Differentiation Tips & Tricks (and some FREEBIES)

Hi y'all,
Goodness, it's been a while since I've last blogged.  Things get kinda hectic in the classroom this time of year...thank goodness Spring Break is almost near!  Woohoo!!!

So we all know that no 2 kids are exactly the same.  This includes the way they learn.  Some kids are visual learners, others learn best kinesthetically, while others are auditory learners.  Personally, I'm a visual learner.  Seriously.  You can tell me to do something 20 times, and I still won't get it as well as I would have if I had just seen pictures or watched a video.  lol.  Differentiating in the classroom is really not at all difficult.  Here are a few tips, tricks, and resources to help you differentiate in your classroom.

My reading groups are differentiated as well as my math groups.  All kids will go the the same centers, but they will grab different activities at the same center.  Here's a picture of one of my reading groups and one of my math groups.  You'll see that the children's names are written in 3 different colors.  Purple is my high/advanced group.  Red is my on-grade-level group.  Blue is my lower group.  Look closely at the names.  Carrie's name is written in red for her reading group because she's on grade level in reading.  However, her name is written in blue for her math group because she is below grade level in math.  That's one simple way to differentiate in your room.  Kids need to be in different groups for different activities.  Just because Carrie is a good reader does not mean that she is a good mathematician, etc.  

So I'm going to begin with a few ways that I differentiate my math centers.  In the centers picture above, all 5 kids will attend the same exact math center.  However, when they get to that center's basket, there will be 3 colored folders/boxes.  The purple kids will grab an activity or sheet from the purple folder/box.  The red kids will grab an activity or sheet from the red folder/box, and the blue kids will grab it from the blue folder/box.

Math Center #1: Ways to Make Numbers

All kids will work on the same number/sheet.  They are all essentially completing the same activity, but the sheets are differentiated.

BLUE kids will complete the easiest sheet shown below.  These kids are not yet ready to work on addition and subtraction.  They are still mastering different ways to represent a number.

RED kids will complete the addition sheet shown below.  These kids have mastered representing numbers in different ways and are moving on to addition skills.

PURPLE kids will complete the subtraction sheet shown below.  These kids have already mastered addition and are moving on to subtraction.

Click here or on the picture below to learn more about this differentiated resource.

Math Center #2: Word Problems

All kids will complete a word problem sheet, though the word problem skills are differentiated.  Some kids will be working on adding up to 10, adding up to 20, subtracting from 10, subtracting from 20, etc.

BLUE kids will complete the word problem shown below.  They are working on addition up to 10.

RED kids will complete the word problem shown below.  They are working on subtracting from 10.

PURPLE kids will complete the word problems shown below.  They are working on addition and subtraction within 20.

Click here for Kindergarten or here for 1st grade.  You can also click on the pictures below to learn more about these differentiated resources.  The 1st grade version also includes adding 3 numbers together.

For super advanced students (or 2nd grade students), this other packet focuses on addition and subtraction within 100.

Click here or on the picture below to learn more about this differentiated resource.

Now let's talk about differentiating reading centers.  In the centers picture at the beginning of this post, all 5 kids will attend the same exact reading center.  However, when they get to that center's basket, there will be 3 colored folders/boxes.  The purple kids will grab an activity or sheet from the purple folder/box.  The red kids will grab an activity or sheet from the red folder/box, and the blue kids will grab it from the blue folder/box.

Reading Center #1:  Read to Self

This is the easiest center to differentiate (in my opinion).  Kids each have a book box or book baggy.  The books inside their book boxes will be "just right" books for them.  Advanced readers might have chapter books, lower readers will have much easier books, etc.  They will all grab a task card and complete it about their own book.  Click here or on the picture below to learn more about the Read to Self task cards.

Reading Center #2:  Scrambled Sentences

All students will work on a scrambled sentence sheet that has the same exact sentence and picture.  However, there are small differences in the 4 differentiated sheets for each picture.

BLUE kids will complete the sheet shown below.  There is a picture that helps the student know what the sentence will be about.  The beginning word is capitalized, and the last word has a period.  If the student knows to put the capitalized word at the beginning and the period at the end, then he really only needs to unscramble the middle 3 words.  Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

RED kids will complete the sheet shown below.  The sentence is formatted the same exact way as the picture above, but notice that this sheet does not have a picture to help the reader.  The reader must unscramble and read the sentence correctly, and then he must use comprehension skills in order to draw a matching picture.

