2008-2009 Tip of the Week #19 (second semester)

Hey everyone!  I know countdown is on.  Just a few more weeks.  Hang on!!!!

The Tip of the Week focuses on the topic of Differentiation.  Why did I choose differentiation at the end of the year?  As I reflect back to my teaching days in middle school 3 years ago, this was honestly my least favorite time of the year.  Why?   The kids were not focused and we were stressed to the max trying to finish out the year.  What do you do to keep students engaged in reviews that are happening in all of their classes?  Differentiate!

The second reason that I chose this topic was based on the results of the Unit Planning Survey.  Teachers stated that they would like more tips and strategies on differentiation.  Differentiation is not easy and takes planning.  The good news is there are some low prep strategies that make it possible.  One of my favorites is offering Choice.  Next week I will share many more low prep strategies.

So…I share with you this week one of my favorite examples of why we need to differentiate - Animal School.  To model differentiation I included several ways I might “differentiate” this content/information – movie (visual learners), song (music lovers), and text with definition hyperlinks for ELLs, and even a commentary that you might use as an extension activity or a model before the writing activity. 

Download Semester 2 Tip of the Week #19 

Take a look and let me know what you think!
Have a great week!  

Sheree