The view from their desk…

You have three

minutes to read

the section and

answer the

questions that

follow.

GO!

Activity Experiences

First

Thoughts?

Reactions

?

Purpose?

Today’s Objectives:

I will be able to:

Explain the purpose and benefits of differentiating by readiness.

Identify the literacy levels of my students.

Create readiness groups using student literacy levels.

Identify and create instructional activities that are appropriate for each of your readiness group.

Agenda:

The What, How, &

Why of DI by

readiness

Strategies &

Application

Your turn! Time to

plan a

lesson/assessment

that uses literacy

levels to DI by

readiness

What is Readiness?

“Current knowledge, understanding, and skill level a student has related to a particular sequence of learning” (Tomlinson & Strickland 6).

Readiness is influenced by a student’s prior learning and life experiences, attitudes about school, and habits of mind (Tomlinson 3).

Readiness, NOT ability!For more information and examples, see pages 1-8 in your

packet.

Purpose of Differentiating by Readiness

Why?

To appropriately challenge ALL learners

Goal:

“Make the work a little too difficult for students at a given point in their growth-and then to provide the support they need to succeed at a new level of challenge”(Tomlinson & Strickland 6).

Challenge is necessary for growth!

Zone of Proximal Development

The Zone of What?!

Possible

Anxiety

Possible

Boredom

For more information and examples, see pages 5-6 in your

packet.

When we differentiate by readiness, we should consider

The students’:

Knowledge, understanding, and skill with

the topic

“Attitude (toward school & topic)

Experience with the topic (outside of school or

previous courses)

Preconceptions about the topic

Overgeneralizations about the topic

General communication, thinking, & reasoning

skills”http://www.foridahoteachers.org/differentiation_framework.htm

Pre-Assessment In-Class /Formative

Assessment (During the Unit) White Boards Knowledge Rating

Chart KWL

Homework Assignment

Entrance & Exit Slips

• Explore, Plan, ACT(EPAS Data)

• Read 180

• AIMS Web Data

• NWEA Map Data

• Aleks Data

• Formal Educational Testing

Things all teachers can do to obtain information:

Formal Assessments that can provide information:

Ways to get the information you need to differentiate by Readiness

http://www.foridahoteachers.org/differentiation_framework.htm

LT gives those tests…but how do I access the scores?

Infinite Campus (individual students)

Decision Ed (whole class)

Same as above, but can access

spreadsheets of entire classes (we

know-amazing!)I wish they’d

tell us how to

find that

information!

Wish

Granted.

Infinite Campus*Instructions are on page 8-no need to write anything *

What you’ll see…

Accessing Decision Ed to see class reading levels *Instructions are on page 8-no need to write anything *

What you’ll see…

Ok…now what?

Tiering: A Method of Differentiating by Readiness

“Tiering is a

process of

adjusting the

degree of difficulty

of a question,

task, or product to

match a student’s

current readiness

level.”

Strickland, A Strategy for Readiness

Differentiation

To Tier an Assignment:

1) Determine the KUD statement

2) Identify the readiness ranges

relative to the KUD goals

3) Create an activity that is

engaging & rigorous

4) Replicate the activity to address

differences in readiness

• Use similar knowledge &

skills

• Yields the same

understanding

5) Use assessment data to match

the task to the studentStrickland, A Strategy for Readiness DifferentiationFor more information and examples, see pages 9-32 in your

packet.

Purpose of Tiered Activities

Working too far

above students’

readiness level will not

lead to growth, only

frustration

Working too far below

students’ readiness

level will not lead to

growth, only boredom

p.29-31/p.89 in unit plan/p.95 in unit plan

The Game

Everyone wants to play the game.

In order for me to play it, the game has to start where I am.

In order to continue playing it, the game has to grow as fast as I do.

If that doesn’t happen, I won’t play the game.

Tiering in a Nutshell

“…it is critical during a unit to find a way to

teach to a learner’s need rather than

only to an imaginary whole-class

readiness” (Tomlinson 84).

Students work in a variety of groups

Homogeneous

Heterogeneous.

Interest, Learning Profile, &

Readiness

Create groups that make the most sense

given the learning outcome(s) of the

lesson.

Flexible Grouping: A Method of Differentiating by Readiness

For more information and examples, see pages 33-48 in your

packet.

Flexible Grouping: An exampleFlexible Grouping: An Example

Using students’ literacy levels, arrange the students from highest to lowest performance.

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

10 11 12

13 14 15

16 17 18

Homogenous Group:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

Heterogeneous Group:

1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16

2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17

3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18Example in Handout

For more information and examples, see page 36 in your

packet.

