Differentiated Menus and Your Classroom 2012 Janessa Stancato Prince William Public Schools K-3 Gifted Resource teacher

1 Differentiation is the practice of making lessons different to accommodate the different students in a single classroom. The adaptation of classroom learning to suit each student's individual needs, strengths, preferences, and pace by either splitting the class into small groups, giving individual learning activities, or otherwise modifying the material. What is differentiation

2 Traditional and Differentiated Classroom Traditional Classroom Student differences cause problems Assessment is at the end Growth is measured by the class Single option activities Differentiated Classroom Student differences are used in planning Assessment is throughout a unit Growth is measured from the student’s starting point

What is differentiated in the classroom? ContentProcessProduct 3

What do I use to differentiate? Readiness Interests Learning Styles 4

What guides my planning? 5 Meaningful Tasks Ongoing Assessment Flexible Grouping

6 Ways to Use in the Classroom Enrichment Replace other activities Mini-lessons

7 Student Choice Read “Chapter 1 Choice” Great for child because.. Multiple Options Various learning styles Empowers the learner Meaningful and relevant to the student

8 What do menus accomplish? Menus “provide the teacher-as-curriculum-designer with a range of options within each of the components of the model. The menus encourage teachers to design in-depth curriculum units that bring together an understanding of the structure of a discipline, its content and methodologies, and the wide range of instructional techniques teachers use to create teaching and learning experiences.” Joseph S. Renzulli, 2000

9 Types of Menus Tic-Tac-Toe Cube Meal Menu Shape Menu Point Menu List Menu

10 Tic-Tac-Toe

11 Cube

12 Meal Menu

13 Shape Menu

14 Point Menu

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Point Menu

Point Menu

18 List Menu

19 Adams, Cheryll, and Rebecca Pierce. Differentiation That Really Works: Strategies from Real Teachers for Real Classrooms Grades 3-5. Waco, Tex: Prufrock, Print. "Definition of Differentiation for Gifted Children -- What Is Differentiation?" Gifted Children. Web. 20 June "Differentiation | Definition." Education.com | An Education & Child Development Site for Parents | Parenting & Educational Resource. Web. 20 June "The Multiple Menu Model for Developing Differentiated Curriculum." Neag Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development. Web. 18 June Tomlinson, Carol A. The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Print. Westphal, Laurie E. Differentiating Instruction with Menus. Waco, TX: Prufrock, Print. Resources

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