Understanding by Design

And Differentiated Instructional Strategies

Essential Questions

The overarching concepts or principles.

Reflect curriculum goals or standards.

The key understanding you want the students to have after they’ve completed the curriculum.

Present your essential questions to students at the beginning of the year or your course.

Post the questions so you can refer back to them.

Unit Questions

Provide specific content and facts about essential questions.

They add depth and specificity. Unit questions provide a framework in which

to differentiate activities.

Four Standard Statements within the Academic Standards for History: An Overview

Political and Cultural Contributions of Individuals and Groups

Inhabitants (cultures, subcultures, groups) Political Leaders (monarchs, governors, elected officials) Military Leaders (generals, noted military figures) Cultural and Commercial Leaders (entrepreneurs,

corporate executives, artists, entertainers, writers)

How Continuity and Change Have Influenced History

Belief Systems and Religions (ideas, beliefs, values) Commerce and Industry (jobs, trade, environmental

change ,labor systems, entertainment) Politics (political party systems, administration of

government, rules, regulations and laws, political and judicial interpretation)

Transportation (methods of moving people and goods over time, transportation routes, circulation systems)

Social Organization (social structure, identification of social groups, families, groups and communities, education, school population, suffrage, civil rights)

Primary Documents, Material Artifacts and Historical Places

Documents, Writings and Oral Traditions (governmentdocuments, letters and diaries, fiction and non-fiction works, newspapers and other media, folklore)

Artifacts, Architecture and Historic Places (historic sites and places, museums and museum collections, official and popular cultural symbols, material culture)

Conflict and Cooperation Among Social Groups and Organizations

Domestic Instability (political unrest, natural and man-made disasters, genocide)

Immigration and Migration (causes of population shifts,xenophobia, intercultural activity)

Labor Relations (strikes and collective bargaining, workingconditions over time, labor/management identity)

Military Conflicts (causes, conduct and impact of militaryconflicts, wars and rebellions)

Mapping the Curriculum

A Curriculum Map is an outline of a unit built from both essential questions and unit questions.

Curriculum mapping identifies: Content, skills, and products for a particular

unit Required curriculum standards. Exit points for differentiation.

Curricular goals are the springboard from which

differentiation ought to begin.

Content Process Product

According to Students’

Readiness InterestLearningProfile

Teachers Can Differentiate

Adapted from The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners (Tomlinson, 1999).

Comparing Traditional and Differentiated Classrooms

Consideration of student differences

Use of assessment to plan instruction

Use of student interest and learning style

Differentiation Strategies

All strategies are aligned with instructional goals and objectives.

Specific strategy selection based on Focus of instruction Focus of differentiation

Differentiation Strategies (continued)

Group 1: Compacting

Group 2: Independent Study

Group 3: Interest Centers or Interest Groups

Group 4: Flexible Grouping

Examples of Differentiation Strategies

Choice Boards

Tiered Activities

Learning Contracts

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.

Diner Menu – Photosynthesis

Appetizer (Everyone Shares)•Write the chemical equation for 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 teacher’s knowledge of

photosynthesis.

THINK-TAC-TOEBook Report

Draw a picture of the main character.

Perform a play that shows the

conclusion of a story.

Write a song about one of the main

events.

Write a poem about two main

events in the story.

Make a poster that shows the order of events in the story.

Dress up as your favorite character

and perform a speech telling who

you are.

Create a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the introduction to the

closing.

Write two paragraphs about

the main character.

Write two paragraphs about

the setting.

Beginning Intermediate Advanced

Outcome/Objective

Students will determine a topic and will write a five-sentence paragraph with a main idea, three supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence.

Students will determine a topic, state a point of view, and write two paragraphs defending that point of view.

Students will determine a topic, state a point of view, and write an essay of at least five paragraphs that uses multiple sources to defend that point of view.

Instruction/Activity

Students will receive a model of a five-sentence paragraph and explicit instruction in constructing the paragraph.As a prewriting activity, students will list their topic and develop a list of at least three things that support their topic.

