Tiered Writing Activities for the ELA

Common Core Classroom:

Meeting Students Where They Are, Not Where Wed Like Them to Be
With Judy Dodge Educational Consultant & Author
Differentiation in Action (Scholastic, 2005) 25 Quick Formative Assessments for a Differentiated Classroom (Scholastic, 2009)

judydodge@judydodge.com

2013 Judy Dodge

That students differ may be inconvenient, but it is inescapable.

Grant Wiggins

Turn to a colleague and discuss: How do our students differ from one another?

Zones of Proximal Development Lev Vygotsky

Students learning zone

Students learning zone

Students learning zone

2013 Judy Dodge

Judy Dodge

The National Research Council

Tasks must be at the proper level of difficulty to be and to remain motivating: tasks that are too easy become boring; tasks that are too difficult cause frustration
(Bransford, Brown, and Cocking, 1999 & 2000).
-Carol Ann Tomlinson and Cindy Strickland

2013 Judy Dodge

What is a Tiered Activity?

On-grade concept activity

A tiered activity is one differentiation strategy that

addresses student readiness focuses on one particular concept at different levels of abstractness, complexity, and/or independence. (Carol Ann Tomlinson, 1999)

It usually provides 2-3 levels of instruction that address different

levels of thinking using Blooms Taxonomy, as well as different amounts of structure vs. independence

2013 Judy Dodge

When Should I Tier a Lesson by Readiness?

After I have taught a concept After I have assessed student understanding and readiness After I have determined that I have a wide range of student understandin

2013 Judy Dodge

Heterogeneous or Homogeneous?
For what types of activities is it best to group students heterogeneously?

For what types of activities is it best to group students homogeneously?

2013 Judy Dodge

Preparing Students for Tiered/Leveled Tasks

Remind students that Its my job is to provide a just provide a just right challenge for each of you. Graph/Web your class strengths Have multiple conversations about what each of us does well. Create a classroom environment of tolerance
and acceptance of differences

Give a pre-assessment. Gather data. Base assigned task on the data Lay the foundation for tiering
2013 Judy Dodge

Set the stage for your tiered lesson

2013 Judy Dodge

Its my job to give you a just right challenge

2013 Judy Dodge

Charting My Strengths

Im great! Im good
Im okay

ListeningSpeakingReadingWritingPronunciation--Homework

2013 Judy Dodge

Fair is not equal; Fair is getting what you need.

2013 Judy Dodge

How Do I Determine Which Students Will Work at a Particular Level?

Prior Formal Assessments
(Tests, quizzes, essays, QuickWrites, etc.)

Homework Exit Cards (Admit Cards,

prior assessments)

and other daily formative assessments)

Reading Level (Determined by Writing Level (Determined by

writing samples)

2013 Judy Dodge

What About Grading???

Differentiated instruction does not require different tests for different readiness levels
Formative assessment is second chance learning Provides the learner time to become more successful At the end of the unit, all students take the same assessment, perhaps with differentiated elements (choice, visuals, etc.)

2013 Judy Dodge

How Do We Tier by Readiness??

Providing appropriate challenge
to three levels of learners

Basic Level (Provide support) **On-grade Level Advanced Level (Provide a challenge)

2013 Judy Dodge

Tying Reading to a Tiered Writing Response

After a Read Aloud to the whole class --or- After students read their own leveled text or independent text --or- After the class engages in a close reading of the same rigorous text
The teacher assigns a tiered writing or tiered speaking task

Tier the (Writing or Speaking) TASK, NOT, necessarily, THE TEXT Tier the TASK, Not the TEXT
2013 Judy Dodge

2013 Judy Dodge

2013 Judy Dodge

2013 Judy Dodge

2013 Judy Dodge

2013 Judy Dodge

Step 1: Designing a Tiered Assignment

Choose the Concept or Task/Decide on the Essential Understandings Concept/Task: ________________________ Essential Understandings:
2013 Judy Dodge

Step 2
Describe the task for the on-grade level group of students. Be specific. (This is the task that you would like to
do with the entire class-but recognize a wide range of readiness)

This task is at the tied to the grade level standards of the Common Core for this grade of learners (on-grade level expectations).

2013 Judy Dodge

Step 3
Provide support for this struggling group of writers to do the same task as the on-grade level group Provide teacher-assistance, models, sentence starters, an outline, page numbers, highlighted text, or other aid to complete the same task

2013 Judy Dodge

Step 4
Provide a challenge for this group of learners Create a task that is more abstract, complex, and rigorous (This task might be a bit different from the first two
tasks-but it is still is tied to the same concept and key understandings.)

Require more sophisticated writing and complex critical analysis

2013 Judy Dodge

Now, You Try It!!

Concept: Characterization
Essential Understandings:
Attributes, What they say, What they do, What others say about them Evidence from the text **Task BOn-Grade Level Task

Describe the main character in at least two ways and provide evidence from the text.

2013 Judy Dodge

Addressing Learner Readiness

Turn-n-Talk with a partner: How can we support the struggling writers?

How can we challenge the advanced writers?

2013 Judy Dodge

Design a Support Level Task

For learners who might have difficulty finding the evidence and writing a logical and coherent piece of writing:
**Task ASupport Level Task

2013 Judy Dodge

Design a Challenge Level Task

One that is more abstract, complex, and/or rigorous than the on-grade level task Require more sophisticated writing and more complex
critical analysis
**Task CChallenge Level Task

2013 Judy Dodge

Youre Ready!
To appropriately challenge the writers in your classroom To target appropriate interventions for the struggling writers in your classrooms To address differentiation at RTI Level 1differentiation in the general education classroom (keeping track of at-risk learners, while challenging advanced learners at the same time.)
2013 Judy Dodge

But, keep in mind

The Implementation Dip

2013 Judy Dodge

Then and Now

Before today I thought that tiered instruction But, now I know I want to learn more about

2013 Judy Dodge

Judy Dodges Web Site

www.judydodge.com Click on Judys eBoardscroll to the bottom Click on LIASCD-October 2013 Click on PPt. Presentation: PPt. LIASCD 2013
2013 Judy Dodge

Question & Answer Session

Questions and Answers

2013 Judy Dodge