An example to add substance.

It is one thing to talk about differentiation of instruction, but I have always found that a hands on example if very helpful.  Below you will find a social studies test that my students took a few weeks ago.  I met with the regular education teacher that I co-teach with, and together we created two versions of the test. You will notice that the content for each test is identical.  This is important to ensure that every student is learning the same material.  The only difference is how the information is presented to them.


First lets look at the unmodified test.

Europe Test      Name ____________________________

Part 1: Map Identification.  Physical (1 points each)

1. ______________________________ 9. ______________________________

2. ______________________________ 10. _____________________________

3. ______________________________ 11. _____________________________

4. ______________________________ 12. _____________________________

5. ______________________________ 13. _____________________________

6. ______________________________ 14. _____________________________

7. ______________________________ 15. _____________________________

8. ______________________________

Part 2: Fill in the Blank  (2 points each)

1.     Two reasons that Europe is one of the global economic powers include __________ ____________ and _________________.

  

2.     _________________ are the type of landform that best describes the continent of Europe.

3.     The ______________ ______________ affected Europe by transforming it from an agricultural society to an industrial society.

4.     The _____________ ______________ has built economic unity among the countries of Europe.

5.     The _____________ River in Eastern Europe and the _____________ River in Western Europe are the two major rivers in the continent.

6.     The snow-capped ______________ are Europe’s highest mountains, towering over the central and southern parts of the continent.

7.     All Western cultures have their roots in the ancient periods of Classical _______________ and _______________. 

8.     Competition among European nations in the past led to two __________ _____________ and a bitter division into communist and democratic areas.

9.     Today countries such as France,_____________ Germany, _____________, and the United Kingdom rank among the world’s top manufacturing centers.

10.     Most Europeans practice the ____________________ religion.

Part 3: Country-Capital Matching. Write the letter of the capital that matches in the space to the left of the country. (1 point each) 

_____ 1.  Ireland    A. Athens

_____ 2.  Russia    B. Reykjavik

_____ 3.  Denmark    C. Berlin

_____ 4.  Greece    D. Copenhagen

_____ 5.  Hungary    E. Vienna

_____ 6.  Italy     F. Budapest

_____ 7.  United Kingdom   G. Dublin

_____ 8.  France    H. Kiev

_____ 9.  Germany    I. London

_____ 10. Spain    J. Madrid

_____ 11. Belarus    K. Moscow

_____ 12.  Austria    L. Paris

_____ 13.  Iceland    M. Minsk

_____ 14.  Poland    N. Rome

_____ 15.  Ukraine    O. Warsaw

Part 4:  Map Identification.  Political (1 point each)

1.  ______________________________ 9. _______________________________

2.  ______________________________ 10. _______________________________

3.  ______________________________ 11. _______________________________

4.  ______________________________ 12. _______________________________

5.  ______________________________ 13. _______________________________

6.  ______________________________ 14. _______________________________

7.  ______________________________ 15. _______________________________

8.  ______________________________ 

Part 5: Identification.  We will choose four of the following terms. Your job is to explain the significance of those terms in complete sentences.  Be sure to provide at least one example related to Europe.  (5 points each)

European Union  Industrial Revolution   Cold War

Imperialism   Communism    Ethnic Cleansing

Princip Gavrilo

Term # 1 - ______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Term # 2 - ______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Term # 3 - ______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Term # 4 - ______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

 Now here is the modified test.  You will notice that the content is identical.

Europe Test      Name ____________________________

Part 1: Map Identification.  Physical (1 points each)

Strait of Gibraltar Black Sea  Pyrenees Mtns  North Sea

Thames River         Alps   Caucasus Mountains Italian Peninsula

Seine River  Ural Mountains         Balkan Peninsula       Scandinavian Peninsula

Northern European Plains                 Iberian Penninsula        Mediterranean Sea      

1. ______________________________ 9. ______________________________

2. ______________________________ 10. _____________________________

3. ______________________________ 11. _____________________________

4. ______________________________ 12. _____________________________

5. ______________________________ 13. _____________________________

6. ______________________________ 14. _____________________________

7. ______________________________ 15. _____________________________

8. ______________________________

Part 2: Fill in the Blank  (2 points each)

Alps   Christian  Danube River  European Union

Greeks   Industrial Revolution Italy   Deep Harbors

Natural Resources Peninsula  Poland   Rhine River

Romans   French Revolution Russia   World Wars

1.     Two reasons that Europe is one of the global economic powers include __________ ____________ and _________________.

  

2.     _________________ are the type of landform that best describes the continent of Europe.

3.     The ______________ ______________ affected Europe by transforming it from an agricultural society to an industrial society.

4.     The _____________ ______________ has built eeconomic unity among the countries of Europe.

5.     The _____________ River in Eastern Europe and the _____________ River in Western Europe are the two major rivers in the continent.

6.     The snow-capped ______________ are Europe’s highest mountains, towering over the central and southern parts of the continent.

7.     All Western cultures have their roots in the ancient periods of Classical _______________ and _______________. 

8.     Competition among European nations in the past led to two __________ _____________ and a bitter division into communist and democratic areas.

9.     Today countries such as France,_____________ Germany, _____________, and the United Kingdom rank among the world’s top manufacturing centers.

