While we await part 3 about when to “fit in” differentiation, I wanted to share some of the great info I’ve received in comments or e-mail from web site visitors. Ken Pendergrass, elementary music teacher from Seattle, shares a differentiated lesson with impressive use of enhanced Garageband podcasting. Alice Mercer, Sacramento computer lab teacher and …
Category: Independent Work Time
Differentiate This! Part Two: How?
Also see: Part One: Differentiate This! Why? (Cross-posted in In Practice) OK, we agree (or most of us do anyway) that we need to tailor our instruction to the students in our classroom. We cannot teach effectively by planning lessons in isolation without considering the interaction between what we’ve planned and the students in our …
Differentiate This! Part One: Why?
A post about classroom management here on the blog recently evolved into a conversation about differentiation, a subject which I’ve written about before…on this blog and as part of my graduate studies but it’s time to revisit the subject. Why Heterogenously Group Students? This is an unintentionally misleading question that presumes that there are groups …
Give Up Control
Although teachers tend to view Open Court as a scripted program, there are some places in the program (or any other) where teachers need to give up some control. Not everyone is comfortable giving up control as a teacher. Are you? My classroom management has always been firm. I’m not someone who likes a free …
Let the Children Play
A recent article in Scholastic’s Instructor magazine reports what many primary teachers already know. There’s not enough time for children in kindergarten and other grades to play. So since we’re aware of it, we better do something to address the play deficit. Certainly time is an issue so I thought I’d use this blog entry …
Questions About Independent Work Time/Workshop
After listening to the Independent Work Time CD, Julie, a third grade teacher in Los Angeles County, had these questions… 1. During the first week of setting up the IWT, what do you tell your students when they are done with their work since they do not have any May Dos? Do you just have …