Differentiating Differentiation

Hi all,

Because I just conducted a workshop on differentiating instruction, I wanted to share an epiphany I recently experienced: Differentiating instruction doesn't have to be difficult OR time consuming!

While differentiating curriculum can be overwhelming, I think the variety of differentiation strategies lie on a continuum. At one end are LESS time-intensive instructional strategies such as the ones I'm including in this post. Layered curriculum is located further along the continuum, and near the furthest end is tiered instruction, a more time-intensive differentiation.

The strategies that do not demand an inordinate amount of preparation are also simple to implement, and they support our diversified populations. For example, allowing students choice is not only motivating for adolescents, it is also a form of differentiation. Think of all the ways teachers factor choice into the curriculum; here are just a few.

• Flexible grouping that includes permitting students to choose their own groups at times
• Creating a "question bank" from which students can choose to answer a required number to earn needed points
• Providing prompts to choose from or allowing students to write an original response
• Allowing in-depth learning of a self-selected topic within unit or theme being studied
• Presenting options for end-of-unit projects/products

Differentiating activities can be as simple as varying the complexity of a graphic organizer to facilitate differing abilities or readiness concerns. For example, most teachers have access to a variety of graphic organizers, ranging from sequencing to Venn diagrams. Students can read the same text but respond differently, based upon their purpose for reading.

• Some groups may use a Venn diagram to compare that text to another; 
• another may use a sequential organizer to list the sequence of events; 
• a third group may use a describing organizer to enumerate the characteristics of time period

Using the JigSaw instructional strategy, students could reconfigure their groups so that each graphic organizer is represented. The resulting discussion should expose many facets of the topic being studied.

Teachers can also assign students to complete just one section of a graphic organizer and then get into JigSaw groups to collaborate in completing the rest of the parts. 

Another simple way to differentiate instruction is to invite students to respond to a topic or text by using the "Silent Discussion" tool. One way to do this is to list a different statement or question on sheets of butcher paper and post them around the room. Students can rotate from one question to another and record their comments or questions on the papers. They can also respond to one another's responses as well.

I just received an email message from one of yesterday's participants, Cynthia Vandermeiden of Joel P. Jensen Middle. Today she introduced the Silent Discussion with her 8th grade students, and she was thrilled at how effective it was. Cynthia called the experience a "Silent Socratic Circle!" Here are some of her students' reflections about the experience:
 

“I like it because the shy kids we never hear from got to share their ideas.” 

“You can read the dialogue and respond instead of forgetting what someone said.” 

“I felt like it flowed instead of everyone just responding to your question.”

“The assignment was cool, but our ideas were lame.” (Then we discussed how that was out of my control, but how they could change the level of interest...which was fun to point out. ;) )

“It was difficult because people were shortening their thoughts so they didn’t have to write a lot, but then we couldn’t understand their ideas.”  (Open discussion [included] ... how grammar and sentence structure is important in writing).

“I like that we have to connect with everyone’s idea, not just one person’s idea” ([We] compared it to a Socratic seminar)

“I haven’t been in the inside circle, but this gives me a good idea of what I’d need to do when I am.” 

In writing this, I hope you see how much you may already incorporate differentiated instruction into your pedagogy and may have picked up an additional idea or two. In future posts, I plan to discuss layered curriculum and tiered instruction.

Best wishes,
Renae

What Ever Shall We Do with GOOD Readers?

I am very very concerned with struggling striving readers - or whatever the politically correct term is for students who don't read because they are ...

• hampered with decoding or fluency issues
• UNengaged
• UNmotivated 

I also appreciate the focus upon adolescent reading and "the core of reading: comprehension, learning while reading, reading in the content areas, and reading in the service of secondary or higher education, of employability, of citizenship" (Snow & Biancarosa, 2006,p.1). I am grateful for the research and recommendations represented in the Reading Next report, including "The Fifteen Elements of Effective Adolescent Literacy Programs" (p.4). But I have been long concerned about those students who read AT or ABOVE grade level because I know they can lose their enthusiasm for reading and become another of those UNengaged and UNmotivated readers that populate our classrooms.

For this reason, I've been searching for a model that focuses upon students who LIKE to read and who are good at it. In 2007, while attending the Utah Council of International Reading Association (UCIRA), I stumbled onto the World Class Readers Model and liked it VERY much, but I ran into a few challenges.

1. The model MAY be a copyrighted gifted and talented reading framework, but I haven't been able to confirm or refute that. 
2. WCR, as developed by Nebo District, focuses upon elementary readers - not a big problem as it can be easily adapted for secondary classrooms.
3. Other than what Nebo has shared with me, I cannot find any additional informations or resources about this model.

