Differentiating Through Tiered Assignments

Best Practices

Cedar Fork ES

Purpose

Why? Revisit, useful, easy to make, students like and benefit from choices tailored to their strengths

Planning/designing a tiered assignment Examples of tiered assignments-complexity,

resources, processes, products

What is differentiation?

“A teacher reacting responsively to a learner’s needs.”-Carol Ann Tomlinson

The goal is maximum student growth and individual success.

Alignment with Teacher Evaluation Tool…

4a. Teachers know the ways in which learning takes place…. and adapt resources to address the strengths and weaknesses of their students.

Accomplished Identifies appropriate developmental levels of students and consistently and appropriately differentiates instruction

4b. Teachers plan instruction appropriate for their students

These plans reflect an understanding of how students learn. Teachers engage students in the learning process.

Accomplished Monitors student performance and responds to individual learning needs in order to engage students in learning.

 

 

4c. Teachers use a variety of instructional methods.

Teachers choose the methods and techniques that are most effective in meeting the needs of their students as they strive to eliminate achievement gaps. Teachers employ a wide range of techniques including…… learning styles, and differentiated

instruction. Accomplished  Ensures the success of all students

through the selection and utilization of appropriate methods and materials.

What is a tiered assignment?

After introductory whole class lesson Multiple versions of the same assignment or long term project that

allow students to build on prior knowledge Common follow-up activity is needed when students finish their

assignments at different times.

Tier 1-remedial

Tier 2-grade level

Tier 3-challenge

D esigned by

A my Van L erberghe,

WC PS S

Whole G roup Introductory A ctivity:

T ier 1

T ier 2

T ier 3

Whole G roup C ulminating A ctivity

A ssessment A ssessment A ssessment

T iered

Lesson

Planning

G uide

T opic __________________

O bj. #’s ________________

Objective:

Tiered Lesson Planning Guide

Tier 1

Tier 2

Tier 3

When designing a tiered activity, use these ideas as a resource:

Tiers Questioning Cues Possible Products

Tier 1 Activities/Assignments

Describe, name, define, label, select, identify, write, describe, memorize, list, draw, match illustrate, explain, compare, paraphrase, restate,

Dictionary, diagram, collage, newspaper, speech, graph, story, outline, restate, or revise

Tier 2 Activities/Assignments

Collect, produce, solve, model, examine, survey, distinguish between, categorize, select, interpret ,infer, separate, investigate

Survey, questionnaire, report, model, an idea broken into parts, mobile, painting, puzzle, diagram, map, illustration, forecast, sculpture, solution

Tier 3 Activities/Assignments

Invent, judge, evaluate, give opinion, hypothesize, imagine, prioritize, critique, what if, recommend, plan, weigh, assess, compose, develop, role-play, create, summarize

Set of rules, an alternate course of action, invention, detailed report, poem, experiment, cartoon, game, trial, self-evaluation, debate or group discussion, a standard established, valuing, formulate a hypothesis and test

Another Resource:Bloom’s Chart or Wheel

Level Verbs Products

Tiered Assignment Strategies

Complexity Resources Process Products

Complexity Are there points when some students need more time to work on content or a skill and other students are ready for more advanced work?

Tier 1 After reviewing information about frogs and toads from the Dept. of Natural Resources, record characteristics on a chart. Write a sentence explaining how they are alike. Then write a sentence explaining how they are different.

Tier 2 After reviewing information about frogs and toads from the Dept. of Natural Resources, complete an open compare/contrast graphic organizer with conclusions paragraph

Tier 3 After reviewing information about frogs and toads from the Dept. of Natural Resources, imagine and create a conversation between a frog and a toad in which they are talking about their likenesses and differences. Include their feelings about their unique characteristics.

Tier 1-Books-Desert Mammals,A Desert Scrapbook– Complete the missing parts of the bubble maps for desert animals

and desert plants. Tier 2- Website Zoom Learning

– Collect information about the desert ecosystem. Prepare a diagram with plants and animals of this ecosystem.

Tier 3-Internet Search– Research the desert ecosystem animal and plant adaptations.

Create a new plant and animal that would be able to survive in this ecosystem. Prepare a diagram of these new species within their ecosystem.

