Examples of ways to differentiate instruction
TeachersFirst's Thinking Teachers who write our resource reviews often have suggestions that have worked in their classrooms. Open the reviews to the "more" view to see ideas for using specific resources as tools to differentiate for a variety of learners. Alternatively, use the keyword search tool at the left of this page to search for a curriculum topic and the term "differentiate." For example, search fractions differentiate (with "all the words" selected for the search).
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Stampsy - Roman Mazurenko
Grades
5 to 12
tag(s): blogs (70), organizational skills (98), portfolios (20), social networking (86)
In the Classroom
Use Stampsy to create collections of images, videos, and more for any teaching unit. Share examples of different types of geography, collections of plants or animals, examples of literature - the possibilities are endless! As you gather lesson ideas and create your unit, use Symbaloo Learning Paths, reviewed here, to create differentiated lesson activities for your students. Have students create a Stampsy collection as an alternative to traditional types of presentations. Create a class account and have students add materials to a Stampsy to use with any unit. Share with students to use as an online portfolio for college applications.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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National Geographic Education - National Geographic
Grades
K to 12tag(s): animals (299), climate change (70), commoncore (86), earth day (76), ecology (120), energy (182), food chains (24), map skills (60), maps (248), migration (57), multimedia (48), oceans (157), STEM (206), weather (188)
In the Classroom
Be sure to bookmark (or favorite) this site for use throughout the year to find real-world resources for classroom use. Don't forget to look for materials on National Geographic for use with Earth Day and Arbor Day activities! Differentiate easily using the multiple levels of materials found within National Geographic. Some text portions are challenging, so you should pair weaker readers with a partner as they research on this site. Have students create a simple infographic sharing their findings using Venngage, reviewed here. Have students create a word cloud of the important terms they learn from this site using a tool such as Wordle, reviewed here, or WordItOut, reviewed here. If you use Apple products in your classroom, be sure to download the interactive iBooks for use in classroom centers or independent reading.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Change Gamer - Mike Farley
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): animals (299), earth (196), ecology (120), energy (182), environment (274), financial literacy (104), fish (23), game based learning (162), human body (110), map skills (60), migration (57), natural disasters (17), planets (127), plants (160), politics (104), problem solving (261), stars (68)
In the Classroom
Use these interactives to review concepts learned during a unit of study. Consider using the interactives at the start of a unit to teach concepts as the material is being learned. Be sure to download the student activity document. Use the pre-questions to identify misconceptions and activate prior knowledge. Directions in the document alert you to the basics of using the interactive. Provide the post-questions to the students as they play the interactive to be aware of what they will be learning. Replace paper and pen and use a blogging tool such as Telegra.ph, reviewed here. This blog creator requires no registration; be sure to have students save the URL to share with you. Students can answer the questions individually, as groups, or as a class to review the concepts learned during the interactive and connect it to class. As a class, discuss how the scenario presented in the interactive is or is not like actual environmental issues of today. Enhance learning and get the shyest of students involved in the discussion by using a backchannel chat such as YoTeach!, reviewed here. Change Gamer would also be an excellent activity for gifted students or for those who are ahead in their work in a differentiated classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mathematics Interactives and Lessons - SAS Curriculum Pathways
Grades
1 to 12tag(s): angles (74), charts and graphs (183), data (144), decimals (117), equations (145), factors (35), fractions (218), geometric shapes (159), mixed numbers (12), operations (106), order of operations (36), polynomials (25), probability (123), quadratics (28)
In the Classroom
Use interactives and lessons from this site to supplement classroom instruction. Demonstrate how to use this tool on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Allow students to explore the site independently on classroom computers. Be sure to include a link to activities on your classroom webpage. Use this site to differentiate for different student levels.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Linguistadores - Bob Rafferty
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): guided reading (38), independent reading (106), reading comprehension (123), vocabulary development (96)
In the Classroom
Use Linguistadores with ESL/ELL or special education students as an interesting way to deliver appropriate leveled informational texts. Have students create individual accounts and use as a computer lab or classroom center activity to build vocabulary and reading skills. Use this site to differentiate for students of all levels. Share this site with your teaching colleagues to help differentiate for learning support (or gifted or ESL/ELL) students. Select informational texts to use for close reading (a la Common Core) together as a class on a projector or interactive whiteboard.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Texas Performance Standards Project - Texas Performance Standards Project
Grades
K to 12tag(s): differentiation (52), gifted (70)
In the Classroom
Use this site to meet the needs of your gifted students. Use guides and materials to differentiate instruction in your classroom. Share with other teachers as a resource for collaboration with students across classrooms.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Corbettmaths - Mr. Corbett
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): addition (202), angles (74), charts and graphs (183), coordinates (21), decimals (117), division (144), equations (145), estimation (42), fractions (218), geometric shapes (159), inequalities (25), mean (22), measurement (157), median (18), mode (15), multiplication (182), probability (123), problem solving (261), pythagorean theorem (26), quadratics (28), sequences (12), square roots (18), subtraction (171), time (115), transformations (16), volume (44)
In the Classroom
Use printables and worksheets from Corbettmath for homework, review, and reinforcement of any math concept. View videos together and have students complete practice questions. Create a link to YouTube videos on your class website or blog for students to view at home. Use this site to differentiate for students of all levels. Share this site as a way to review before tests.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Worksheet Genius - worksheetgenius.com
Grades
K to 5This site includes advertising.
