planning as a grade level and sharing responsibilities of gathering materials)
As for flexible grouping, you may want to ask what their concerns are when grouping students.
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How is DI Implemented?
Before beginning instruction, teachers should do three things:
Use Diagnostic assessment to determine
readiness (e.g. pretest, KWL)
Determine students interest (interest inventory)
Identify student learning styles and environmental preferences
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12. Teachers Can Differentiate
Content
Process
Product
What is taught How it is taught How learning is assessed
According to Students’
Readiness
Interest
Learning
Profile
Adapted from The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners (Tomlinson, 1999).
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13. DI According to Students…
Readiness –
Refers to readiness for a given skill, concept, or way of thinking.
Interests and Attitudes –
Have to do with those things that learners find relevant, fascinating, or worthy of their time.
TOTAL TIME 5 MINUTES
Give an example of differentiating by readiness (i.e. – PE teachers who teach the same objective, but create different lanes to accommodate those who are “Michael Jordan players, but also creating other lanes for beginners, or slightly advanced but not “quite there yet” students.
Interest – Example: the Super Bowl is coming to town, so now your math lesson will include an activity where small groups of students will be advertising executives vying for a commercial spot in-between the game. They must budget accordingly using the skills taught in earlier lessons.
Learning Profile – having hands-on activities for Haptic learners, listening activities for auditory learners, etc. Multiple Intelligences.
Learning Profile and Need –
Refer to things such as learning style, intelligence preferences, how the learner sees himself in relation to the rest of the world.
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Discussion Question
What are you already doing to differentiate instruction in your classroom?
Activity: Give One/Take One
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Give One/Take One
Idea #1
Idea #2
Idea #3
Idea #4
TOTAL TIME = 20 MINUTES
We learn most from our peers and it is important to share great ideas with our colleagues. Have participants take a clean sheet of white paper and fold it into fours. Each square will be an idea that they get from another teacher.
Ask participants to think of a strategy that they currently use that works successfully in their classroom (it could be a classroom management strategy, transitioning strategy, instructional strategy, etc.). When the instructor says “go!” they have 15 minutes to share that strategy and get four strategies from 4 other teachers. When their card is full, they return to their seats. Afterwards, have them share out their favorite ones that they heard from others.
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16. Differentiated Instructional Strategies in the Science Classroom
Within the next few slides, you will be introduced to a few differentiated instructional strategies such as…
Tiered lessons
Exit cards
Flexible grouping
Anchor activities
Response cards
Choice Board (Think-Tac-Toe boards)
Cubing
Graphic organizers
Remember that these are just some of the many examples of differentiated instructional strategies.
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1. Tiered Instruction
Provides teachers with a means of assigning different tasks within the same lesson or unit.
The tasks will vary according to the students’
Readiness
Interest
Learning Profile
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What can be Tiered?
Content
Process
Product
Assignments
Activities
Homework
Centers
Experiments
Materials
Assessments
Writing prompts
Remember to tell participants the following…
CONTENT – WHAT YOU TEACH
PROCESS – HOW YOU TEACH IT
PRODUCT – HOW WILL YOU ASSESS THE LEARNING?
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19. Planning Tiered Activities A Four Step Method
Step Identify key concepts and skills (i.e., NGSSS)
WHAT SHOULD STUDENTS KNOW, UNDERSTAND, OR BE ABLE TO DO?
Step Think about students and/or use assessment to determine:
Readiness level
Interests
Learning Profile
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20. Planning Tiered Activities cont.
Step Create an activity for “on – level” learners that is…
Interesting
Challenging
Causes students to use key skill(s) to understand the major idea or concept.
Step 4. Adjust the activity accordingly. Remember…
You may not need to adjust the activity if you are differentiating by interest or by learning profile. However, if you are differentiating by readiness, you will need to adjust for “struggling learners” and “highly able” learners (use Webb’s DOK).
Struggling learners On-level learners Highly-able learners
Adjusting the task
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2. Flexible Grouping
Flexible grouping is an opportunity for students to work with a variety of students, through whole group or in many different forms of small groups. The key to flexible grouping is in the name… FLEXIBLE.
Students have the opportunity to be in different groups depending on the activity.
initially use the whole group for instruction
divide group for practice or enrichment
not used as a permanent arrangement
use groups for one activity, a day, a week, etc.
“Flexible grouping is the cornerstone of successful differentiated instruction” Carol Ann Tomlinson
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22. How does flexible grouping benefit students?
Gives students and teachers a voice in work arrangements
Allows students to work with a variety of peers
Keeps students from being “pegged” as advanced or struggling
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3. Anchor Activities
Anchor activities are ongoing assignments that students can work on independently throughout a unit, grading period, or longer.
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24. The Purpose of an Anchor Activity
Provide meaningful work for students when they…
Finish an assignment or project
When they first enter the class
When they are “stumped”
Provide ongoing tasks that tie to the content and instruction.
Free up the classroom teacher to work with other groups of students or individuals
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25. Some examples of Anchor Activities
Brain Busters
Learning Packets
Activity Box
Learning / Interest Centers
Vocabulary Work
Investigations
FCAT Practice activities
Magazine articles with generic questions or activities
Listening stations
Research questions or Projects
Journals or Learning Logs
Silent Reading
Websites