Is there any activity in which varied resources could be matched with student needs and readiness?Resources

World Ecosystems

Is there an activity in which the students could benefit from working on the same outcome but doing different kinds of work?

Process

Sequence

• Tier 1 After using print and /or non-print text make a list of events. Place the events in sequential order. Create a flow chart and illustrate the events. Label the events-beginning, middle, and end.

• Tier 2 After using print and/ or non-print text, dissect the events. Change the order and analyze how the change affects the events in the text. Demonstrate the importance of logical sequence in a real world sense.

• Tier 3 After using print and / or non-print test, formulate a logical sequence to accomplish a task and test it. Identify strength and weaknesses of the sequence. Establish criteria for judging logical sequence.

Product

Kinesthetic Design a flag for the Lewis and Clark expedition and

write an explanation of the symbols. Would the symbols on the flag be appropriate at the beginning and the end of the journey? Support your point of view with three reasons.

Logical/Mathematical Develop a series of three maps which show the

importance of the Lewis and Clark expedition to mapmaking. Use scale and a key. Read from the journals of the explorers and include landforms they named

Is there an activity that could result in more than one way for students to show what they have learned?

Learning Styles

Introduction to Animal Life Cycles

Materials: Leveled Books Tadpole Diary by David Drew Diary of a Honeybee by Bill KierA Butterfly’s Life by Melissa Blackwell Burke

Whole Group: Individually or in pairs, student fill out K-W-L (What I Know, What I Want to Know, What I Learned) charts. Then the teacher leads class discussion and fills out a K-W-H-L(What we Know, What We Want to Know, How We’ll Find Out, What we Learned) chart for the class.

Butterfly GroupStudents read Butterfly’s Life individually or in pairs. Next, student use the book to illustrate and explain the butterfly’s life cycle on their blank life cycle chart.

Honeybee GroupStudents read Diary of a Honeybee individually or in pairs. Next, students use the book to illustrate and explain the honeybee’s life cycle on their blank life cycle chart.

Tadpole GroupStudents read Tadpole Diary individually or in pairs. Next, students use the book to illustrate and explain the frog’s life cycle on their blank life cycle chart. The illustration in the back of the book provides a chart with 7 stages. Students will have to choose the 4 most important.

Small groups: Students from each tier meet, share, and plan a method to share their findings with the class. All groups will need teacher support, but the butterfly group will probably need the most. Groups may be given chart paper and asked to provide a large illustration with explanatory labels.

Whole Group Activity: Students listen to the teacher read, Journey to Ellis Island: How My Father Came to America by C. Biermann. As a class, make a list of the character traits the Cavendish family members exhibited on the trip.

Tier 1: Create a double bubble map comparing the Cavendish family and a family from modern times. Consider how they relate to each other and what their community was like.

Tier 2: Write a letter from one of the Cavendish children to a relative in England. In your letter, describe some of the differences in everyday life in the New World compared to life in England. Your letter should be at least 2 paragraphs long with rich description. Please follow the friendly letter format.

Tier 3: The Cavendish family could only take one trunk for each person. As a group, create a graphic product that answers the following two questions: If you lived in their time, what would you have included in the trunk? Consider what they would need in their new home. If your family today moved, what things would you put in the trunk?

Whole Group Culminating Activity: Choose your favorite Cavendish family member. Make a list of all of the jobs or roles that member played in both the family, the old community and in the New World. Put a star next to the role you think is most important. Write 3-5 sentences under your list explaining why you thought that was the most important. Share with the class.

Number Theory Select from these activities:

Create a mind map that will help someone remember number theory.

Develop a die or spinner game using prime/composite or even/odd numbers.

Design a string of math operations whose answer is 128.

Create a “Guess My Number” booklet, using any of the following as clues: squaring, factoring, multiples, prime/composite, even/odd, and divisibility.

Are you…

Creating

Level 4 Opportunities?

Resources

This power point on website April and Lee Samples scanned Depth of Knowledge Levels from Annemarie Website connections

www.caroltomlinson.com/ASCD http://www.specialconnections.ku.edu/?q=instruction/universal_design_for_learning/teacher_to

ols/tiered_assignments

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/every-learner/6680 http://www.lessonplanet.com/article/language-arts/creating-tiered-lesson-plans-for-language-

arts