Tiered Assignments Heacox Chapter 6

Tiered Assignments 6 ways to structure tiered assignments By challenge level By complexity By resources By outcome By process By product Guidelines pp. 95-96

By Challenge Level Bloom’s Taxonomy Allows for reinforcement to enrichment Examples p. 91

By Complexity Introductory level to advanced/abstract/ analytical/in-depth level More complex work needs to be truly more advanced, not just more! Examples p. 92 Higher on Bloom’s Taxonomy

By Resources Materials of various reading levels and complexity of content Different kinds of print material Keep students’ knowledge level & reading level in mind when planning & assigning resources Own examples?

By Outcome Students use same materials but are asked for different outcomes Example on “I Have a Dream” speech p. 94

By Process Students work on similar outcomes but use different processes to get there See example p. 94

By Product Using M.I. & menus, have students create products to display their learning in ways that fit their preferences Of course, one product might require several M.I.’s, but the students can group based on the “major” M.I. used to create the product See example p. 94

When & How to Tier an Assignment See suggestions on pp. 95-96 Use your curriculum map Collaborate with another teacher

How to Organize & Work Group Give groups & individuals workcards to guide them through their activities – see pp. 96-97 Use warm-ups & cool-downs to have enough time to work with each group – see p. 98

Making Tiering Invisible Introduce each activity with equal enthusiasm Alternate which level of activity is introduced first, second, etc. Tier & group often Change up groups – let some be student-chosen, some on learning preferences, some on ability

Making Tiering Invisible (cont.) Be fair in expectations of work Require use of key concepts, skills or ideas The more you tier assignments, the better you become at it, and the more invisible it becomes in your classroom!