This document provides an overview of differentiated instruction. It defines differentiated instruction as a systematic approach to planning curriculum and instruction that meets the varying learning needs of students. The document discusses the three main ways to differentiate: by learning profile, interest, and readiness level. Examples are given of how to differentiate instruction in various subjects based on these three dimensions to effectively engage all students.

1. “SHAKING UP” YOUR LESSONS:
A LOOK AT DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION
Presented by
Martha Elliott, Brian Keller, Lisa Plichta, and Jennifer Setzke

2. Today we want to introduce you
to the 2012-2013 Institute Day
Topic: Differentiated Instruction
Objectives:
•To know the three types of differentiation
•Tounderstand differentiated instruction is a
systematic way of planning and teaching that
addresses the interests, learning profiles, and
readiness of all students
•Participate in three types of differentiated
activities

3. Directions:
As each picture is displayed, please
answer
the following question by raising your
hand to indicate YES or NO.
Is this an example of
differentiation?
YES NO

4. NO
Differentiation is
not streaming or
leveling or
tracking
“Even in homogenous
classes , there is
considerable
Is this an example of heterogeneity in terms
differentiation? of readiness, interest,
and learning profile
(Strickland, p. 2)”
Strickland,

5. YES
“Differentiation is
meeting kids where
they are … not where
we wish they would
be (Strickland, p.1).”
“Differentiation is
responsive teaching
Is this an example of
rather than one-size-
differentiation? fits-all teaching
(Strickland, p.1).”
Strickland,
2012.

6. YES
Differentiation
is intentional
planning as
opposed to
on-the-spot
Is this an example of a component
of adjustments
differentiation?
Strickland,
2012.

7. NO
Differentiation
is not simply
group work
GROUP WORK nor is it
constant
Is this an example of group work
differentiation?
Strickland,
2012.

8. NO
Differentiation
is not an IEP
IEP IEP
IEP IEP
IEP IEP
IEP
IEP
IEP
IEP
IEP
(Individualize
IEP
d
IEP Education
Is this an example of Plan) for
differentiation?
every child
Strickland,
2012.

9. YES
Differentiation
is everywhere
Is this an example of
differentiation?
Strickland,
2012.

10. DIFFERENTIATED?
YES
IT IS NOT NEW

11. What is Differentiation?
What it is: What it is Not:
•Teaching with variance in •New
mind
•Tracking or
•Responsive teaching rather
than one-size-fits-all
Streaming
teaching •IEP for every child
•Meeting kids where we •Constant Group
are… not where we wish Work
they would be •Occasional Variation
•“Shaking up” the classroom
of teaching styles
so
students have multiple •On the spot
options for making sense of adjustments
information
Chart from Strickland, “Differentiation of Instruction at the High School Level.” ASCD, 2012.

12. What is Differentiation?
“A systematic approach to
It is not planning curriculum and
what we
teach, instruction for academically
it is diverse learners” that provides
HOW
WE students of different abilities,
TEACH interests, or learning needs
equally appropriate ways to
learn (Tomlinson & Strickland, p.7).”

13. 5 Principles for
Differentiated Instruction
 Building a Respectful
Community
◦ Students need to feel safe
 Quality Curriculum
◦ You can’t differentiate fog
 Quality Tasks
◦ No busywork
 Continual Assessment
◦ How can you differentiate if you
do not know where they are?

14. 3 Ways to Differentiate
“What a “A student’s “Current
student enjoys preferred knowledge,
understanding,
learning mode of
and skill level a
about, thinking learning” student has
(Tomlinson &
about, and Strickland, p.6). related to a
doing” particular
(Tomlinson & Strickland, sequence of
p.6)
learning”
(Tomlinson & Strickland,
p.6).