tag(s): addition (202), counting (94), decimals (117), division (144), fractions (218), handwriting (18), multiplication (182), negative numbers (16), number lines (36), numbers (170), phonics (47), place value (54), preK (271), rounding (14), sentences (32), spelling (113), subtraction (171), temperature (33)
In the Classroom
This worksheet tool offers many customization options, so it is easy to differentiate for ability levels within your class. Use worksheets from Worksheet Genius in learning centers. You can also make a touchable center by sharing them as a center on an interactive whiteboard. Share a link on your class website or newsletter for parents to use at home. Use Worksheet Generator for review before quizzes and tests.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Remember Pearl Harbor - New York Times: The Learning Network
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): japan (55), pearl harbor (10), roosevelt (11), world war 2 (137)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lesson plan for use in your World War II unit or Pearl Harbor lesson. Use this site to differentiate activities for students. Be sure to "mine" the links within the site for additional resources to add to your current lesson plans. Exchange paper and pen brainstorming by having students or groups collect ideas and findings about the Day That Will Live in Infamy using Padlet, reviewed here. The Padlet application creates free online bulletin boards. Extend student learning and have them create a simple infographic about Pearl Harbor using Venngage, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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English Worksheets Land - English Worksheet Land
Grades
K to 5tag(s): antonyms (16), capitalization (11), context clues (6), figurative language (14), grammar (157), grammar review (35), handwriting (18), homophones (11), inferencing (5), myths and legends (26), parts of speech (48), phonics (47), poetry (195), prefixes (10), punctuation (29), reading comprehension (123), root words (10), sentences (32), spelling (113), suffixes (10), synonyms (21), vocabulary (249)
In the Classroom
Why reinvent the wheel? Bookmark this site for use all year. Use these worksheets to help differentiate for students. Many of the topics are covered at different levels and with different activities. Use some of the worksheets as review of a topic you already taught or to prepare for a test. Set up stations with worksheets from different topics for different days of the week, i.e. Monday is always spelling day and Friday is always poetry day. Choose individualized options so students are working at the appropriate level. These worksheets would be great practice for ESL/ELL and learning support students. Hate worksheets? Have students access this site and create their own learning activities to challenge each other based on the content here, but adding their own creative touches. They could use a quiz creator or multimedia tool from the Edge. Create "free and easy" interactive polls/quizzes using Kahoot (reviewed here).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Beyond Traditional Math - Jen Smith
Grades
2 to 7This site includes advertising.
tag(s): problem solving (261)
In the Classroom
Subscribe to this blog through email or follow on Facebook and Twitter to receive notification of blog updates. Use blog posts during professional development or brainstorming sessions to find and develop classroom lessons. Try these ideas to differentiate for all students. Click on the Common Core tag to see a strategy to get students to start showing their work! Share student-made math projects using Ourboox, reviewed here. Ourboox creates beautiful page-flipping digital books in minutes, and you can embed video, music, animation, games, maps and more.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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GoClass - GoClass/Learning Mate
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): assessment (116), classroom management (144), DAT device agnostic tool (167), Learning Management Systems (24), Teacher Utilities (100), video (249)
In the Classroom
Set up your account and your classes. Students can be added to a number of "courses," making GoClass a great tool for differentiation! Differentiate the instruction for your gifted students using this tool. Set up mini "courses" for your students so they access the material they need at their level. Use GoClass with your students to introduce whole class instruction for a concept and then assign them the activity through their mini-course to differentiate the instruction. Make your meetings with teachers (grade levels, departments, and professional development) interactive using GoClass. You can create 12 lesson plans for free.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mathematics Library - Libre Texts - Delmar Larsen
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): equations (145), probability (123), problem solving (261), statistics (119), STEM (206), wikis (16)
In the Classroom
Provide a link to MathWiki on your class website or blog for student use at home. Share information from the wiki on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) to supplement current learning materials. Use the wiki to find questions and student problems for classroom use. Differentiate learning for gifted students using content provided on the wiki.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Read Theory - Read Theory (Tanner)
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): guided reading (38), reading comprehension (123)
In the Classroom
Take your students to the next level in their reading and reading skills! Sign up students yourself (assigning a password and username). Students can sign up for themselves if they have an email (and school policies permit). The first task is to provide the reading level. Use this site to differentiate reading levels for your students. Uhis tool in a blended learning classroom so students can have time to read at their own pace, or set up a learning center for use during your L.A. block. This will allow you one-on-one time to begin the program. In a learning support or remedial reading class, especially at upper levels where "reading" is no longer a regular subject, this tool will allow students some autonomy in improving their skills. It will also let them see progress. Discuss with individual students the questions they answered, where the answer was in the reading, etc. Be certain to save this site in your class favorites and list it on your class website for students to access both in and out of the classroom. If students cannot have their own email accounts, consider using a "class set" of Gmail subaccounts, explained here; this tells how to set up Gmail subaccounts to use for any online membership service. Using Gmail subaccounts will provide anonymous interaction within your class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Math Fact Cafe - Math Fact Cafe
Grades
K to 6This site includes advertising.
