Budgeting for Independence

A differentiated math activity my students completed this year was our Budget Project where students simulated living on their own and making real money decisions.

Students first came up with a brainstormed list of expenses they would have to pay if they lived on their own. Then they were given a fixed monthly income and asked to adjust their expenses accordingly. After this warm-up lesson, we begin the realthing.

Each group randomly selects an education level (ranging 8^th grade graduate up to PhD) which has an income level associated with it (based on national average monthly income data). Each group then gets a list of possible options for their housing, transportation, communication, food, and other expenses. They have to accomplish several goals:

• Create a budget that includes all necessary living expenses without going over their monthly income,
• Include any extra expenses they can afford,
• Calculate taxes, electricity and gas, insurance, and other bills (given as percentages; for example electricity is 10% of their housing costs, gas is 15% of their car costs, etc.)
• Create a graph displays their major cost categories (housing, food, entertainment, etc.)
• Develop a written analysis to explain their decisions.
• Create a poster to display all aspects of their project.
• Deliver a presentation of their budget and field questions from the audience.
• Revise their decisions based on teacher and peer comments.
• Complete a self and peer analysis on their group contributions.

Students enjoyed this activity because it related to the real world and gave them the opportunity to step into an adults’ shoes and make decisions. They also quickly learned how to prioritize, how to apply percentage lessons from earlier in the year, and how to associate education with income level.

There is a great deal of differentiation in this just by looking at the goals, each of which play to a different strength. Everyone can have an opinion on decision making. There are options for strong mathematicians, artists, graph-creators, presenters, and writers, so that everyone can play to their own strength. There are also varying levels of difficulty based on how much income each group received!

The end result of this project was very impressive, far beyond what I expected. Their creativity and ability to apply math skills they learned throughout the year were great!

Multiple Intelligences for Mathematics

To measure perimeter and area of the classroom, four or five students could be working together in each group. The groups could report their findings using multiple intelligence strengths of each student in the group.

For example, a bodily-kinesthetic learner could conduct the actual measurements throughout the room. A logical-mathematical learner could then record the data and provide the formulas for area / perimeter. A spatial and/or linguistic learner could create a PowerPoint slide incorporating the information gathered, including graphs and diagrams. Finally, an interpersonal learner could use the PowerPoint slide and present the groups' findings to the class.

This allows each student to use their own strengths to contribute to the group project. It also helps each student become more involved in the lesson, rather than just one or two students answering all the questions.

Creative Writing

I love writing, and my students this year have really enjoyed being able to express themselves through different forms of writing. My students have been allowed to present information to me in various forms. It shows me that they understand the concepts and can create a product for me that teaches me about what they have learned. My students are allowed to write an essay, create a comic strip, draw pictures that explain their ideas, and present it verbally through a speech or role play. This gives them the opportunity to focus on what they are learning not how they will show me. This strategy reaches their multiple intelligences that they are most confident in displaying.

Sun / moon Assessment Project Options

My most effective differentiation to-date has been providing options from which students can choose to best demonstrate their mastery of the topic. This is a list of options from which students could select a means of demonstrating their understanding of the earth/sun/moon relationships in an 8th-grade science class.

Differentiated Vocabulary Projects

One of the biggest difficulties that my school faces is our students' limited vocabulary knowledge. Across grade levels we see that our students continue to struggle in vocabulary portions of standardized tests and their lack of vocabulary knowledge also effects their reading comprehension. In an effort to help build my students' vocabulary and to provide them with the 15 interactions that research says are necessary for students to internalize word meaning I worked with my LLT to develop a differentiated group of vocabulary activities.

How it works:
Each week my class creates a list of 8 to 12 vocabulary words that pertain to our current week's instruction. These words can be teacher created, pulled directly from curriculum, student created or a combination of the three. The students have a list of 20 vocabulary activities that range from alphabetizing the words to creating a crossword puzzle, to drawing a picture to define a word or creating flash cards. The students' then choose 15 of th 20 projects to complete before our vocabulary test on Friday.

The benefits:
I like this set of projects for many reasons but mainly because it differentiates for all different intelligences and it allows all of my students, regardless of their academic performance level to find projects that they complete and feel successful doing. It has helped raise vocabulary knowledge and it has also become a part of the routine that my students enjoy. Plus, its a great independent center project which frees up some time for me to meet individually with students. you can also use some of the activities to help build basic language skills with struggling readers such as syllabication and identifying nouns, verbs, etc.

I don't currently have a scanned copy of the project sheet but I will add it along with exemplars of student work so that you don't have to come up with your own 20 projects!

**I use this with my fourth grade class but it could easily be extended up through middle school or down to the third grade level.

Pre-Assessment Activity

I have used this activity on a few occassions when I would like students to review the unit concepts that we have recently covered. First, I provide a list of the topics for review. Then, I ask that each each student select at least three (3) topics from the list. Once they have chosen their topics they can either: A) write an explanation describing the topics, or B) pair up with another student and explain the topics to them.

For example, if a student selected "main idea and supporting details" as their topic, then they would have to explain what the main idea is, and how supporting details are used. The student could either write this and hand it in to the teacher, or explain it to another student. This simple activity gives students a differentiated option of their choice based on interest as well as learning style.