15. Differentiating by
LEARNING PROFILE
Why? When we differentiate
 Because efficiency by
results when Learning profile we
learners are taught should
in ways that are
consider student:
natural for them
(Tomlinson & Strickland Learning Styles
p.7) Sternberg’s
Intelligences
Garner’s Multiple
Intelligences
Strickland, p.
Environmental 5
Preferences

16. Sternberg Intelligence Survey
Mark each sentence T if you like to do the activity and F if you do not like
to do the activity.
1. Analyzing characters when I’m reading or listening to a story
___
2. Designing new things
___
3. Taking things apart and fixing them ___
4. Comparing and contrasting points of view
___
5. Coming up with ideas
___
6. Learning through hands-on activities ___
7. Criticizing my own and other kids’ work ___
8. Using my imagination
___
9. Putting into practice things I learned ___
10. Thinking clearly and analytically
___
11. Thinking of alternative solutions
___
12. Working with people in teams or groups

17. Sternberg Intelligence Survey
Mark each sentence T if you like to do the activity and F if you do not like
to do the activity.
16. Evaluating my own and other’s points of view ___
17. Thinking in pictures and images
___
18. Advising friends on their problems ___
19. Explaining difficult ideas or problems to others ___
20. Supposing things were different
___
21. Convincing someone to do something ___
22. Making inferences and deriving conclusions
___
23. Drawing ___
24. Learning by interacting with others ___
25. Sorting and classifying
___
26. Inventing new words, games, approaches
___
27. Applying my knowledge ___
28. Using graphic organizers or images to organize your thoughts

18. Transfer your answers from the survey to the key. The column with the
most True responses is your dominant intelligence.
Analytical Creative Practical
1. ___ 2. ___ 3. ___
4. ___ 5. ___ 6. ___
7. ___ 8. ___ 9. ___
10. ___ 11. ___ 12. ___
13. ___ 14. ___ 15. ___
16. ___ 17. ___ 18. ___
19. ___ 20. ___ 21. ___
22. ___ 23. ___ 24. ___
25. ___ 26. ___ 27. ___
28. ___ 29. ___ 30. ___
Total Number of True:
Analytical ____ Creative _____ Practical _____

19. Thinking About the Sternberg Intelligences
ANALYTICAL Linear – Schoolhouse Smart - Sequential
Show the parts of _________ and how they work.
Explain why _______ works the way it does.
Diagram how __________ affects __________________.
Identify the key parts of _____________________.
Present a step-by-step approach to _________________.
PRACTICAL Streetsmart – Contextual – Focus on Use
Demonstrate how someone uses ________ in their life or work.
Show how we could apply _____ to solve this real life problem ____.
Based on your own experience, explain how _____ can be used.
Here’s a problem at school, ________. Using your knowledge of
______________, develop a plan to address the problem.
CREATIVE Innovator – Outside the Box – What If - Improver
Find a new way to show _____________.
Use unusual materials to explain ________________.
Use humor to show ____________________.
Explain (show) a new and better way to ____________.
Make connections between _____ and _____ to help us understand ____________.
Become a ____ and use your “new” perspectives to help us think about
____________.

20. Example of Differentiating by
Learning Profile in Language Arts
“ To get started with today’s work on
alliteration in poetry, you may choose
to:
 listen to poems using alliteration
 read poems using alliteration
 write a poem using alliteration
Example from Strickland, p. 5

21. Example of Differentiating by
Learning Profile in Science
Water Cycle Activity: Choose one of the
following options to complete.
CHOICE A Design a comic book that illustrates your journey
as a water droplet. Include appropriate captions.
CHOICE B Draw an accurate version of the water cycle that
includes all steps. Be sure to show the process
that get a water droplet from one step to another.
CHOICE C Create a fictional story about the journey of a
water droplet. Base it on your water droplet’s
journey.
CHOICE D Create a local version of the water cycle. Be sure
to include the names of local rivers, bays, oceans,
mountains, and so on.
Activity taken from Sample 9.3- Water Cycle Activity Options on pg.
343 of Tomlinson, Carol Ann & Cindy Strickland (2005). Differentiation
in practice: A resource guide for differentiating curriculum: 9-12.

22. Example of Differentiating by
Learning Profile in Science
Who would benefit from selecting each
of the choices?
 Choice A, C
◦ high levels of creative intelligence
 Choice B
◦ high levels of visual/spatial intelligence
 Choice D
◦ high levels of naturalistic intelligence
Tomlinson & Strickland, p. 327

23. Ways to get the information you need to
differentiate by Learning Profile
Help Students Determine their Learning
Preferences
• Survey concerning Learning Styles (Auditory,
Visual,
Kinesthetic)
•http://people.usd.edu/~bwjames/tut/learning-
style/stylest.html
• Survey concerning Garner’s Multiple Intelligences
•Multiple Intelligences Inventory like:
http://surfaquarium.com/MI/inventory.htm
• Create questionnaire for students to complete that

