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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Data Analysis and Probability Resources - Grades 3-5 - TeachersFirst
Grades
3 to 5
tag(s): charts and graphs (167), data (151), probability (99)
In the Classroom
Share the resources with students for additional practice, remediation, enrichment, or advancement. Display resources on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Use these tools in your BYOD classroom to differentiate for math class.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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OneHistory - Hilary Mac Austin and Kathleen Thompson
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1800s (76), 1900s (79), african american (128), biographies (97), cross cultural understanding (176), essays (20), great depression (30), primary sources (121), speeches (22)
In the Classroom
Bookmark OneHistory as a resource for primary sources when teaching American History and as an excellent tool for finding information featuring diversity throughout the years. Have students create a multimedia presentation using Google Drawings, reviewed here. Google Drawings allows you to annotate an image with links to videos, text, websites, and more. Challenge students to find a photo (legally permitted to be reproduced), and then narrate the photo as if it is a news report. Take advantage of the high interest, low readability level stories on the site to differentiate for the variety of reading levels in your classroom and to include informational (nonfiction) reading standards.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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TeachersFirst's Math Resources for Algebra - Grade 6-8 - TeachersFirst
Grades
6 to 8tag(s): data (151), number lines (33), order of operations (29), percent (59), pi (28)
In the Classroom
Introduce these resources on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Share the resources on your class website for students to use for remediation or review. Share tools on your interactive whiteboard or in your BYOD classroom. Use these sites to differentiate for students in pre-algebra and algebra.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Math Resources for Algebra - Grades 9-12 - TeachersFirst
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): data (151), number lines (33), percent (59), pi (28), quadratics (27), ratios (47)
In the Classroom
Share these resources on your class website for students to use for remediation or review. Share tools on your interactive whiteboard or in your BYOD classroom. Use these sites to differentiate.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Math Resources for Numbers & Operations - Grades 3-5 - TeachersFirst
Grades
3 to 5tag(s): decimals (85), division (96), fractions (160), multiplication (120), operations (72), order of operations (29)
In the Classroom
Share these resources on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Use these tools in your BYOD classroom to differentiate for math class. Share the resources with students for additional practice, remediation, enrichment, or advancement.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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SMMRY - smmry.com
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): artificial intelligence (217), learning disability (22), Special Needs (49), summarizing (23)
In the Classroom
Introduce SMMRY to students working on research projects as a way to quickly determine content and viability of using websites. Use to differentiate instruction with students. Use with learning support students as a resource to make content easier to understand (and shorter to read). Use SMMRY summaries when teaching how to summarize in an ENL class. Compare the summary you create as a class or in small groups with the "automated" one. Are there subtleties or important distinctions that this tool misses? As a challenge for your more critical thinkers, have them try to figure out what signals the tool uses to create its summary.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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OpenStax - Rice University
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): advanced placement (27), book lists (170), ebooks (46), STEM (332)
In the Classroom
Use OpenStax textbooks to dig deeper into core subjects such as math, science, and social studies. Use materials to differentiate instruction based on student abilities and interests. If your current textbooks are older, find newer books on OpenStax and adopt them for your curriculum. Take advantage of the search feature of online books to find supplemental material for your current instruction. Find teaching materials for gifted students using OpenStax textbooks.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Lowdown - KQED News
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): commoncore (60), journalism (74), multimedia (55), news (225), newspapers (91)
In the Classroom
Achieve two goals with this very people-friendly site: provide quality non-fiction reading materials and the latest in current events. Use this site to differentiate reading materials by student interest. Encourage students to explore the site on their own. Be sure to include a link on classroom computers and your class website for students to access at any time. Flip your class and assign the reading to do at home. Then, have students create a simple infographic sharing findings from The Lowdown with their classmates using Infogram, reviewed here. Have cooperative learning groups create weekly podcasts with news from around the world. Use a site such as podOmatic, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Game-Based Learning Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): coding (92), differentiation (77), game based learning (214), gamification (75), logic (160)
In the Classroom
Share these tools on your class website or blog for students to use both in and out of the classroom. Use these tools to differentiate and reach all students at the various levels. Challenge your students to create their own games for review of content or acceleration options.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Goosechase edu - Andrew Cross
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): creativity (81), DAT device agnostic tool (124), game based learning (214), gamification (75)
In the Classroom
Use GooseChase in your classroom as part of your project based learning activities. Assign a series of activities to groups for completion. Differentiate projects based on student interest and ability. Use one of the many educational games already in the library to see great examples of how to use GooseChase for any subject area. GooseChase would be an excellent addition to staff meetings. Have participants locate information on websites, textbooks, or throughout your school as part of professional development. Create a GooseChase for students as part of a nature walk outside of your school, ask younger students to find different geometric shapes, or have students draw pictures of main characters in books as part of a GooseChase mission.Edge Features:
Includes an education-only area for teachers and students
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
Includes teacher tools for registering and/or monitoring students
Requires download/installation of software
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Study Jams - Scholastic
Grades
3 to 8tag(s): addition (128), animals (295), climate (89), decimals (85), differentiation (77), division (96), ecosystems (93), energy (137), estimation (33), forces (43), fractions (160), game based learning (214), human body (93), landforms (38), light (56), matter (48), measurement (124), minerals (13), multiplication (120), number lines (33), percent (59), place value (34), plants (150), probability (99), problem solving (246), rocks (44), solar system (113), sound (72), subtraction (110), weather (163)