Personification

I am teaching personification/figurative language and poetry to my sixth graders. Personification is giving human traits (qualities, feelings, action, or characteristics) to non-living objects (things, colors, qualities, or ideas). I have a whole group discussion about non-living objects. We then list them on chart paper. We define verbs and human characteristics. Next, I give them an example of what of personification. For example: The window winked at me. The verb, wink, is a human action. A window is a non-living object. The whole class is asked write a personification of the first five words on the chart paper. I check for understanding. If my students are still struggling, I then give a few more examples. I then put my students in pairs. This allows the struggling readers to work with stronger readers. I give them a worksheet and chart paper. The stronger reader reads and writes the sentence while the struggling reader draws a picture of the human reaction. Here is a copy of the worksheet.

1. The wind sang her mournful song through the falling leaves.
2. The microwave timer told me it was time to turn my TV dinner.
3. The video camera observed the whole scene.
4. The strawberries seemed to sing, "Eat me first!"
5. The rain kissed my cheeks as it fell.
6. The daffodils nodded their yellow heads at the walkers.
7. The water beckoned invitingly to the hot swimmers.
8. The snow whispered as it fell to the ground during the early morning hours.
9. The china danced on the shelves during the earthquake.
10. The car engine coughed and sputtered when it started during the blizzard.

Citizenship DI activity

 Students will brainstorm together as a class and come up with various problems they experience within the community. These problems will be listed on a chart for the whole class to use. The students will be asked to choose one problem from the chart and illustrate it. They may choose to illutrate the problem through drawings or in the form of a poem or song. With their words or pictures they will also describe or show how the problem can be addressed. 

This activity will directly appeal to students that are musically and rhythmically intelligent. It will also give students with visual intelligence an opportunity to describe their ideas and thoughts with images.

Planning with MI in Mind

The tool/idea I'd like to share serves as an aid in planning with MI in mind. As I choose a topic or idea I would like to teach my students, I place that topic in the middle of a blank piece of paper and draw eight line (one for each of the intelligences). I then challenge myself to assign activities for each of the intelligences that would offer learning skills for that particular topic. An example might include the topic of measurements. The skills might include:

1) Using story-telling skills recite a story or poem dealing with measurement/conversions.

2) Making/drawing a poster demonstrating their understanding of measurements

3) Bringing examples from nature where measurements are involved

4) Create diagram /chart explaining measurement conversion

5) Preform a rap or jingle designed to help other student remember the basis rules of conversions

6) Perform a skit showing the importance of measurements and their uses

7) Write a story where measurements are involved

8) Conduct a round-table discussion of measurements/conversions or the metric systems in today's society

Learner Outcome: student have choices and can therefore choose tasks that are in-line with their preferred intelligence. Indirectly, their understanding and achievement both improve.

Differentiated Literacy Centers

The most effective method that I have found for differentiating is during centers. I teach first grade and our ultimate goal is to be "expert" readers. Clearly this is a big and slightly ambiguous goal, however, all morning we complete activities that help us get there. The way that I differentiate is by breaking my kids up into groups based on where they are. One group will be working on identifying sight words in newspapers. They will have a color code and will have to circle a particular word with a particular color every time they see it. Another group will be working with sentences. They are more advanced so they are working with magnet words and creating sentences on magnetic boards. Then they are writing their sentences and reading them to one another. They are making sure they are punctuated correctly and make sense. Next, another group will be sorting pictures that start with different digraphs, letters, or sounds--depending on what we are studying. Some students will have to simply sort and paste, others will have to sort, paste, and invent spell the words of the pictures. Another group will be segmenting and blending the sounds in their classmates names and using counting cubes to count the sounds in the names. Yet another group will be buddy reading, listening to a book on tape and reading along, or doing a reader's theater play with other group members.

Hello, my name is "they"

One of the most important words in the English language for each individual is their own name. For some, their name carries a special significance, identity, sentimental importance, and deep links to their family and heritage. For others, it is considered a personal affront to mispronounce their name.

It is because of this deep personal connection that humans have to their name, that I came up with this idea. Every day, I ask my students if they would like to volunteer and change their name to one of the week's sight words. During the entire day, the volunteer assumes the sight word as his or her name and wears a sign around the neck with the sight word on it. Fellow classmates will refer to the student by the sight word (not the student's name). During read-aloud, the volunteer may wave his fist in the air and holler "whoo... whoo... whoo" if the sight word is used in the story.

Students who volunteer to adopt their sight word name become much more aware of the use of the particular word in speech and literature and make it their personal mission to advocate for the word -- teaching other students to know it, read it, and learn how to spell it.

Carousel Walk

I'm not sure where I first learned this strategy, but it works wonders. I have used it for multiple classes and multiple topics. It starts with 5-6 sheets of chart paper. On the top of each page list a topic or question that students will need to respond to. I have my students start with writing an answer on a post-it note that they will take to the group chart paper. Students have time to share ideas while at the station and then they add information as a group to the chart paper. As students respond they are allowed to rotate until they have reached all of the stations.

