Student Assessments

Differentiating Lessons

No two students are alike. Each boy and girl that crosses the threshold of your classroom comes with a unique set of experiences, background, learning abilities, talents and interests. A one-size fits all teaching method is a thing of the past, and it is up to the modern teacher to take a personal interest in every student to learn how to motivate his learning and production and help him meet his full potential. The only way to ensure a quality learning experience for all is through differentiated instruction and carefully planned lessons that will meet every student exactly where she is and raise her to a higher level of understanding.

One way to gain this valuable knowledge is through a survey given to both students and parents. It can include things like what they like to read, watch, do, eat, etc. as well as how they learn best, what their favorite subject is, favorite assignments and what motivates them. If parents are encouraged to fill out the survey as well, you can gain more perspective on the learning abilities of the students. Additionally, students that have been identified as gifted or with an Individual Education Plan (IEP) will already be identified for you, so from day one, you can begin building a relationship with those students to ensure that you are meeting their academic and emotional needs. Careful observation and personal chats with students will also lead to a better understanding of their learning needs.

Below you can find a mind map that provides strategies for differentiating lessons based on students' interest, learning profiles and level of readiness. Each strategy was specifically selected to meet the needs of the identified hypothetical student.

Formative Assessments--How to Get the Most Out of Your Lesson Plan

Formative assessments are the key to ensuring that students completely understand your carefully planned lessons. Without formative assessments, a teacher has no way of determining whether her students are grasping the material and able to apply it independently. Based on these formative assessments, the teacher can then adjust, modify or reteach parts of the lesson based on the needs of the students. This ensures that every student is following the lesson each step of the way, and it is really easy to do.

Hold on to your mouse pads, because this blog’s about to break it down for you. I will be using Common Core State Standard.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.9 which states, “Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poem; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.” Additionally, I will be addressing the following learning objective based on that standard: Define genre and give characteristics of short stories, novels, poems, and plays by citing specific texts. 

Prepare to be amazed as I offer up the following formative assessments for your reading pleasure.

White boards and Expo markers. These simple boards can be picked up at any Dollar Tree, for you guessed it, $1—a worthy investment in my opinion. Or, if you want to do it really cheap, you can laminate a piece of paper.

Here’s how they work. The teacher asks a question and the student writes it on the white board and holds it against their chest where the teacher can see it. With a quick glance around the room, the teacher can see if everyone is on the same page of the lesson plan. For students that don’t get the question right, she knows she needs to work with them individually or adjust the lesson to make sure the concept is grasped.

Picture this. The teacher has just delivered a most eloquent speech accompanied by Powerpoint presentation on various genres and the characteristics of them. The students had taken notes and looked somewhat engaged but how does she really know if they “got” it. White boards.  She reads out characteristics and asks the students to write on their white board whether it is a novel, short story, poem or play that she is describing. And just like that she knows where everyone in the class stands.

To reinforce the white board, she can then call on students at random to support their answer using a formative assessment known as Keep the Question Going. With this method, the teacher asks one student why they think the answer is “novel.” Then she asks a second student with the same answer if the first student is correct in his reasoning. A third student with a different answer written on their board is then asked to defend their choice. A fourth student then weighs in on which answer they think is right based on the evidence. Once a consensus is reached, a fifth student then gives an example of a text that is a “novel.”  This helps keep all the students engaged because they must be prepared to either agree or disagree with the answers given and provide explanations.

At the end of the lesson, students are asked to Explain What Matters using Exit Tickets as two more techniques of formative assessments. For this lesson, she could ask the students in no more than one paragraph to explain what genre is in their own words and give three examples. Students would drop these answers in a box on their way out of class for the teacher to read over and assess whether the students have totally understood the lesson or to what degree she needs to re-emphasize parts of it.

As you can see, there are many formative assessments that can be used throughout a class period. By simply walking around while students work in small groups or independently and observing what they are writing or saying, a teacher can gather great evidence as to whether or not her lesson has been internalized. There is tremendous knowledge to be gained from the powers of observation.