Last fall, I organized an Advanced Readers professional development class that invited secondary teachers to attend with the purpose of earning PD credit while working collaboratively to develop an advanced readers curriculum. Three teachers - Lis Thomas and Barbara Burt of Elk Ridge Middle and Pamela Spitzer of Fort Herriman Middle -   stayed the course, and we created 4 unit outlines based upon the WCR model for 7th and/or 8th grade reading or language arts classes.

We poured over the JSD approved reading list to find books that could both challenge and engage readers. Two are "advanced" books - a memoir and a classic - and two are currently "HOT" reads with controversial and/or compelling content. Those books include the classic Treasure Island and the memoir of Beryl Markham - West with the Night. The two popular novels are Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick and Unwind by Neal Shusterman.

Lis Thomas of Elk Ridge Middle read and created plans for West with the Night. This book shares Markham's adventures as an aviatrix in South Africa during the 30s and 40s. Ernest Hemingway said of this book, "... she has written so well ... that I was completely ashamed of myself as a writer. I felt I was just a carpenter with words ... . But she can write rings around all of us who consider ourselves writers." ERNEST HEMINGWAY - mind you!

Barbara Burt, also from Elk Ridge Middle, organized plans for Last Book in the Universe. The Kirkus Review writes of Philbrick's futuristic novel: "Enriched by ... allusions to nearly lost literature and full of intriguing, invented slang, the skillful writing paints two pictures of what the world could look like in the future—the burned-out Urb and the pristine Eden—then shows the limits and strengths of each. Philbrick, author of Freak the Mighty (1993) has again created a compelling set of characters that engage the reader with their courage and kindness in a painful world that offers hope, if no happy endings."




Pamela Spitzer from Fort Herriman Middle created the plan ideas for Unwind, the very popular Neal Shusterman novel. This nail-biting thriller operates on the chilling premise that "life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age 13. Between 13 and 18, however, parents can have their children 'unwound'." The book also gives a new meaning to the concept of organ transplants! 



I worked on the Treasure Island lesson ideas, and along the way, I fell in love with Stevenson's classic. I decided to center the learning activities on the theme of survival, especially the characteristics of a survivor. I was intrigued with how Jim Hawkins' changed because of what he did to survive his adventure and juxtaposed that with Long John Silver's ability to survive his scrapes.

While working on this project, I approached the Jordan Education Foundation to see if we could procure funds to buy the books, thus allowing a "test drive" of our lesson plans. With some luck and good timing, I was able to buy one classroom set of books for each of the participating teachers. Each teacher will use the WCR model to study the novel with their students. They will reflect upon the lessons and make changes to their plans, if necessary. After this process, we will share the plans with other teachers. 

Now here is some pretty good news - NOT great news when compared to all the bad news we've been faced with, but something nice, nevertheless. With additional help from the Jordan Education Foundation, we applied for another grant through QWEST and received enough money to supply each middle school with at least one classroom set of the above novels. IF teachers aren't interested in using those books, they can choose another from the list I am creating from the JSD approved book list.

This "list within the list" will include books we hope are challenging and engaging. We'll look at old and newer classics as well as Lexile levels. I plan to check out availability, summaries and reviews of unfamiliar titles, and then I'll ask you for your opinions before publishing the final Advanced Readers Book List. Does that sound good?

To receive a classroom set of books, you'll be invited to attend an orientation about the World Class Readers Model. If teachers want a set of books off the Advanced Readers Book List, we ask that they develop a unit plan using the WCR Model. Watch here for more information and thanks for all you do for our students!

BEST Practices: Who KILLED Round-Robin Reading?

Hello there,

Are you tiring of these round-robin reading (RRR) posts? I'll wager that this will be the last of the series on this site! There is just a lot to say about this poor practice. The last post reviewed 2 instructional strategies that could AND should replace RRR: Teacher read-alouds and think-alouds/think-alongs.

After I finished posting that last installment, I started thinking about the last teacher to read aloud to me: Mrs. Hanks, my 6th grade teacher. Right after lunch, we slid into our desks, all hot and sweaty from chasing around the playground. To transition us from playing to learning, she read novels to us. I vividly remember one book was Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, the little lady who, according to Abraham Lincoln, started the Civil War.

The other novel was a mystery set in Quebec, Canada. I can't remember the title of that book, but I remember being riveted to every word Mrs. Hanks read. I loved listening to her and was among those students who always urged her to KEEP READING!

Today's post will focus upon paired or buddy reading. Again, teachers need to decide what the purpose of this activity is. The experience provides students opportunities to practice fluency and can include timed readings where one partner reads while the other records the number of words read in the allotted time. It's also an occasion where peers can practice echo reading, although language arts and other content teachers may see these are both tasks that should take place in a reading class because it goes beyond the scope of learning content.