Students will receive a model of a persuasive essay and a graphic organizer that explains the construction of a persuasive essay. Students will also receive explicit instruction in writing a persuasive essay.As a prewriting activity, students will use the graphic organizer to plan their writing.

Students will review the graphic organizer for a persuasive essay. Students will be given explicit instruction in locating sources and quotes for their essays. As a prewriting activity, students will use the graphic organizer to organize their essay. Students will also compile a list of five sources that defend their main point.

Assessment Students will be able to write a five-sentence paragraph that successfully states and supports a main idea. The paragraph will meet the criteria on the state writing rubric.

Students will be able to state a point of view and successfully defend the idea using two paragraphs that defend the point of view using main ideas and supporting details. The paragraphs will meet the criteria on the state writing rubric.

Students will be able to write a five-paragraph essay that states a point of view, defends the point of view, and uses resources to support the point of view. The essay will meet the criteria on the state writing rubric.

Tiered Activity – Writing a Persuasive Essay4th–6th Grade Classroom

Choices

Four strategies for providing student choice within tiered assignments:

Pathways Plans Project Menus Challenge Centers Spin-offs

Pathways Plans

Pathways are individual planners on which you or your students check off or cross out the skills they’ve mastered and choose from a list of alternative activities.

To create pathways, list your unit’s skills on the left side of a sheet of paper. On the right side, list alternative activities that students can choose from when they loop out of skills instruction.

In developing pathways, be sure to tier the activities according to challenge level or by complexity.

Grades on pathways projects replace grades on skills work done by the other students.

Project Menus

A project menu is a numbered list of tiered assignments that you allow students to choose what they’d like to work on.

Include checklists with quality criteria so that students clearly understand your expectations and can maintain high standards.

Challenge Centers

Challenge center projects stress new concepts, new content, or the application of skills.

Challenge centers can be designed to focus on multiple intelligences.

Provide step-by-step procedures on work-cards. Design evaluation checklists for projects. Have students use a work log to record the work they

accomplish each day in challenge centers. Provide examples, samples, or models as necessary

to explain assignments.

Spin-offs

Spin-offs are projects based on student interests. They may be done independently, with partners, or in small groups.

For each kind of spin-off, the teacher provides the general topic. For teacher-directed spin-offs, you require that certain

content or key ideas be included. Student-directed spin-offs allow students to

differentiate their own instruction by making independent decisions about what they’ll work on & how they’ll share their work.

Spin-offs with a required product, allows students to choose their specific topic and the content or key ideas they’ll include, while you assign the product that students will produce.

I will read: I will look at and listen to: I will write:

I will draw: I will need:

Here’s how I will share what I know:

My question or topic is:

I will finish by this date:

To find out about my question or topic…

Learning Contract #1Name _______________________

Learning Contract #2To 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 ___/___/___Teacher signature: ________________________________ Date ___/___/___

Deciding When & How to Tier an Assignment

Five questions to ask yourself during planning 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?

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

Is there an activity in which the same materials could be used to work on both basic & more advanced outcomes?

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

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

Warm-ups and Cool-downs

This technique provides some time to work with each group of students at the beginning or end of the class period. Examples:

Journaling Free Reading Content Webs Word of the day Sketchbooks Notetaking on textual materials Skill applications or challenges Daily language activity

Assessment in the Differentiated Classroom

Ongoing Instruction-dependent Student-dependent Informative for continued

instruction

Tips for Implementing Differentiated Instruction: Your Classroom

Start slowly.

Organize your classroom space.

Teacher Station 1

Teacher Station

2

Group

AssignmentsSchedule

Inboxes

Bookshelf

Tips for Implementing Differentiated Instruction: Your Classroom (continued)

Start student files. Start student portfolios. Use a clipboard. Use technology.

Implementing Differentiated Instruction: Your District or School

Start with committed staff.

Look for existing resources/infrastructure.

Start with one or two strategies.

Try it and be willing to alter and extend.

Implementing Differentiated Instruction: Additional Considerations

Teacher support

Professional development

Adequate planning time

Resources

Assessment Curriculum-based Measurement

www.studentprogress.org

National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum (NCAC):

www.cast.org/ncac/

Access Center: www.k8accesscenter.org