In the Classroom
Excite your students with the Jams! Share the Jam videos on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students sing along and learn more about science and math. Especially younger students will enjoy this feature. Create a link to the site on your classroom website or blog for students to use for review and practice at home. Use the many topics available to differentiate for all students in your classroom. Create learning centers using this site or use it on individual laptops. Print out the quizzes for students to take as an assessment.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Tarr's Toolbox - Russel Tarr
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): classroom management (105), differentiation (77), game based learning (214), professional development (271)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this excellent resource to use when looking for new ideas for your classroom. Choose from ideas such as "Hands up if you DON'T know" or "Sock puppets in the secondary classroom" to inspire and motivate your students. Look to this blog to differentiate for students of all levels. Divide students into cooperative learning groups using different ideas found on Tarr's Toolbox.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Highbrow - Artem Zavyalov & Jane Limanskaya
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): 20th century (130), architecture (86), authors (108), business (54), differentiation (77), endangered species (28), equations (119), financial literacy (92), greeks (45), human body (93), inventors and inventions (83), logic (160), medicine (57), mental math (18), numbers (116), photography (130), poetry (196), psychology (65), short stories (18), surrealism (2), weather (163), women (177)
In the Classroom
Highbrow is perfect for differentiated learning. Allow students to choose their own topic and sign up for a course. When complete, choose another topic and start a new course. Modify classroom technology by having students create commercials for finished courses using Powtoon, reviewed here, and share them using a tool such as TeacherTube, reviewed here. Challenge students to create a course after a unit of study as a final assessment. Be sure to include this site on your class webpage for students to access both in and outside of class for personal use.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Teaching World War I With The New York Times - New York Times/ Michael Gonchar
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): 1910s (26), europe (83), middle east (52), world war 1 (83)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lesson plan for use in your World War I unit. 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. Have students create online posters individually or together as a class using a tool such as Web Poster Wizard, reviewed here, or PicLits, reviewed here. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a president, soldier, or family member during the time of World War I.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Thrively - Thrively
Grades
1 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): back to school (55), differentiation (77), multiple intelligences (7), social and emotional learning (111), Special Needs (49), Teacher Utilities (198)
In the Classroom
Begin your school year with a more personal touch, by knowing what your students' interests are. On the teacher dashboard, examine each student and match interest to activities to differentiate instruction. Students can explore careers, apps, and activities matching their profile. With interest and strengths targeted, you can sail smoothly into a highly engaged class of individualized learning. During career explorations, open up worlds of possibilities for students and families to begin planning a successful path. Add a link to this tool to your class website for possible enrichment activities for families. Offer suggestions to parents for enriching after school activities found around your area.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Quizalize - Zzish
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): differentiation (77), game based learning (214), gamification (75), polls and surveys (42), quizzes (86)
In the Classroom
Make a class challenge! Create practice quizzes to review the material just learned in class. Use an interactive whiteboard or projector for students to view the "leaderboard" (teacher dashboard) as in a game. Students score more points by answering questions quickly. As with other tools with a leaderboard, it is helpful to have a collaborative environment where competition is not the goal, instead working together and improving is important. Use Quizalize as a formative assessment and to differentiate to see what material needs more review with classes (or individual students). Use this tool often to obtain a snapshot of each student's understanding of content (subtopic/standards); quickly see who understands a concept and who needs some individualized practice. Share with students as a resource for creating quizzes for studying at home. When students are using surveys and polls for reports, introduce them to Quizalize since it works on any device. Share quizzes with your fellow teachers.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Learn to Play the Piano - Hoffman Academy
Grades
2 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): music theory (47), musical instruments (53), musical notation (34)
In the Classroom
If you don't have access to a piano, don't worry, you can still learn how to play! Take advantage of the online virtual piano, reviewed here, to practice just like you would on a real piano. Share with your school's music teacher as an excellent resource for teaching students notes and piano keys. The self-paced videos offer a great opportunity to differentiate for different ability levels while achieving success for all. Share a link to this site on your class website for parents to use at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Griddle - Handcrafted Logical Fun - David Millar
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): logic (160), problem solving (246), sudoku (10), worksheets (71)
In the Classroom
Use the puzzles found on The Griddle as part of math centers, for homework, or as part of any logic and problem-solving unit. Create and differentiate worksheets using the Worksheet Generator.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Black History Month Resources - PBS
Grades
K to 12tag(s): black history (135), civil rights (218), cultures (242), martin luther king (45), racism (81)
In the Classroom
Explore this site for many different lessons and resources to use during Black History Month and with lessons on racism and bias throughout the year. Use lessons found here to differentiate for students of different levels. Be sure to check out the Discrimination - fair or unfair? lesson plan that is designed specifically for students who have difficulty with verbal and written expression.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Choosito! - Eleni Miltsakaki
Grades
K to 12tag(s): bookmarks (39), learning disability (22), Learning Management Systems (19), search engines (46), search strategies (19), Special Needs (49), Teacher Utilities (198)
In the Classroom
Create a classroom account and provide a link on classroom computers for student searches at any time. Differentiate in your class by assigning reading by reading level. ESL/ELL and resource teachers will find this especially helpful when looking for reading material at your students' level for topics assigned in core classes. Be sure to introduce Choosito! on an interactive whiteboard or projector for students to understand how to use this search engine. Share Choosito! with parents for use at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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