PURPLE kids will complete either of the sheets below.  None of the words are capitalized and there is no ending punctuation to help the reader unscramble the sentence.  However, the picture below does include a picture to help the reader understand what the sentence is about.

The sheet below is the most difficult of all.  None of the words are capitalized and there is no ending punctuation.  There is also no picture.  The student will need to unscramble and read the sentence correctly, and then he needs to use his comprehension skills to draw a matching picture.

Click here or on the picture below to learn more about this differentiated resource.

Reading Center #3:  Sight Words
My students absolutely love this center.  Kids will all focus on the same exact sight word, but the sheets are differentiated.

BLUE kids will complete the sheet below.  It requires the students to unscramble and spell the word.  They will circle the word in context (and thereby practice identifying it.)

RED kids will complete the sheet below.  It is just like the sheet above, but the difference is that the students will trace the word (and thereby practice spelling it.)

PURPLE kids will complete the sheet below.  It is for the more advanced readers.  This sheet does not require the kids to unscramble and glue the word.  Instead, the students are instructed to write a sentence on their own using the word.

Click here or on the picture below to learn more about this differentiated resource.

Reading Center #4:  Reading Comprehension - Word Families

I often use this for my small groups, though you can definitely use it in centers.  It focuses on short vowel word families.  Each word family has 3 differentiated reading comprehension sheets as well as word cards that can be used to introduce the words before the kids complete the comprehension sheet.

BLUE kids are my lowest readers.  The sheet below practices reading comprehension skills, AND it also teaches kids to refer back to the story in order to fill in the blank.

RED kids are my middle group.  The sheet below has the kids read the same passage as the blue kids, but there are comprehension questions that must be completed.  It is more challenging than simply filling in the blank.  Kids must read the multiple choices and correctly choose an answer to each comprehension question.  The multiple choices help these kids by giving them choices of answers.

PURPLE kids are my advanced readers.  They are required to read the same passage as the red and blue kids, though the comprehension questions are open-ended.  They do not have choices of possible answers, so they must truly comprehend what they just read.

Click here or on the picture below to learn more about this differentiated resource.

I also made these for long vowel word families.  Click here or on the picture below to learn more about this differentiated resource.

Reading Center #5:  Reading Comprehension

In the past, I have also used the above resource to help differentiate reading comprehension.

BLUE kids would complete a word family reading comprehension page from the picture above.

RED kids would complete a "color by comprehension" sheet.  Let me tell you, the kids LOVE LOVE LOVE this resource.  It is a fun and unique literacy twist on the traditional math color by code activities.  Students read a short passage.  Then they read the questions listed at the bottom beside the crayons.  They then use that color code to color in the answers that are on the picture.  If you look closely at the picture below, you can see that the answers are typed onto different parts of the picture.

Want to try this activity for FREE in your classroom?  Click here or on the picture below.

PURPLE kids are my advanced readers.  They do not need choices for answers to comprehension questions.  They will complete the sheet below.  It has open-ended "wh" questions (who/what/when/where/why.)

Want to try this activity for FREE in your classroom?  Click here or on the picture below.

Reading Center #6:  Reader's Response

Students are also given differentiated reading response papers and expectations.  For this example, they are writing about their favorite part.  

BLUE kids will only draw a picture of their favorite part.  

RED kids will draw a picture and finish the prompt "My favorite part was when..."  

PURPLE kids will draw a picture, finish the prompt "My favorite part was when..." and then also write WHY ("My favorite part was when....because...")  

You can get fancy by handing out differentiated sheets as shown below, or you can do it for FREE by having the kids write their reading responses in their reading journals or on loose leaf paper.  Click here or on the picture below to learn more about this differentiated resource.  

Writing
Don't only differentiate your reading and math.  Differentiate ALL...DAY...LONG.  In the following example, kids were asked to write "How to Blow a Bubble."

BLUE kids will be given the sheet below.  It has sentence starters for each step (First/Next/Last.)

RED kids will be given the sheet below.  It does not have sentence starters.

PURPLE kids will be given the sheet below.  It has tons more room to write more details.  Kids need to remember to write steps in order (first/next/last).  They must then add more details to their writing.  When they are done, they can illustrate their writing on a separate sheet of paper.  Click here or on the picture below to learn more about this differentiated resource.

That's all I have for you today.  I hope I was able to help in some way!  

Don't forget to get your FREEBIES (links are in the pictures above).

Bye for now😃