I think this strategy works well for my students to see other ideas as well as gives them time to share their ideas before having to write anything formally. This works great as a review for a test.

Self Reflections

I have students fill out self reflections every few days - maybe once or twice a week - to have them think about how they are doing in class and see their own progress. These self reflections also remind students of my expectations for their class work, conduct, etc. They can be modified to include whatever you want students to focus on. I basically make a table in Microsoft Word with headings for five days so they can be re-used, and each row is for a different topic like "I did all of my assignments in class" or "I followed classroom rules." Then, in each box, students give themselves a 1, 2, or 3. It's quick and easy. I let students write any questions or comments on the back, and that lets me get feedback from the students and to hold some private conversations that I wouldn't normally get in a science class (about any topic they want).

Download the sample here: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/DownloadDoc.aspx?doc_id=528901

Teaching Strategies for ESL studnets DI

Use high interest authentic literature in the native language
Display a bilingual word wall for every subject area with graphics or illustrations
Provide opportunities to ESL students to use the computer as a tool to do research in their native language
Use the computer to encourage and maintain writing skills
Model for students and use step by step instruction in English
Listening centers with books on tape
Read illustrated stories - This is a very useful teaching tool, especially helpful to differentiate instruction when working with ELL students or students who a slow readers.
Use high interest literature that reflects on students’ culture
Use charts, graphing organizers, illustrations and pictures
Use manipulatives and real objects
Assign a “bilingual buddy” during cooperative learning activities
Use role playing and reader’s theater to help with fluency
Use the computer as a tool of writing
Use cognates (words that are spelled and pronounced similar to both languages and have the same meaning)

Product Choices Chart

This 'Product Choices Chart' gives students many options for showing their understanding of material. Students can choose their product based on their personal learning style.

Research Folders from Ruby Payne

Last year, I went to two days of professional development, entitled "A Framework for Understanding Poverty", based on the research and writings of Ruby Payne (I think all of us went). One of the most effective organizers I have used came from her book, Understanding Learning: the How, the Why, the What. It is a way to help students concretely organize the parts of a project, research, etc., which make up a whole. The folders provide a way of making the research process concrete, by taking a file folder (the whole) with 6 envelopes (the parts) taped inside. Each envelope represents one part of the paper, project, etc. Each envelope is labeled with the topic and questions that must be answered. Each envelope contains index cards for reporting the information for that envelope. Once the students have answered the question, they can check it off. To further scaffold this for my students, as a class, we determine what information is needed for the project and I create the labels for the envelopes. Ideally, each student would determine the information needed for each envelope.

I have used these folders several times with social studies projects and have had fabulous results.

Perimeter and Area

My class was studying area and perimeter. The assignment was to create a map of your neighborhood. Include the blocks and parks in it. Create different problems using your map. i.e. Walk three blocks and turn right. Walk two blocks and turn right. Walk three blocks and turn right. Walk three blocks. What is my perimeter of what I just walk. For students extremely below they will be using a map given to them.

Differentiating for ELL students

Over half of my class receives services for English Language assistance. As a result, I do a lot of work to provide differentiation for them, focusing on vocabulary. One of the ways that I pre-teach vocabulary in my class is to do a carousel activity. The way that this works is to write a different vocabulary word on the top of pieces of poster paper. Place the poster papers around the room. Divide the class into small groups (Enough so that each group has one vocabulary word) and have each group stand or sit next to one of the posters. Tell the students that they are to come up with as many synonyms to this words as they can. They are allowed to guess, to think of words that sound or are written similarly, or think of cognates that they might recognize from their native language. Their only rule is that they are not allowed to say that they don't know. Give the group about forty-five to sixty seconds to write down their words. After that, have the groups rotate clockwise around the room. The activity is completed when every group has visited every word.

When the groups are back to their original word, collect the poster papers, and review the correct definitions of the words. What is so impressive is that students will eventually find the definitions of the words, since they build off of the ideas of the groups that go before them. It is such a valuable activity because it teaches students that words can be decoded, and it makes them problem solve when they come across an unfamiliar word.

This activity is a great way to differentiate for English Language Learners. It also works well for kinesthetic learners, who enjoy being able to move around the room.

Differentiate by interest

One unit I am teaching is tolerance. There are several readings and videos I want my students to see, but so little time. I give the students a short overview of each of the readings on a file folder. Each student is given two post-its on which to write their name. The file folders are passed around and they put their post-it on their top two choices. This encourages students to choose a topic of interest. I find this helps with ownership of the concepts as well as enthusiasm for their issue, because students had choice in their work.

Differentiation Strategies

For my students to show comprehension in understanding a main character's role in our story each week, I have them make a business card for the character. I always make one that I use to model and provide an example for, and we talk for a few minutes to generate ideas. For example, we read a story "Mr. Bones" who was a fossil digger and found dinosaur bones for museums. We named his company "T-Rex Finder", developed an email, phone number (1-800-Bone-Fndr), address, etc. What really showed comprehension was a slogan that they developed for their character. All of this can be modified and maybe for more advanced students they create more, but for lower students, just a few. They can also work alone or in groups. Lots of possibilities and they love it!