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Differentiation of Instruction in the Elementary Grades.docx
- 1. Differentiation of Instruction in the Elementary Grades Some students struggle with learning, others perform well beyond grade- level expectations, and the rest fit somewhere in between. To meet the needs of a diverse student population, many teachers differentiate instruction. What is differentiated instruction? Differentiation consists of the efforts of teachers to respond to variance among learners in the classroom. Teachers can differentiate at least four classroom elements based on student readiness: 1) Content; what the student needs to learn. For example, using reading materials, putting text materials on tape, using spelling or vocabulary lists, presenting ideas, using reading buddies and meeting with small groups. 2) Process;Activities in which the student engages. For example, using tiered activities, providing interest centers, developing personal agendas, offering hands-on supports and varying the length of time a student may take to complete a task. 3) Products:Projects that ask the student to rehearse what he has learned in a unit. For example, includes places that invite student collaboration, variety of cultures and home settings, guidelines for independent work and developing routines. 4) Learning environment: The way the classroom works and feels. For example, places that invite student collaboration, variety of cultures and home settings, guidelines for independent work and developing routines. Why differentiate instruction in the elementary grades? Students in the elementary grades vary, and if teachers want to maximize their students' individual potential, they will have to attend to the differences. What makes differentiation successful? The most important factor is being sure that what teachers differentiate is high- quality curriculum and instruction. One challenge for teachers leading a differentiated classroom is the need to reflect constantly on the quality of what is being differentiated.
- 2. Still, the following broad principles and characteristics are useful in establishing a defensible differentiated classroom: Assessment is ongoing and tightly linked to instruction Teachers work hard to ensure "respectfulactivities" for all students. Flexible grouping is a hallmark of the class. What is the best way to begin differentiation? It is helpful for a teacher who wants to become more effective at differentiation to remember to balance his or her own needs with those of the students. the following guidelines are helpful to many teachers: Frequently reflect on the match between your classroomand the philosophy of teaching and learning you want to practice. Create a mental image of what you want your classroomto look like. Prepare students and parents for a differentiated classroom. Begin to change at a pace that pushes you beyond your comfort zone. Think carefully about management routines. Teach the routines to students carefully. Take time off from change to regain your energy. Build a supportsystem of other educators. Enjoy your own growth. In my opinion, using differentiated instructions is very important. It helps students follow their own paths to learning. Students will learn better if the activities are a close match to understanding of a topic. I applied the differentiated instructions in reading and writing lessons. In reading periods, I divided the class into groups according to their levels. I asked the low-level students to read the passage then answer a true or false exercise. The high-level students are asked to answer implicit and explicit questions. The normal level students are asked to choosethe correctanswer or rearrange the events of a story. In Writing periods, the low achiever students are asked to fill in the blanks to complete a paragraph. The normal level students are asked to form sentences about some pictures using helping words. The high-level students are asked to write a paragraph of six sentences about the topic including topic sentence, details and ending sentence. (Reading comprehension)
- 3. Group O 1- Camels live in the . (complete) 2- Camels have wide soft feet. (true or false) 3- The camel is called the (boat ship car) of the dessert. Group D A) Choosethe correctanswer from a, b, c and d: 1- What is the best title for the passage? a) Deserts b) Camels c) People and Camels d) Camels ' Food 2- The underlined word " protects " in the first paragraph means: a) saves b) helps c) keeps d) fixes 3- The underlined pronoun "they" in the third paragraph refers to: a) people b) calves c) things d) camels Group A B) Answer the following questions: 1- What are camels used for? ............................................................................................................................... 2- Why are camels called "the ship of the desert"? ............................................................................................................................... 3- What is the purposeof the writer? ............................................................................................................................... (Writing) Group (O) Fill in the blanks with words from the list: expensive pipelines found oil exported liquid Kuwait is famous for . . Oil is a black thick liquid . It is very .. It is . under the ground. It is put into .. It is . to other countries by tankers. It is used in cars, planes and factories. Group (D) Write sentences about the following pictures: Black expensive put pipelines export tankers Group (A) Write a shortparagraph of 6 sentences about oil with the help of the following guide words: important expensive under ground pipelines tankers petrol