Use small group instruction as a regular part of instructional cycles. (Tomlinson p. 84)

Mini-lessons or mini-workshops on particular skills are a useful tool when differentiating.

Teacher quickly convenes an instructional group based on observation of need. The entire class does not

need to hear the same

Small Group Instruction: A Method of Differentiating by Readiness

Classroom Management Tips

Set clear procedures for group time

Student agreements

Transition expectations

Material management procedures

Anchor activities

A task to which a student automatically moves when an assigned task is finished

Anchor Activities for literature Bingo

Directions: If you are finished with a class assignment or are ahead in your reading, work on any

of these anchor activity options. If you get a BINGO (5 in a row, any direction), you’ll get a prize!

Write a letter to a pen-pal, friend, relative (About novel, connections, a review, etc.)

Write the prequel to the story/novel. (What happened before we got here?)

Advice column: Write two advice entries for two different characters in the novel. (“Dear Abby” style)

Recipe for _____________ (What does a character need to do to reach a goal/avoid an outcome?

Email your teacher (Connections, a review, whether or not s/he should keep teaching it, etc.)

Write a newspaper article (The 5 W’s & H of an event or character in the novel)

Write the rules for a game (Board game or video game)

Create an advertisement (For the novel, movie, or a place in the novel)

M.V.P. defense (Choose the most valuable passage in the novel and defend your choice).

Create a Facebook page of a character Include profile, “likes,” statuses, character wall posts, etc.

Decorate and write a thank you card from one character to another (For being there, for tough love-whatever!)

Write a Twitter Feed 140 characters or less! What would a character tweet? Who would follow? RT?

FREE SPACE

Write a poem (You choose! Character, topic, POV…)

Interview a character (Write the questions and answers & comments)

Most Important Word (Choose the most important word in the novel and defend your choice).

Write a skit or a scene (You choose! Character(s), topic, something that didn’t happen but could/should have…)

“You know what grinds my gears…” (Family Guy: What really got you angry/worked up while reading the text? Why?)

Create a collage (You choose! Character(s), topic, POV, events in the story…)

Dear Diary… (Write two diary entries from the POV of a character)

Write directions from one place to another for someone that hasn’t read the book.

Top 15 words to know Create a study method for someone that hasn’t read the book

Create a cartoon or comic strip (You choose! Character(s), topic, something that didn’t happen but could/should have…)

Rewrite a section of the novel (Have a character make a different decision)

Design a web page (For the novel, movie, or a place in the novel)

For more information and

examples, see pages 42-

48 in your packet.

But how can I give (& assess) different assignments?

Focus on the KUD no matter what

level the activity is designed at!

Teacher observations, checklists,

rubrics can all be based on a scale

from 1-4

To what extent do the students

demonstrate that they…For more information and examples, see pages 59-62 in your

packet.

It’s your turn!Imagine that you’ve placed your “students” into three

groups based on literacy levels.

1. Create a KUD for a unit/lesson/activity that your team teaches

OR

Use the KUD that you created with your team earlier today!

2. Use the graphic organizer to plan a lesson based on your KUD. WHAT WILL EACH GROUP DO?!

3. Insider note: TYPICALLY, the KUD has to be the same…

BUT with readiness, the U stays the same,

You can alter the K and the D!

Today’s Objectives:

I will be able to:

Explain the purpose and benefits of

differentiating by readiness.

Identify the literacy levels of my

students.

Create readiness groups using

student literacy levels.

Identify and create instructional

activities that are appropriate for

each of your readiness group.

I get it! I’m excited! (Now what?)

Realistic goals

Ask reading specialists in the building

for help!

(There is a list in your packet on page

49).

Use resources for leveled readings

(lexile.com)

Try something out!For more information and examples, see pages 49-62 & the

full unit plan at the end of your packet.

References:Ford, M.P. (2005). Differentation Through Flexible Grouping: Successfully Reaching All Readers. Learning

Point Associates: Naperville, Illinois.

Strickland, C.A. (2011). Differentiation of instruction at the high school level. ASCD: Alexandria,

Virginia.

Tomlinson, C.A. & Strickland, C. A. (2005). Differentiation in practice: A resource guide for differentiating

curriculum – Grades 9-12. ASCD: Alexandria, Virginia.

(2007). Tools for high quality: Differentiated instruction. ASCD, 12.

(2012). LTHS professional learning communities glossary. LTHS: LaGrange, IL.

http://www.act.org/standard/planact/reading/index.html

http://www.derry.k12.nh.us/dvs/staff/cmccallum/differentiation/tiered.pdf

http://www.foridahoteachers.org/differentiation_framework.htm

http://www.lexile.com/analyzer

Thank you for

attending!