What is Differentiated Instruction?

Mrs. Larkin
Room 12
First Grade

Carol Ann Tomlinson

Brief Introductory Video Clip describing
Differentiated Instruction
http://differentiationcentral.com/Video_Clips.htm
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Differentiated Instruction
Students have:
Multiple options for taking in information
Multiple options for making sense of ideas
Multiple options for expressing what they
learn
Carol Ann Tomlinson, How to Differentiate in
Mixed Ability Classrooms, 2001.

Where to begin????
KNOW MY STUDENTS
Assess readiness of
student
Assess student interests
Assess students learning
profile

Differentiated
Instruction goes hand
in hand with
Differentiated
Assessment Strategies.

Assess readiness of
student
Standardized testing
Pretest
Graphic Organizers
Observation
Anecdotal notes
Response Cards
Questioning
Yes/No Cards
Signal and Action Responses (thumbs up/thumbs

down)
Smart board response clickers

Assess students interests and

learning profile
Interest Inventory

Now What? What does Differentiated

Instruction look like in a first grade classroom?
Readiness
Students will learn better if lessons or activities
are a close match to understanding of a topic.
Push the student a little beyond their
comfort zone.
Differentiate content, process, and product.

 Book Boxes books at students independent level and interest

Guided reading groups books at students instructional level
Books on tape
Books on smart board
Student centered activities
Math games
Varied writing activities
Smart board activities (word building)
Strategy groups
Small group practice
Move from dependent to independent (Daily 5)
Open ended questions and choice of activities

Student Interest and Learning

Styles
Use interests as a vehicle for learning incorporate into

reading and writing

Have students share interests
Teacher observations of students
Technology
Group Activities
Hands on Activities (math manipulative, science cart, smart
board)
Books on tape (auditory)
Activities on smart board (visual)
Use of computer lab
Use of kindles, Google chromes

How to accomplish this?

Safe classroom environment

where: ideas can be safely shared,

questions can be safely asked, and
projects can be safely explained.
Monitor student learning before,
during, and after learning.

Respect for each other!

Teacher, Parent, Student

Parents need to be partners in their
childs education.
Parents know their child best! Share
what you know.interest inventory.
Parents should attend conferences
and share concerns through email,
phone calls, or notes.

What does differentiation look like

in a classroom?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqepSNNj

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Poem to think about

A 14 year old girl wrote a poem about her teacher who inspired her to learn.

Push me! See how far I go!

Work me til I drop. Then pick me up.
Open a door, and then make me run to it before it closes.
Teach me so that I might learn,
Then let me enter the tunnel of experience alone.
And when, near the end,
I turn to see you beginning anothers journey,
I shall smile.

Carol Ann Tomlinson, How To Differentiate

Instruction in Mixed Ability Classrooms, 2001.

References
Tomlinson, C.A. (2001). How To Differentiate

Instruction In Mixed-Ability Classrooms.

Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision
and Curriculum Development.
Chapman, C. & King, R. (2012). Differentiated
Assessment Strategies One Tool Doesnt Fit All
(2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.