Running head: ASSIGNMENT 3.

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Assignment 3.1
Victoria Garcia
National University

ASSIGNMENT 3.1
Abstract
The following outlines a 5th grade lesson using the Full Spectrum Questioning strategy
and includes an analysis of implementation based on the three guidelines of Best Practice
strategies.

ASSIGNMENT 3.1

The Full Spectrum Questioning strategy helps the teacher frame questions to engage
students in reflective dialogue (Ventriglia, 2013, p. 74). There are five different levels of
questioning including so so what? questions, questions that clarify meaning, questions that
explore assumptions and sources, questions that identify cause and effect, and questions that plan
a course of action. This strategy is used as a way to differentiate instruction based on students
readiness levels. The following is a lesson plan for 5th grade students based on the Full Spectrum
Question strategy.
Content Standard: SL.5.4 Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing
ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas
or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
Students will choose an article, listen to an online article, or watch a video about
environmental issues including global warming, pollution, recycling, or deforestation based on
what they think is the most important issue. There will be a variety of articles available for each
issue so different readiness levels are addressed and the videos will be pre-selected. They will
then pair up with a peer who shares the same opinion and discuss the questions below.
Questions that probe So what?

How important is this environmental issue?

How urgent is this issue? Does it need to be

Questions that clarify meaning or conceptual

address immediately?
Why is this an environmental issue? What does

vocabulary

this environmental issue mean for Earth? Are

the claims of what will happen to Earth vague
or unclear?

ASSIGNMENT 3.1
Question that Explore Assumptions

Are the effects of this environmental issue

real? Beneficial in any way? Harmful? What
are reasons that this environmental issue is

Questions that seek to identify causes and

credible or not credible?

Is this environmental issue connected to the

effects

effects on the Earth it claims to have? Are the

Questions that consider appropriate action

effects long term or short term?

What can we do to change this environmental
issue? Is the proposal for action a quick fix or a
long-term solution? How will changing what is
proposed help change the effects on Earth?

The partners will present their opinions to other students in the class who have different
views on which issue is most important until they have talked to a set of partners from each of
the differing viewpoints. Finally, the whole class will discuss each of the issues and students will
share their opinions. Partners will share their viewpoints when their issue is discussed and use a
visual aid to help their classmates understands what their environmental issue, why it is
important, and what we can do to help.
Does this strategy differentiate readiness, interest, and learning profiles of students?
The implementation of this strategy within the lesson plan does differentiate readiness,
interest, and learning profiles of students. Some students may be more interested in the more
basic environmental issue of recycling while others may find the more advanced global warming
more interesting. Depending on readiness levels, some students may only be able to discuss the
importance of the issue and what effects on the Earth are while others may be able to go deeper

ASSIGNMENT 3.1
and propose plan for action and analyze whether or not the issue presented is truly as harmful on
the Earth as people claim it is.
Does this strategy clearly target the learning objective or content standard that students
need to learn?
This strategy does target the standard. The standard requires students to present their
opinion on a topic or text using facts and details to support their ideas. Using the information
from the articles and the questions as a guide to form their opinions, students present their
opinions not only with partners with a similar viewpoint, but also in small groups, and finally in
whole group discussion.
Does this strategy tier the three elements of differentiation including Teach: Content,
Practice: Process, and Apply: Product?
The implementation of this strategy in the lesson does tier the three elements of
differentiation. In this activity students access important content information using resources
matched to their readiness levels (Ventriglia, 2013, p. 21) as there are a variety of articles to
choose from and different environmental issues are presented. The practice element is addressed
through the variety of ways to learn about the information. Students have a choice whether to
read articles, listen to online articles, or watch videos about the environmental issue they choose
to learn about. The apply element is addressed in a couple of ways. One way is through different
grouping. Students work individually, with partners, in small groups, and as a whole class.
Another way is through the visual aid that partners create to display their environmental issue.
Students can create a picture, use props, sing a song, write a short story, or create a skit to help
them illustrate the importance of their environmental issue.

ASSIGNMENT 3.1

References
Ventriglia, L.D. Ph.D. (2010). Best Practices: Differentiated Instruction: The Rule of Foot. 8th
Ed. Younglight Educate. Light up the Mind.

ASSIGNMENT 3.1