Hope everyone had a great weekend. Today I thought we'd finish up our series on differentiation by talking about the final product.
How many of you when you went through school always demonstrating your knowledge to the teacher by taking a test to show what you knew? I know I did!
Now how many of you were not good at taking those tests? I sure wasn't good at it!
Today we still have those tests and hardly anyone is good at showing all they know through them. Even in today's world of test, test, test, we need to remember that our kids can not demonstrate all they know on paper/pencil tests.
Differentiation is the answer. Differentiating the outcome, the product, of how the students show you what they have learned is one way to combat this. What is the best way to get the most out of your students for the topic you are teaching?
Ways to differentiate Products
Most of my students dont like to write, so practicing/test their spelling/vocabulary words can be a battle. . Some of them have difficulty writing legibily due to fine motor problems, some aren't at the writing stage developmentally yet and some have vision issues. So when I develop a lesson for them to practice words on a daily basis, I take these issues into account.
What are some ways I can differentiate this lesson? Here are some things I do for this subject, but they work for others as well.
Whiteboard |
- Let the student write on the white board. Some kids love writing on whiteboards, smartboards, tablets and more.
- Have them write the words in sand.
- Use clay to spell the words.
- Use magnet tiles. I have blue magnet letter tiles from Lakeshore Learning that have been absolutely wonderful for many years. I also purchased a small magnet board from them that is easily portable and stands on a desk.
- Student love working on projects. We did plants last year and instead of asking them to give me the plant parts on a paper/pencil test, we used the real plants. They loved it and I loved it.
- Technology is an awesome way to differentiate. I utilize iPhones, iPads and computers in my classroom daily. This year I am incorporating QR code in my classroom. QR codes will be part of daily activities as well as assessment and end product.
Plants Rubber Stamps
As part of Marvelous Monday Freebie - please find a below a link to my latest QR product for Alphabet Letters and sounds. Check it out and let me know what you think. If you like the freebie you can find it in my TPT store.
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