24. Ways to differentiate by Learning
Profile
Three Ways to Incorporate
Differentiation by Learning Profile
1. Let students gain access to content through varied
means (like reading, listening, talking, writing, etc.)
• Like the previous Language Arts Example
2. Create activities/ assignments that require or
appeal to various multiple intelligences for
successful completion
• Like the previous Science Example
3. Allow options for students to compete against
others or themselves
Strickland, p. 5-6

25. ACTIVITY # 1
Take two minutes to think about the discuss following
with your other elbow partner:
Give an example of how you could teach tomorrow’s
objective (in your class) in a way that would appeal to :
1) Creative
2) Analytical
3) Practical
SHARE YOUR EXAMPLE
WITH YOUR OPPOSITE ELBOW
PARTNER

26. 3 Ways to Differentiate
“What a “A student’s “Current
student enjoys preferred knowledge,
understanding,
learning about, mode of
and skill level a
thinking about, learning” student has
and doing” (Tomlinson &
Strickland, p.6). related to a
(Tomlinson & Strickland,
p.6) particular
sequence of
learning”
(Tomlinson & Strickland,
p.6).

27. Differentiating by INTEREST
Why? When we differentiate by
 Because interest we should
interest is a consider student:
great motivator
 Because  Passions
interest relates  Hobbies
to relevancy (for  Family Interest or pursuits
the students)  Clubs or sports
 TV Shows (they watch)
 Music (they listen to)
 Friends
 Electives they take
Strickland, p. 3

28. Ways to get the information you need to
differentiate by INTEREST
In General: Within an
Instructional Unit:
• Administer a student  Create an assignment
interest survey in August: that involves a personal
• What is your favorite sport? Why? profile
• Who is your favorite team? Why?
• What is your favorite TV show?
Why?  Assign journal entries
• Who is your favorite musical artist? that ask your students to
Why?
• What is your favorite thing to read relate to your subject
about? Why?
 Ask the question: What
• Hallway Chats are some of the things
• Personal Relationships that You hope we do
during the unit?

29. Example of Differentiating by
Interest in World Language
ASSIGNMENT:  "Will 'The Hunger
Games be the next
In order to practice our "Twilight'?“
reading fluency and ("Seran 'los juegos de
hambre' el proximo
comprehension in 'Crepusculo'?")
Spanish,  "Rihanna and Chris
Brown Together Again?"
pick one of the following ("Rihanna y Chris Brown
articles listed on the right juntos de nuevo?")
to  Google's new glasses
("Google lanza unas
read tonight. Be prepared gafas interactivas")
to summarize the  The unluckiest man in
article in Spain
("El hombre mas
Spanish in your own desafortunado de

30. Example of Differentiating by
Interest in Math
Look for an example of vectors in your
after school activities. Record what
you find in one of the following three
ways:
◦ Explain the example in writing
◦ Illustrate the example
◦ Prepare 2 minute explanation to share
orally with the class
Differentiation by Differentiation by
Interest Learning Profile
Example adapted from Strickland, p.

31. Example of Differentiating
by Interest in Science, Health, or Social Studies
Select one of the following roles to
assume as we discuss the tobacco
industry in North Carolina:
◦ Tobacco Farmer
◦ Lobbyist for the tobacco industry
◦ Person with emphysema
◦ Teen who smokes
◦ Oncologist
Example from Strickland, p. 3

32. Ways to differentiate by INTEREST
Three Ways to Incorporate
Differentiation by Interest
1. Show how current topics relate to or enhance skills
required for success in various student activities
• like previous Math example
2. Design assignments that relate your subject matter
to pop-culture/ student interests
• like World Language Example
3. Ask students to share their personal experience
with, preferred perspective, or interest in the topic
of study
• like previous Tobacco example
Strickland, p. 3- 4

33. ACTIVITY # 2
SECOND: USING THE INTEREST
FIRST: SELECT ONE OF THE YOU SELECTED, COMPLETE
FOLLOWING INTERESTS: ONE
OF THE FOLLOWING:
 Rap Music  Provide an example of an
 Cubs/ White Sox in-class activity that
differentiates for student
 March Madness
interest.
 Spring Break
 Provide an example of a
 Friends homework assignment that
 Student differentiated for student
Clubs/Activities interest.
 Family Interest  Provide an example of a
long-term project that could
be differentiated for
SHARE YOUR EXAMPLE WITH
interest. AN
ELBOW PARTNER