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4. Exit Cards
Exit Cards (AKA “Tickets out the Door”) are used to gather information on student readiness levels, interests, and/or learning profiles. They can be used as quick assessments to see if the students are “getting it”.
The teacher hands out index cards to students at the end of an instructional sequence or class period. The teacher asks the students to respond to a predetermined prompt on their index cards and then turn them in as they leave the classroom or transition to another subject.
The teacher reviews the student responses and separates the cards into instructional groups based on preset criteria.
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5. Response Cards
Response cards are another form of quick assessment. Each student has a card and indicates their understanding of a topic by holding up the appropriate response. Response cards:
Increase participation level of all students
Increase on-task behavior
Provide immediate feedback
Are highly motivating and fun!
If response cards were used instead of hand raising for just 30 minutes a day, each student would make more than 3,700 additional academic responses during the school year.
Just Think...
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28. Types of Response Cards
Preprinted Student made Write-on white boards
land
sea
Kinetic
Potential
At this point have participants make their own card out of a sheet of paper. Have them write true on one side and false on another. Have them prepare to answer the questions on the following slide.
Talk to them about using dry erase boards, or using paper tucked into sheet protectors with dry erase markers. This will work as well.
TRUE
FALSE A B C D
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6. Graphic Organizers
Aides comprehension, concept development and learning
Highlights key vocabulary
Provides an organized, visual display of knowledge
Focuses attention on key elements
Helps integrate prior knowledge with new knowledge
web
Flow chart
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7. Learning Contract
To demonstrate what I have learned about ____________, I want to
_ Write a report
_ Put on a demonstration
_ Set up an experiment
_ Develop a computer
presentation
_ Build a model
_ Design a mural
_ Write a song
_ Make a movie
_ Create a graphic organizer or diagram
_ Other
This will be a good way to demonstrate understanding of this concept because
______________________________________________________________
To do this project, I will need help with ______________________________
My Action Plan is________________________________________________
The criteria/rubric which will be used to assess my final product is _________
My project will be completed by this date _____________________________
Student signature: ________________________________ Date ___/___/___
Parent signature: _________________________________ Date____/___/___
Teacher signature: ________________________________ Date ___/___/___
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8. Cubing
A cube consists of 6 commands – one on each of its 6 faces followed by a prompt that describes the task the student should do.
Can be used to differentiate activities on the basis of student's readiness. For example, using 2 or more cubes with the same commands, modify the prompts or tasks so that they are at different levels of difficulty
Can be used to differentiate activities based on students’ interests or learning profiles.
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Choice Board
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33. Dinner Menu – Photosynthesis
Appetizer (Everyone)
Write the chemical equation for photosynthesis.
Entrée (Select One)
Draw a picture that shows what happens during photosynthesis.
Write two paragraphs about what happens during photosynthesis.
Create a rap that explains what happens during photosynthesis.
Side Dishes (Select at Least Two)
Define respiration, in writing.
Compare photosynthesis to respiration using a Venn Diagram.
Write a journal entry from the point of view of a green plant.
With a partner, create and perform a skit that shows the differences between photosynthesis and respiration.
Dessert (Optional)
Create a test to assess the student’s knowledge of photosynthesis.
What type(s) of differentiation can you identify in this dinner menu. ?

34. In my Differentiated Classroom
Everyone will feel welcomed
Mutual respect will be non-negotiable
Students will feel physical, mental and emotional safety
There will be a persuasive expectation of growth
I will teach for success
A new sort of fairness will be evident and accepted
We will collaborate for mutual growth and success
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We are for difference, for respecting difference, for valuing difference, until difference no longer makes a difference.
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36. Exit Card Activity Complete this activity on your 3-2-1 sheet
3 strategies I have learned for differentiating instruction
2 benefits of differentiating instruction
1 question I still have about differentiating instruction
Before leaving, have participants complete this 3 – 2- 1 exit card activity s on a sheet of paper or an index card.

37. EXIT CARD for ________________
___________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________