1. Differentiated Literacy Instruction (Small Group)
Elementary ELAR- Tonie Schwab
Principals’ Breakout Session
November 8th, 2018

2. Differentiation is traditionally defined as an approach to teaching in which educators actively plan for students’ differences so that all students can best learn. Student-driven differentiation shifts the focus from what students are going to do to what students need to learn.
-Student-Driven Differentiation by Lisa Westman

3. Differentiated Instruction in small group may be...
Meeting kids where they are at (not scripted)
Following the lead of the student
Working on all aspects of student’s reading process
Using flexible grouping for optimal learning opportunities

4. Teachers can differentiate through...
Content - The information students learn or ways students access the information.
Process - How students take in and make sense of the content.
Product - How students show what they know, understand, and can do.
Affect/Environment - The climate or tone of the classroom.
The Content is the information we want students to learn or the way we want students to access the information.
The Process is how we want students to make sense of the content. We’ve done the teaching, now how are they practicing it to own it.
The Product is how students show us what they have learned and can do now as a result of them learning.
The environment is the climate or tone of the room.

5. Differentiating Through the Content
In Elementary ELAR, differentiating content in small group looks like...
Accelerating vocabulary with a some or scaffolding for others
Asking students to draw pictures or diagrams
Providing a graphic organizer to adapt information collected.
“The what” we want students to Know, Understand, and be able to Do.
How they access the what…
Using video (or audio) instead of text
Small Group Instruction
Hands-on Modeling
Providing a partially completed organizer
Differentiating the content is differentiating what we plan for kids to learn. Teacher can differentiate the “stuff” we want kids to learn but most likely we want ALL kids to learn the same content. So, we often differentiate how students will access this content. We plan for ways to make the content accessible to multiple learners.

6. Differentiating Through the Process
In Elementary ELAR, differentiating process in small group looks like...
Individual practice
Hands-on support with prompting
Varying the student task to work within the levels of development
Differentiating Through the Process
The “sense-making activity” we want students to do in order to “own” what they learned.
Students practice using...
Partners or Individual practice
Hands-on supports as needed
Graphic Organizers
Workstations

7. Differentiating Through the Product
In Elementary ELAR, differentiating product in small group looks like...
Word Work with multiple
Writing within the small group
“Using at least 4 words…”
Options
Formative Assessments
Verbal, Kinesthetic, and Paper/Pencil
Exit Ticket with Options
Using text evidence…
How students show us what they have learned.
Student evidence of learning can include…
Providing Choice
Allowing the Use of Technology
Task Menus

8. Differentiating Through the Environment
In Elementary ELAR, differentiating environment in small group looks like...
Sitting Arrangements
Pair / Share
Practice Style
Adding Movement
The setting of the classroom where students are learning.
Differentiating the environment includes…
Student Flexible Groupings
Group Roles
Work Spaces to Read Independently

9. Differentiating According to Students’ Readiness
In Elementary ELAR, differentiating content looks like...
Leveled practice where some students start on different levels
Work stations of varied complexity
Providing hand-on learning
This is acknowledging students are at different levels of understanding and need different entry points to interact with the content

10. Differentiating According to Students’ Interests
In Elementary ELAR, differentiating content looks like…
Menus and Choice
Allowing for use of dry-erase markers with boards or on the desk
Allowing for partners and individual practice
This is acknowledging students have different interests and need different entry points to interact with the content.

11. Teachers can differentiate according to the student’s...
Readiness - A student’s proximity to specified learning goals.
Interests - Passions, affinities, kinships that motivate learning.
Learning Profile - Preferred approaches to learning.

12. Your Turn: 1. Preview samples of student work from small group work.
2. Locate evidence of differentiation and highlight in yellow.
3. Select one content, one process and/or one product idea to add to this activity for further differentiate and highlight these in blue.
4. Discuss how this protocol might help encourage ways to add more differentiation practices at your campus.

13. Feedback Tips for Students: Write them a short note
Feedback Tips for Students: Write them a short note. Annotate assignments. Use technology to respond. Chat with student in person. Put a post it note with a comment.
Offering feedback is key. It should be timely, relevant and actionable feedback for success. Feedback done right is reciprocal. It should enable the student to go deeper. It should inform the teachers’ next steps. Feedback can be both formal and informal. Characteristics of feedback include: consistent, specific to learning intentions, user friendly, goal referenced, timely and ongoing, and actionable.

14. Lesson Idea for Motivating Readers
Take Off and Partner Talk Bookmarks Handout
Handout—see last page first

15. Assistant Director of Elementary ELAR
Sources: Professional Development for Differentiating Instruction by Cindy A. Strickland (ASCD) Literacy Strong All Year Long: Powerful Lesson for Grades 3-5 by Lori Oczkus Who’s Doing the Work? By Jan Burkins and Kim Yaris Student-Driven Differentiation by Lisa Westman How to Differentiate in Mixed-Ability Classrooms by Carol Ann Tomlinson
Tonie Schwab
Assistant Director of Elementary ELAR