34. 3 Ways to Differentiate
“What a “A student’s “Current
student preferred knowledge,
understanding,
enjoys mode of
and skill level a
learning learning” student has
(Tomlinson &
about, Strickland, p.6). related to a
thinking particular
about, and sequence of
doing” learning”
(Tomlinson & Strickland,
(Tomlinson & Strickland,
p.6).
p.6)

35. Differentiating by
READINESS
Why? When we differentiate by
 To appropriately Readiness we should consider
challenge all student:
learners
 “Attitude (toward school &
Goal: topic)
“make the work a  Experience with the topic
little (outside of school or previous
too difficult for courses)
 Knowledge, understanding, and
students at a given skill with the topic
point in their growth-  Preconceptions about the topic
and then to provide  Overgeneralizations about the
the support they topic
need  General communication,
Tomlinson & Strickland, p. 6
to succeed at a new thinking, & reasoning skills” p. 8-9
Strickland,

36. Ways to get the information you need to
differentiate by Readiness
Things all teachers can Formal Assessments that
do to obtain information: can provide information:
• Pre-Assessment • Explore, Plan, ACT(EPAS
• In-Class /Formative Data)
Assessment • Read 180
(During the Unit)
•White Boards • AIMS Web Data
•Knowledge Rating • NWEA Map Data
Chart
• Aleks Data
•KWL
•Homework Assignment • Formal Educational
•Entrance & Exit Slips Testing
(WISC, WIAT)

37. Example of Differentiating by
Readiness in Social Science
 Lesson Objective:
To know the positions of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King on
ways to achieve equality.
 After the initial lesson, students complete an Exit Slip:
Provide two examples of methods Martin Luther King used during
the Civil Rights Movement and two that Malcolm X used.
 Teacher analyzes exit slip information & divides the
students into three groups
1) Students that flip-flopped the examples between the
two Civil Rights Leaders
2) Students that provided only one example for each
Leader
3) Students that provided at least two appropriate
examples for each leader

38. Continued Social Science Example
 The next day in class the students were placed in
either Group 1, 2, or 3
Students in Group 1 sat with the teacher
 Teacher re-taught the objective
 Students filled in a graphic organizer
Students in Group 2 worked independently
 Read & summarized an article concerning multiple
ways of achieving equality
Students in Group 3 worked independently
 Read an article concerning current leaders
 Compared current leaders & their positions to Malcolm
X and Martin Luther King

39. Example of Differentiating by
Readiness in Physical Welfare
A Tiered Task:
Assignment A: Assignment B:
“A classmate had to “Pretend you were the
leave the room today coach of your kickball team
just as we were today. Select a key or
beginning to play critical play in today’s game.
kickball. Please write Pretend it happened in
that student a note some other way. What might
explaining what the results have been?
happened in today’s Why? What principle can
game, why it happened you infer? Be sure you pick
the way it did, and what something that will help your
your team could do to team in its efforts to improve
improve your over time.”
performance. Be as Strickland, p. 8

40. Ways to differentiate by Readiness
Two Ways to Incorporate
Differentiation by Readiness
1. Create Tiered Tasks
• Like previous Physical Welfare example
2. Offer mini-lessons to students missing content or
skills while simultaneously offering an alternate
activity for enhancement to students who have
mastered the content or skills
• Like previous Social Science example
Strickland, p. 8-9

41. Review & Reflection
• Differentiation is a way of thinking about
teaching.
• systematic approach to planning instruction
• provides learners (who are different) with equally
appropriate options for learning
• good teaching
• Three Types of Differentiation
• How did we differentiate throughout the
presentation?
• How can you apply today’s information to your
classroom?

42. References
 Tomlinson, Carol Ann & Cindy Strickland (2005).
Differentiation in practice: A resource guide for
differentiating curriculum: 9-12. Alexandria,
Virginia: ASCD.
 Strickland, Cindy (February, 2012). Differentiation
of Instruction at the High School Level. Alexandria,
Virginia: ASCD.