Writing a Differentiated Lesson Plan A “Walkthrough”

Writing a Differentiated Lesson PlanA “Walkthrough” Holly C. Gould, Ph.D. Kay Brimijoin, Ph.D. Sweet Briar College

Overarching Concept A mental construct that frames a set of examples sharing common attributes. Concepts are timeless, universal, abstract, and broad. Concepts may be very broad, such as “change,” “system,” or “interdependence,” or they may be more topic specific, such as “organisms,” “solution,” “habitat,” or “government.” Source: Sara Lampe

Planning What Students will • Know • Understand • Be Able to Do

Know These are the facts, vocabulary, dates, places, names, and examples you want students to memorize. The know is massively forgettable. “Teaching facts in isolation is like trying to pump water uphill.” -Carol Tomlinson Facts (The Civil War began in 1861; Emily Dickinson was a recluse) Vocabulary (entropy, equilateral triangle, hyperbole)

KNOW (Facts, Vocabulary, Definitions) • There are 50 states in the US • Thomas Jefferson • 1492 • The Continental Divide • The multiplication tables

KNOW (Facts, Vocabulary, Definitions) • What is the Pythagorean Theorem? • Who was Ptolemy? • What is onomatopoeia? • Who were the leaders of the Women’s Suffrage Movement?

MISCONCEPTION ALERT!! • Knows are NOT just the standard. For example, the following SOL contains more than just the “KNOW” SOL 3.4 The student will recognize and use the inverse relationships between addition/subtraction and multiplication/division to complete basic fact sentences. Students will use these relationships to solve problems such as 5 + 3 = 8 and 8 – 3 = ____. In this example above, the KNOWS would be: VOCABULARY-- fact sentence, addend, sum, equation… FACTS– math facts to 25, format of number sentences vertically and horizontally…

Understand Major Concepts and Subconcepts These are the written statements of truth, the core to the meaning(s) of the lesson(s) or unit. These are what connect the parts of a subject to the student’s life and to other subjects. It is through the understanding component of instruction that we teach our students to truly grasp the “point” of the lesson or the experience. Understandings are purposeful. They focus on the key ideas that require students to understand information and make connections while evaluating the relationships that exist within the understandings.

UNDERSTAND (Essential Truths That Give Meaning to the Topic) Begin with “I want students to understand THAT…” • Prediction of events may require a synthesis of numerical and graphic data • People migrate to meet basic needs • Cultures contain the same elements expressed differently • Communication and mutual understanding can be enhanced when people recognize cultural similarities and differences • Voice reflects the author

MISCONCEPTION ALERT!!! • If a teacher finds it difficult to distinguish between the “KNOW” and the “UNDERSTAND” it is likely because the lesson is pitched too low and as written, it lacks an essential truth; is focused only on facts and skills. KNOW: Columbus came to the New World in 1492 UNDERSTAND: When faced with conflict, individuals and groups either adapt or migrate to seek better conditions.

Able to Do Skills • Basic skills of any discipline • Thinking skills • Skills of planning, independent learning, etc. • The skill portion encourages the students to “think” like the professionals who use the knowledge and skill daily as a matter of how they do business. This is what it means to “be like” a doctor, a scientist, a writer or an artist.

BE ABLE TO DO • Write a unified paragraph • Compare and contrast • Draw conclusions • Examine varied perspectives • Work collaboratively • Develop a timeline • Use maps as data

MISCONCEPTION ALERT!!! • The “do” is the learning outcome of a lesson or lesson sequence. This outcome may be demonstration of mastering an objective, evidence of a thinking skill, social skill, or basic skill of a discipline. (YES, “The students will compare two novels to determine common themes.”) • The “do” is NOT what will happen in the lesson or what the teacher will do. (NOT, “The students will complete a RAFT assignment in cooperative groups”; NOT, “The teacher will read Frog and Toadare Friends to the class and will ask students to complete one of three task cards based on their interests.”)

MISCONCEPTION ALERT!!! • The KUDs should be written in such a way that if even if individual students or groups are all doing different things, all students will be addressing the same identified learning goals. NOT: Read Island of the Blue Dolphins and select one of the following tasks to complete: • Write a new ending for the story • Create a diorama of your favorite part of the story • Write a timeline of events in the story • Dress as your favorite character and read from the chapter in that character’s voice • Complete a webquest on dolphins

Essential Questions • Use the understanding statements to write the essential questions. • Usually how or why questions • Example • How does voice reflect the author? • Why do all cultures contain the same elements?

K,U,or D? Look at the list of KUDs in the next two slides. Identify which are Knows, which are Understands, and which are Dos.

Knowledge? Understanding? Skill? • Four quarter notes equal one whole note. • Recite a prayer in Hebrew. • Graphics can enhance or detract from a presentation. • Monet was an impressionist. • Five pennies equal one nickel. • Sort objects into 2 piles. • Jump rope for 3 minutes. • Maintaining physical health may be influenced by factors such as diet and exercise.

Knowledge? Understanding? Skill? • Count to one hundred in units of ten. • Analyze the causes of the American Revolution. • Describe the rising action in a dramatic story. • Writers use a variety of literary elements to inform, persuade, describe, and entertain readers. • Write descriptive text that describes people, places, and events. • Scientists record the results of their experiments in a careful and detailed manner. • You can find the decimal for 3/8 by using equivalent fractions.

English/LA: Point-of-View KUDs Know The definition of point-of-view Understand Truth can look different from different perspectives. Be Able to Do Show, in writing, how a shift in perspective can result in a shift in interpretation of events.

Example: Historical Perspective KUDs Know: that different sources provide us with different interpretations of events. Understand: An historian’s perspective influences history. Do: Consider historical event from multiple perspectives.

Example: MathScale KUDs Know Scale is the ratio of a representation to the actual size of the original. Many professionals use scale in their every day lives. Scale helps us solve and anticipate problems every day. Understand Calculate ratios Interpret scale drawings Draw an object to scale Be Able to Do

Pre-Assessment • What the student already knows about what is being planned • What standards, objectives, concepts & skills the individual student understands • What further instruction and opportunities for mastery are needed • What requires reteaching or enhancement • What areas of interests and feelings are in the different areas of the study • Ascertaining different learning preferences • How to set up flexible groups: whole, individual, partner, or small group

Introduction & Body • Should have a “hook” • Contains the sense-making activity Closure • Great way to see if students “got it” is to ask the essential question(s)

If Differentiated… • What part of the lesson was differentiated? • Content • Process • Product

If Differentiated… • How was it differentiated? • Readiness • Interest • Learning Preference

If Differentiated… • Why? • What identified need prompted you to differentiate this way? • Should reflect preassessment

Assessment/Culminating Performance • Describe the assessment/culmination • Describe how you measured the… • Content – How did you measure that the students got the “know” section of the lesson plan? • Understandings – How did you measure that the students got the “big ideas?” These are reflected in the “understand” section of the lesson plan. • Skills – How did you measure the students performance of the skills listed in the “be able to do” section of the lesson plan? (You may have addressed some of the KUD in the body or closure of the lesson as well.)

Writing a Differentiated Lesson Plan A “Walkthrough”