Warm Up for Session 2

1. Warm Up for Session 2 With the people at your table, be ready to share as much as you remember about the following areas from Session # 1 - Part 1 What the community Of our Classrooms Should focus on 3 Essential Questions 4 Enduring Understandings Be Ready to Present in an interesting & creative way and make sure to put it into your own words. Part 2

2. Our Essential Questions for the Year • What does a differentiated classroom look like for teachers and students? • How do I best implement methods necessary for a differentiated classroom? • How does a differentiated lesson effect other aspects of the classroom?

3. Essential Understanding 1: Tomlinson’s Framework What We Differentiate Content Process Product Why We Differentiate Student Readiness Student Interest Student Learning Profile Think Multiple Intelligences

4. Essential Understanding 2: Mindset Differentiation is a mindset that acknowledges the diversity in your classroom, and addresses that diversity by creating multiple paths for learning when necessary. So we will delve into the nuts and bolts Of how to create multiple paths for Learning when necessary

5. Essential Understanding 3: The Ripple Effect Choosing to differentiate a lesson will have profound effects on your classroom’s community, your management style, how you assess, and how you plan. Your Lesson Change & Complicate how you plan for lessons Change the community dynamics of your class Change & Complicate how you assess for learning Demand more management on your part

6. Essential Understanding 4: You & The Kids Your student’s needs, as well as your growth as a professional, will determine the speed and depth of adaptations you make to create a differentiated classroom. Progress Report Readiness Principal You The Kids Learning Style Dan Quality Review Interest Find Your Speed Take the Long View

7. Follow Up on Observations 1) I had fun seeing you all in action. 2) However you want to talk about to your kids why I am that is fine with me. 3) I attempt to blend into the background and not be a distraction. 4) However, I will probably talk to kids more the next time around. 5) I will also probably take pictures of your classroom if I find stuff to share with the group. The impending arrival of my twins will probably disrupt stuff for a bit.

8. Focus for Session # 2 Share our plan for a focus on growth & steal best practices Community Management Anchor Activities & A Plan for Help Choice Board, RAFT, Think Dots, Cubing Techniques Re-Visit the Importance of Pre-Assessment & Setting the Same Goals for All Students Assessment

9. Share Your Plans for a Classroom Community Focused on Growth 1st Find Your Number Groups and verbally share the ideas you came up with 2nd Find Your Letter Groups and verbally share the ideas you came up with 3rd Based on what you heard, what are some ideas that everyone should Steal and implement in their classrooms . . . (Put them on the chart paper) 4 5 6 1 3 7 2 8

10. Methods of Differentiation 1 2 3 4 Scaffolding for Support Multiple Paths at 1 Point Distinct Lessons to create multiple paths Multiple Paths throughout the lesson Target Interest and/or Intelligences We spend our year implementing methods 2 - 4

11. Sample Method 1 Lesson Review Does a lesson involving soda get student’s interested? Mini Lesson Do the three different versions of the formula provide multiple means for support? Does drawing the “atoms” provide a strong visual model for all students? Guided Practice Does the experiment help students learn because it is hands-on and interactive? Independent Practice Does having an extension activity help students move at their own pace if needed? Does my description of a Method 1 Differentiated Lesson Make Sense?

12. Jumping Right into Method 2 – Choice Boards I Your Small Group Leaders will share their Understanding of what a Choice Board is And how they have used in their class Step 1: We • The whole group will collect any more questions • You may have about – • What a Choice Board is? • How to use a Choice Board? Step 2: A choice board can Create Multiple paths during Independent practice if you choose Dan will share more examples of what Choice Boards could be . . . .

13. Another Method 2 - RAFT Who knows what each letter stands for in a RAFT? R = A = F = T = How are they Different & Similar from Choice Boards?

14. A Field Trip to Look at Think Dots & Cubing Think Dots Cubing

15. Synthesize the 4 Strategies . . . Your small group will get 10 minutes, a couple of markers, and chart paper to do the following . . . • What is the relationship you see between these 4 strategies? • How can they help create multiple paths for learning? • What are some specifics to keep in mind when implementing • each and all of these strategies? There are no right or wrong answers here – I just want to capture how you are processing All this . . .

16. Going Beyond Independent Practice Choice Board If it helped your lesson that day, have a Do Now with 2 or more options for students. Example – Solve for Y in one of the following equations: y = 3x + 12 3y = 9x + 36 12 – 3x = y Cubing/ Think Dots You can increase engagement and student participation by using these 2 strategies during the Mini-Lesson and Guided Practice as well. Example – While reading Maniac Magee with your students during Guided practice, you can have your own questions prepared, but on top of That there is a cube in the room with the words, “Inference, Main Idea, Author’s Purpose, etc.” on it. After you read a page together, one student Rolls the cube it lands on Inference, then in pairs students must make an Inference from what they just read.

