Differentiation and Integration in the Elementary Classroom Melissa Genson EAD-520

What is Integration? Why is it Important? Integration is the ability to take different subjects and combine them into one. The idea is that we can have students doing one task that covers multiple subjects. Examples: Studying fractions can be integrated into music, especially when discussing Music notes. ½ = Half Note 1/16 = Sixteenth note We may be working on writing solid paragraphs but we are also researching our community and writing about solving community problems. Writing and Social Studies combined! Students who struggle in math may love music. Having the ability to connect the two will help the student to overcome the mental block and enjoy both subjects. There are many other ways to combine subjects and many benefits to it. Teachers save time by being able to integrate math and science together. Math and science are a great fit because scientific observations often require mathematical skills. In the “real world” students will need to be able to use all of their skill sets to solve problems because, as te quote says, life is not compartmentalized. Why is it Important? “As adult members of society, different forms of knowledge are not compartmentalized into separate sections. Real-life problems require a synthesis of knowledge to achieve a solution.” -Munroe

Culturally Biased? Do You: Every student and every teacher has a background, has a history, and uses their prior experiences to learn new things and solve new problems. Do You: Have a wide variety of culturally diverse books in your classroom? Have lessons taught from different cultural perspectives? Make sure to call on students of all races, genders, religious affiliations, etc. equally? Allow students to research, form, and defend their own opinions on controversial topics? Understand that some cultures respond differently to different situations? Make sure your tests are void of culturally specific questions? The best example I can think of- Native Alaskan students needing more wait time are often considered “slower” learners. When in actuality, the native Alaskan culture values deep thought before speaking, so as not to appear unintelligent. “Think before you speek.

5x7=? Differentiated Instruction 5+5+5+5+5+5+5= 10+10+10+5= “Differentiated learning happens. It's impossible not to achieve differentiation in the classroom, no matter what you as a teacher decide to do.” -Ollerson Differentiating is when a teacher effectively adjusts the lessons to cater to the needs of all students. We must be able to meet students where they are, think like they think, and teach how they learn. 5x7=? 5+5+5+5+5+5+5= 10+10+10+5= 5x5=25 (+5+5)= Ollerson argues that all students process things in different ways which means that when we ask a student to multiply, they simply differentiate on their own. Some will add on their fingers, some will multiply repeatedly, some will add repeatedly, some will multiply and then add. Etc. If we are paying attention to how our students learn then we can differ our instruction relatively easily. Take the lead from the students.

Response to Intervention What is RTI? Response to Intervention Varies from school to school Tiered levels or intervention Ranges from whole group strategies to targeted intervention, and intensive intervention. Should provide detailed feedback for students and parents. Cannot be used to keep students out of special education. Interventions should be geared toward individual students’ needs and growth. What teirs are your students in? How do you help the Tier 1 students? How is it similar to Tier 2 or Tier 3 students?

Technology How has technology changed education? Answers: Turn and talk to a partner- How has technology changed education? – Quicker access to information- Lesson Plans- Internet Testing- Instant Data-Etc. If you could have a great piece of technology to support our classroom, provided by parents, would you use it?... Phones. How can we use phones in our classroom to support the learning environment? – Just one way of integrating technology. “Findings indicated that the majority of students (90.7%) were using a variety of mobile phone features for school-related work.” -Thomas

school's vision: “Our vision is to equip students to be resourceful, critical thinkers who are making a positive change in their community.” This is our school vision and motto. It is what we at Hale Cook live by and portray to parents and community members. How can we truly create critical thinkers if our highest and lowest and in-between students are not having their needs met? We can’t. (RTI and Differentiation) How can we teach everything we need to in the short amount of time that we have kids, whil also incoororating time for lunch, recess, transitions, bathroom breaks AND RTI time? INTEGRATION Integration of diverse subjects and differentiating to meet all students’ needs are crucial in creating the critical thinkers and positive role models in our community.

Unit Example: Opinion Writing/ Communities Unit: Objectives: Pre-test (get to know your students-Collect Data and Organize Students) Lesson 1- Identifying Communities -Review Lesson 2- Identify Community Problems Lesson 3- Solving Community Problems Lesson 4- Researching Community Problem Lesson 5- Applying Research and Drafting Solutions Lesson 6- Editing and Revising Strategies Lesson 7- Finishing Touches Lesson 8- Publishing Post-Test- (Compare growth) Objectives: Writing: I can form, research, and write and opinion based essay Social Studies: I can identify my community, community struggles, and solve community problems.

Differentiation Ideas: Unit Assessments: Writing Rubric Pre/Post Test Differentiation Ideas: Students writing vs. typing vs. PowerPoint vs. Presenting Editing-Different feedback based on ability. Grouping students based on ability. Lower achieving work in partners or small group. Guided instruction. Class example that struggling students may model after. Every lesson starts with a ten minute Genius Ladder Parts of Speech activity. Gradually gets harder. Genius Ladder

References Munroe, A. (2015). Curriculum Integration in the General Music Classroom. General Music Today, 29(1), 12-18. doi:10.1177/1048371315572878 Ollerton, M. (2014). DIFFERENTIATION IN MATHEMATICS CLASSROOMS. Mathematics Teaching, (240), 43-46. THOMAS, K., & MUÑOZ, M. A. (2016). Hold the Phone! High School Students' Perceptions of Mobile Phone Integration in the Classroom. American Secondary Education, 44(3), 19-37.