Differentiation as RTI:In the Social Studies Classroom

Greece Central School DistrictOffice of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

Matthew Schultz

Why Differentiated Instruction? Classrooms are filled with students with different backgrounds,

learning levels, and experiences.

To continue to stimulate learning in ALL students, leveled, or “differentiated” instruction can help.

Differentiated instruction is a method of RTI for teachers in their own classrooms.

Formative assessments and the PLC process set the stage for differentiated activities – the data comes from these assessments.

The new SLO process centers on learning objectives for all students. Differentiation allows for this continued student learning and growth.

Tiers of Responses to Intervention

Tier I – Classroom based and teacher led. This is where differentiated instructional strategies play a role in student learning success and challenges.

Tier II – More individuals are involved. Teachers, grade level teams, and PLCs all work together to customize intervention for students in need.

Tier III – A school based approach in which counseling and conferencing may be used for intense, individual interventions.

How to Differentiate?

There are hundreds of ways to differentiate, but they all center on three aspects of learning:

Content: level the content of learning from need to know, to more detailed learning, to deep/enrichment levels of learning.

Process: Change the process of learning by differentiating graphic organizers, levels of questions, or depth of analysis.

Product: Identify different levels of complexity, depth of knowledge, and analysis/evaluation for lessons and unit ending assessments, projects, products or activities.

It is important to note that differentiation and RTI can occur through ability-leveled pairing, heterogeneous grouping for peer learning, or individually.

What it Looks Like – Five Methods of Differentiation for Social Studies Teachers

Method 1: Anchor Activities

Anchor activities are learning experiences that students work on throughout a unit plan. When students finish an assignment in class, yet have time remaining while the rest of class is still working, they can be expected to work on the anchor activity for the unit.

Examples: While learning about westward expansion in the US, have students

keep a journal as a traveler to the Pacific Ocean. If studying revolutions, place images around the room focused on

those regions or movements and have students describe what they see/how those images show change (ex. guillotine, steam engine)

If seniors are studying political parties, have them create a party platform for a candidate, or create the ideal candidate based on their own political beliefs.

What it Looks Like – Five Methods of Differentiation for Social Studies Teachers

Method 2: Leveled Learning Centers

Leveled learning centers relate to cooperative learning stations, yet they go beyond most activities. In leveled learning centers, activities are organized around learning levels based on formative assessments.

Teachers can use shapes to identify the level of learning, or difficulty of each learning center. Triangles = advanced level, squares = appropriate level, circles = beginner level. The meaning of these symbols need not be shared with students.

The symbols can also represents different learning styles, rather than differentiated learning levels. Triangles = reading/writing, squares = visuals, graphs and data, circles = hands-on activities.

What it Looks Like – Five Methods of Differentiation for Social Studies Teachers

Method 2: Leveled Learning Centers, cont.

Leveled learning centers are tiered for differentiation, yet offer students choice. Teachers can limit what centers students can visit by learning level and ability. If a student is at an advanced level, we can limit his/her choices to centers identified by a triangle only.

We can use heterogeneous grouping in order to have students support and help each other through the learning centers as well. Teachers can provide support at each learning center as needed.

What it Looks Like – Five Methods of Differentiation for Social Studies Teachers

Method 2: Leveled Learning Centers, cont.

Example: If teaching about the four river valleys, each location can be organized as a learning center. Students work through these centers at their own pace, with support when needed. Background readings are provided. Tigris and Euphrates Rivers (advanced level): How might the communities around

these two rivers have looked? Create a drawing, with a written explanation outlining your reasons for the community you created. Also, how did the irrigation systems work? Include this in your drawing.

Indus River (appropriate level): Create a mind map or collage of 5 items that were important to people at the Indus River. Include the name of each.

Yellow River (beginner level): Use clay to create two symbols that stand for items people used in China along the Yellow River. Explain each on a piece of paper.

Nile River (mixed skills level): Place a bag of soil, three to four vegetables, and a jar of water labeled “annual flood” at this center. Differentiate the outcome based on learning level of students or groups. For example, have students write about how each was important to Egyptians, or have students use the three “artifacts” to create a personal narrative about living as an Egyptian.