Paired partners/buddy reading, however, does have a place in content classes. Perhaps you have problems with students failing to read the assigned pages even when you give them time to read in class. By partnering up students and giving them "during reading" work, the chances that students will read AND understand the assignment increase.

For example, a teacher assigns 2 or 3 pages of a text book, dividing the pages into 4 to 6 sections. Students decide who will be Reader 1 and who will be Reader 2. Next, the teacher provides a list of tasks to perform after each section. Here are a few ideas:

1. Reciprocal Teaching:
1. After Reader 1 finishes his section, Reader 2 will ask any questions that came to his mind, and the two can discuss the answers.
2. After Reader 2 finishes reading, Reader 1 will predict what might be covered next and discuss which text clues helped him form his prediction..
3. When Reader 1 finishes the 3rd secion, both readers will confirm or reject the earlier prediction. Reader 2 will then clarify how he worked through any confusing sentences, words, or concepts found in the text.
4. When Reader 2 finishes the final section, Reader 1 will summarize what was read in that section. The 2 readers may create a summary of the entire assignment if time allows.
   
2. Question/Answer Relationship (QAR):
1. After Reader 1 reads, Reader 2 writes up a literal question that can be found "right there"  in the text.
2. After Reader 2's turn, Reader 1 creates a more complex question where the complete answer is found by "thinking and searching" the text to find parts of the answer in more than one place.
3. When Reader 1 finishes reading her paragraphs, Reader 2 writes up a question that requires the reader to "read between the lines" or make an inference. This question is named "author and me" because students must look for clues from the author and fill in the gaps with her own background knowledge
4. When Reader 2 completes her assigned reading, Reader 1 writes up a question that requires the reader to think outside of the text. For example, the text may be about taking risks, and so the questions might center on what risks the reader would be willing to take to get what she wanted. This is often an opinion question, and the answer is found "on my own." 

Learning activities other than these two can be incorporated into paired partner readings, or by asking buddies to address just one part of either framework rather than require all questions. Reading together, followed by conversations, pulls in those students who do not regularly participate in whole group discussions. It is important, however, to pair up the right students. Do NOT pair lowest readers with highest, as that partnership can be embarrassing for one and frustrating for the other. Assigning students to others whose reading levels are a LITTLE above the other readers' is the ideal situation. Mixing up the partnerships on occasion is a good idea, too.

Another worthy concern is about the noise level. It takes a lot of instruction and practice in  "routines and procedures" to teach middle and high school students the protocol of paired partner reading. When classrooms are small and students are big AND numerous, it seems like an impossible task. I do think this practice is important enough, however, to find a way to use it. Make arrangements with the media coordinator to allow students to sit in pairs around the center with sufficient room between duos so that they won't disturb each other. Or find another roomy area to adopt on pair reading days.

Wherever the class is, the teacher must roam about, eavesdropping on conversations, even taking notes on and about the discussions. Plus, you must include some type of accountability and assessment tool - an exit slip, a template for recording their questions or answers, etc.

I know I promised this would be the last posting on this topic, but today's entry is LONG, so I feel I should end now, and write up the final idea for next time. You can pick and choose what you want to read anyway, so you don't really mind, do you?

Bye for now!

Renae - and the question remains? Who killed Round-Robin Reading?

BEST Ideas: Teaching Text Features

 Dear readers,

I thought I updated this post a number of days ago, however, it seems I did not save it. The creator of the "Text Features" unit requested that I delete this post and access to the unit. Brenna has updated the unit and is now offering it on the "Teachers Pay Teachers".

Please go to this website for more information: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Informational-Text-Features-Unit-151323 

Thank you, 

Renae

Greet 2010 in the BEST Way!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, Colleagues!

I am a big fan of National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo)! In November I joined nearly 30,000 others in posting every day for 30 days. What makes NaBloPoMo unique is the chance to do that every month on a different theme. No one in their right mind would WANT to post EVERY day EVERY month, but when a theme hits home, I found it's a great way to organize and share thoughts and ideas on a blog - which is short for weB LOG!

BEST is the theme for the month of January, and it caught my fancy. (Oops! There goes a cliche'!) I decided it would be a great challenge to apply that main idea to Link 2 Literacy topics: BEST practices, BEST ideas, BEST tips, etc. So with that challenge, I PLAN to succeed in posting on L2L EVERY DAY this month. What a great way to start the year, don't you think?

I hope your holiday break was a great one. Mine certainly was - a perfect mix of work, play, and rest. Now I'm anxious to make the BEST of 2010 by doing my BEST.

BEST wishes,
Renae