10.     Most Europeans practice the ____________________ religion.

Part 3: Country-Capital Matching. Write the letter of the capital that matches in the space to the left of the country. (1 point each) 

_____ 1.  Ireland    A. Athens

_____ 2.  Russia    B. Reykjavik

_____ 3.  Greece    C. Warsaw

_____ 4.  Italy     D. Berlin

_____ 5.  United Kingdom   E. Dublin

_____ 6.  France    F. Moscow

_____ 7.  Germany    G. London

_____ 8. Spain    H. Madrid

_____ 9.  Iceland    I. Paris

_____ 10.  Poland    J. Rome

_____ 11.  Austria    AA. Kiev

_____ 12.  Ukraine    BB. Minsk

_____ 13.  Hungary    CC. Vienna

_____ 14. Belarus    DD. Copenhagen

_____ 15.  Denmark    EE. Budapest

Part 4:  Map Identification.  Political (1 point each)

Austria  Germany Italy   Poland  United Kingdom

Denmark Greece  Netherlands  Russia  Ukraine

France  Iceland  Norway   Sweden  Portugal

1.  ______________________________ 9. _______________________________

2.  ______________________________ 10. _______________________________

3.  ______________________________ 11. _______________________________

4.  ______________________________ 12. _______________________________

5.  ______________________________ 13. _______________________________

6.  ______________________________ 14. _______________________________

7.  ______________________________ 15. _______________________________

8.  ______________________________ 

Part 5: Identification.  We will choose four of the following terms. Your job is to explain the significance of those terms in complete sentences.  Be sure to provide at least one example related to Europe.  (5 points each)

European Union  Industrial Revolution   Cold War

Imperialism   Communism    Ethnic Cleansing

Princip Gavrilo

Term # 1 - ______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Term # 2 - ______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Term # 3 - ______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Term # 4 - ______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Differentiation for Projects:

We see plenty of teachers that differentiate their lessons, but when it comes time to do a project they always do the same thing.  If differentiation of instruction is successful for lesson plans, it seems to reason that it would also be successful for projects.  This could not be more true.  For many students, especially those that with learning disabilities, creative projects are their chance to shine.  Many students who may struggle academically can have a variety of other strengths.  The problem is they are often not given a chance to showcase their talents.  This often leads to students having low confidence and slowly starting to participate less and less in class.  We can break this cycle, empower all students, and have some fun with our projects all at the same time.
The following websites can give teachers a new perspective on projects, and get rid of stale powerpoints and boring posters for ever.

1. Glogster - Glogster is an interactive poster.  It allows students to easily create a digital poster with media links, videos, web links and animations/graphics.  The website is linked here.  Below are a few examples of Glogster in action
   
   
2. Photostory - Powerpoints may be a good way to get information across, but they have a few problems I have observed over the years.  My two main problems are: powerpoint is very difficult to automate so students end up spending too much time clicking through slides when they should be explaining content, and students who are shy finish their presentations in 1 minute and are unable to elaborate on their great ideas.  Photostory solves both of these problems.  Students can easily create a free moving media story and record their voices into the story ahead of time.  Even the shyest student can record their photostory ahead of time then present their ideas without fear to the entire class.  Don't take my word for hear, click the video below to see an example.  

Show Your Students Different Ways To Study:

Once you have have created differentiated instruction, and begin to show your students new ways of learning, it time for them to begin to create their own study habits based on their strengths.  To do this I suggest showing students how to use a variety of study websites.  These websites give students multiple ways to study and prepare.  Not only will your lessons be differentiated, but you can also teach students to differentiate on their own. It is a win win!

The following are great websites to help students become active learners and controllers of their academic future.  

Quizlet
Study Blue
Study Stack
Flash Card Machine

On a personal note, I am a huge advocate of Quizlet.  I create quizlets for my students all of the time, as well as help them to create their own.  They are quick to make, easy to master and use a variety of formats.  Students can easily create study tools for vocabulary, short answer quizzes and even use pictures to help visual learners.
It is one thing to type about Quizlet, but I am attaching a link to my wikispace below.  Here you can see the embedded quizlets, and how useful they can be to reaching all students.  
Mr. Sussman's wikispace - social studies review

MI Websites

Part of being a teacher is knowing that you do not know everything.  I have had a great deal of luck using mutliple intelligences to help reach all students.  I also realize that I have been differentiating instruction every day I teach for the past decade.  If you feel like you could benefit from more information I am going to list a variety of websites/videos that I have found helpful.

http://www.lauracandler.com/strategies/multipleintelligences.php

Howard Garner on MI

http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/index.php?title=Multiple_Intelligences_and_Learning_Styles

http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr207.shtml

How Does Each Student Learn?
This question is at the heart of differentiation.  To figure this out it is best to examine the multiple intelligence theory.  According to this theory, there are varying type of intelligences or way that we all learn.  By understanding these intelligences we can plan change instructional practices to match the intelligence of our students.  

Below are the list of intelligences:

List of the Multiple Intelligences

Getting Started

An often overlooked aspect of teaching is building a rapport with students.  This not as easy as it seems.  Students must enjoy working with their teachers to get the most out of a lesson.  Students should not be friends with teachers, but a mutual respect is essential for students to learn as effectively as possible.  Building a rapport starts with getting to know your students.  Pay close attention to not only how they learn, but what their interests are.  If teachers incorporate student interests into their lesson they will become more eager to learn.  Intrinsic motivation is a key component for comprehension.  Once students want to learn, you can begin to create instruction that will not only get them interested in learning but also target their specific areas of need.  

Below is a video of some potential ice breaker to start building a rapport with students

Defining Differentiation

What is differentiation of instruction?

Everyone has heard this term before, but what does it mean?
Differentiate Instruction is defined as, "an instructional theory that allows teachers to face this challenge by taking diverse student factors into account when planning and delivering instruction." (Glencoe)

What this means for teachers is we must find unique ways to meet the needs of all students based on their strengths to help them with their areas of weakness.  This can be a daunting task, but this blog will provide tips, websites and tools to help reach this goal.  

For more on the definintion and explanation of differentiate instruction click the link below:
http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/subject/di_meeting.phtml