tag(s): addition (202), counting (94), division (144), money (158), multiplication (182), preK (271), problem solving (261), subtraction (171), time (115), worksheets (64)
In the Classroom
This site offers many customization options, so it is easy to differentiate for ability levels within your class. Use worksheets from Math Fact Cafe in learning centers. Share a link to the site on your class website or newsletter for parents to use at home. Use Math Fact Cafe for review before quizzes and tests.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Maths Is Good For You! - Dr. Snezana Lawrence
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): egypt (52), numbers (170), pythagorean theorem (26), roman numerals (8), worksheets (64)
In the Classroom
Use Maths Is Good For You as a starting point for information on famous mathematicians and theories. Have students upload a photo they have taken and add voice bubbles to explain what they learned using a tool such as Phrase.it, reviewed here. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a famous mathematician. Print and use worksheets for homework, math centers, or to differentiate instruction. Have students create interactive timelines using Sutori, reviewed here, with images, text, and collaboration and using timeline information found on this site.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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GoSoapBox - Go Education, LLC
Grades
5 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): chat (40), classroom management (144), polls and surveys (46)
In the Classroom
GoSoapBox provides an opportunity for instructors to think outside the box for greater student engagement and participation. Is your classroom BYOD? Use GoSoapBox for free! Use the polling feature to access prior knowledge, or use it as an exit slip. Assign multiple choice quizzes as formative assessments throughout the class to differentiate instruction. Post questions and topics to foster higher-level thinking using the discussion tool. The Social Q&A tool allows students the opportunity to communicate and collaborate for understanding. Use the Social Q&A as a back channel during lectures or videos to make sure you address all student questions. Students can vote on the questions posted in the Social Q&A. Use this feature to address the most pressing needs of the class. GoSoapBox is a useful site to organize and collect meaningful data to make sure you are meeting all the needs of your learners. Try it during Back to School night as your school begins BYOD so parents can see the power of engaging EVERY learner.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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TeachingEnglish - BBC
Grades
K to 12tag(s): vocabulary (249), vocabulary development (96), word study (57)
In the Classroom
You may want to complete some of the selections with a projector or your interactive whiteboard for the whole class. You could also differentiate by having small groups of students working on various activities at their individual independent levels. Make a shortcut to the activity on your classroom computer. Share a link to this resource on your class website or blog.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Printliminator - Chris Coyier and Devon Govett
Grades
K to 12tag(s): classroom management (144)
In the Classroom
Install the Printliminator on your browser tool bar. Show students how to use Prinliminator on your interactive whiteboard or projector for use when they are researching or preparing a study guide for a test. Use when viewing web pages on your interactive whiteboard to eliminate unnecessary information. Delete unnecessary information from webpages. Send to print and save as PDF for use with student handouts or links from your class web page. Of course, you will want to include your SOURCE on the handouts as a model of good digital citizenship. This is also a great tool to differentiate for any student. Use this tool to share handouts or PDFs with students who are easily distracted to help them stay focused on what matters.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Diagnostic Questions - Craig Barton and Simon Woodhead
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): angles (74), area (63), assessment (116), charts and graphs (183), data (144), decimals (117), equations (145), exponents (42), fractions (218), functions (64), geometric shapes (159), median (18), order of operations (36), statistics (119), time (115), vectors (21)
In the Classroom
Use this site as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Use to find a question of the day to begin lessons. Share or embed questions on your class website. Have students prepare a question of the day to include with your quizzes. See the "About" page to find questions for class discussions. Though they suggest using mini whiteboards or a large card, think about using computers or tablets and a student response system, such as Socrative, reviewed here. Using a student response system, you will be able to keep a record of the responses without having stacks of paper. It will help you to differentiate and know whom to focus on with some immediate extra help.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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