17. RAFT to Begin the Lesson After a few days of learning about the Rock Cycle, I would hand out the RAFT to begin class . . . (Giving everyone about 15 minutes to create a draft) Mini – Lesson – I would hand out a bulleted list of all the content that needs to be in the RAFT about the rock cycle. I would then share a strong example and a weak example from prior classes. (10 minutes) Guided Practice = Peer Review – Students would exchange papers and Check their partners against the bulleted list to give feedback on if they brought up all necessary points on the rock cycle. (15 minutes) Independent Practice = Final Draft – Students then create a final draft That they will turn in at the end of class. (15 – 20 min)

18. What Differentiation Is and Is Not Mike Schmoker wrote an interesting article critizing Differentiation - As Schmoker has visited classrooms around the country, he has seen differentiation causing problems for teachers. “In every case,” he says, “it seemed to complicate teachers’ work, requiring them to procure and assemble multiple sets of materials. I saw frustrated teachers trying to provide materials that matched each student’s or group’s presumed ability level, interest, preferred ‘modality,’ and learning style. The attempt often devolved into a frantically assembled collection of worksheets, coloring exercises, and specious ‘kinesthetic’ activities… With so many groups to teach, instructors found it almost impossible to provide sustained, properly executed lessons for every child or group…” Most disturbingly, Schmoker has seen differentiation insidiously reducing expectations for some students. “In English, ‘creative’ students made things or drew pictures,” he says. “‘Analytic’ students got to read and write.” What Mike Schmoker describes is not effective differentiation – I agree with him, students would be better off without random tasks in the room – but just the same rigorous lesson for every kid.

19. What Differentiation is and is not Effective Differentiation means you have the same rigorous goal for every student. You create multiple paths for learning so all students can reach that goal. Strong Examples Weak Examples of Differentiation • A RAFT that asks one group to produce 3 well written paragraphs • on the Rock Cycle, and one group to produce a flow chart of the • rock cycle. • A Choice Board that gives the option of making an inference on • the chapter the whole class read, answers fact and recall questions, • and summarizing the chapter. • 3) In Math class you give every student the same Think Dots sheet • – but you tell some students they only need to roll the dice twice, • while some have to roll it four times. • A RAFT that asks all students to explain and • synthesize the details of the Rock Cycle – the • perspective and format are different. • 2) A Choice Board that asks all students to make • an inference – the format of what they analyze • Can be different. • 3) Every student gets the same Think Dots • sheets with the same Questions on the • Revolutionary War – but the students get • different leveled texts.

20. Getting Ready to Manage Multiple Paths . . . Anchor Activities Plan for Help To catch the fast paced students & allow everyone to move at their own pace To send the message you should always be learning in this classroom To create a barrier between you and the helpless hand-raisers To promote self ownership in student learning

21. Coming Up with Anchor Activities 1) Even during “normal” lessons students move at different paces – so how can you best manage this? 2) Once we try our 1st differentiation strategy, there will be lots of activity in the room, and students moving at different paces, on different tasks – How will you manage them? An Anchor Activity is a management support you have in your room to ensure that students can always be learning, no matter how fast they move on the daily tasks. You can have them on a daily, weekly, unit, or yearly basis in your room. However, once they are set up, they should not be a management hassle for you.

22. The Book

23. The Area

24. The Ongoing Task

25. Brainstorming Anchor Activities Break into subject specific groups and . . . • Consider the three types I just showed you • Brainstorm variations on them • Come up with entirely new ideas But make sure the anchor activities you come up with are . . . Relevant So that students that students see the point in trying the tasks you give them . So it is not busy work, and you are helping your students grow more neurons in your class . Rigorous So they actually want to do the work for you and be “done” with the day’s tasks and lessons. Engaging 4th Task – Be ready to share your idea for your Anchor Activity when we debrief after the 1st observation.

26. Sample Plan for Help Back To Work (Would be used during individual or small group work time) • Re-read or re-state the directions to the assignment and summarize • what you think you have to do in your notebook. • Review the Visual Instruction Plan for the lesson and be ready to • summarize the VIP if asked about it. • 3. You may QUIETLY go through steps 1 and 2 with another student • right next to you to see if they can help you. • 4. The two of you may ask a “Student Helper” for assistance if they are • free. Be prepared to share your summaries of steps 1 and 2, before • you can ask the questions you still have. • 5. The two of you may sign up on the board to work with the teacher once • they are free. Be prepared to share your summaries of steps 1 and 2, before • you can ask the questions you still have. If you become unstuck! If you become unstuck! If you become unstuck! If you become unstuck!

31. Putting it all Together for the Next Visit Community Have at least 1 visible and obvious cultural practice up and running that promotes growth in your classroom. Management Have an Anchor Activity in place at least for the lesson I observe. If you want to use the Plan for Help, use it, this time around. Techniques Try a lesson using either a Choice Board, RAFT, Think Dots, or Cubing. Assessment Have the same rigorous goal for every student in that lesson, Regardless of the path they take. .

32. Schedule of Next Visits . . . EFCRS October 25th Bronx Dance Academy October 28th MS 331 October 29th Have your “reproduceables” ready to hand to me or already posted in your Digital Portfolio by the end of that day. Bronx Green November 1st (AM) City Island November 1st (PM) FDA V November 3rd Bronx Writing Academy November 4th

33. Binders & Digital Portfolios . . . Sorry for the 1 session delay on the Binders ! Use Tabs 1 – 8 for each of the workshops. You can use Tab 9 for the data from mine and other’s observations. You can use Tab 10 to collect each Differentiated Lesson Reproduceables throughout the year. October 18th Reminder – Posting Task # 1 (Interest Survey Results) & Task #2 (Tracking Multiple Intelligences in Your Classroom) Next Observation You will Post the Following after the visit . . . . • At least 1 cultural practice that promotes growth in your class • The Anchor Activity • The Reproduceables from the Differentiated Lesson I observe. • The Plan for Help is optional.