What it Looks Like – Five Methods of Differentiation for Social Studies Teachers

Method 3: Choices Boards

Choices boards are simple organizers that allow students to select different activities to complete through a lesson or unit.

They combine choices and tiering – the difficulty of the activities varies, as does the learning style.

Monitor as students complete different assignments over the course of a class, week or month. If they need more challenging activities, simply assign them a higher level of difficulty. If a student is struggling, allow them to select a lower level assignment.

Level of difficulty in the example on the next slide is: 1 = beginner level, 2 = appropriate level, 3 = advanced level

What it Looks Like – Five Methods of Differentiation for Social Studies Teachers

Method 3: Choices Boards (Ex. Hammurabi’s Code)

Choose three laws and describe how each is reflective of the values important to Babylonians. 3

Why did Hammurabi believe it was necessary to create and post these laws?

3

What does the “eye for an eye” retribution in these laws tell us about the social conditions of Babylon? 2

Categorize Hammurabi’s Laws into two categories, and explain your reasoning for those categories. 2

Create a set of five laws for this class based on the ideals of Hammurabi’s Code.

2

Select any three laws and rewrite them in your own words.

1

Create a drawing in which you visually define a major idea of Hammurabi’s Code. 2

Analyze the social and economic injustices contained in Hammurabi’s Code. 3

Create a narrative in which you describe at least two of the laws in Hammurabi’s Code. 1

What it Looks Like – Five Methods of Differentiation for Social Studies Teachers

Method 4: Tiered Graphic Organizers

Tiered graphic organizers require student to complete more complex work when needed, or simpler tasks to learn the “need to know” essentials.

Following Bloom’s Taxonomy of skill levels, graphic organizers can be tiered to allow students more specific stimulus levels in the classroom.

Examples include adding writing prompts, another level of analysis, textual evidence supports, or point of view referencing.

What it Looks Like – Five Methods of Differentiation for Social Studies Teachers

Method 4: Tiered Graphic Organizers – Comparison of Russian Leaders: Peter the Great, Stalin and Gorbachev.

Read biographies of each Russian leader. The reading levels of these can be differentiated if desired.

Beginner Level: Students complete a Venn diagram, selecting any 2 leaders to compare using at least three comparisons.

Appropriate Level: Students complete a 3 circled Venn diagram, comparing all three Russian leaders with at least 5 comparisons.

Advanced Level: Same as appropriate level work, but students also complete the following writing prompt: Each of the leaders saw one main issue that needed to be reformed in Russia. Describe the reform, including textual evidence from each biography you read in class.

What it Looks Like – Five Methods of Differentiation for Social Studies Teachers

Method 5: Personal Planners

Personal planners are checklists of learning activities that span an entire unit. As students complete assignments, they are advanced to the next level of difficulty, or to a different learning style activity.

Personal planners can be used for vertical alignment unit plans. Economics content is an example of this for high school seniors.

Students must build upon knowledge in order to understand entire concepts (ex. Monetary policy: Changes at the Federal reserve = changes in the money market = a changing interest rate = changes in aggregate demand = price level changes)

What it Looks Like – Five Methods of Differentiation for Social Studies Teachers

Method 5: Personal Planners (Economics Example)

Project Description Instructions Date Completed

The Federal Reserve Using your text and online sources, summarize both the structure and functions of the Federal Reserve System.

Monetary Policy Connect the monetary policy functions of the Fed to the money market. You must include graphs of both expansionary and contractionary Fed policy.

Price Level Changes How do changing interest rates in the money market impact consumer demand? Find 3 news articles that give evidence of your conclusions and summarize each in your response

Resources…

www.engageny.org: DDI (Data-driven Instruction) National Center on Response to Intervention RTI Action Network Differentiation Central - Reach Every Learner

Works Cited: Many of the ideas and process contained was taken from:

Conklin, Wendy. Differentiation Strategies for Social Studies. Huntington Beach, CA: Shell Education, reprinted 2011. Print.