My school system is moving toward differentiated instruction next school year.
Does anyone have experience as D I is applied to the ELEMENTARY (prek-5) school
library media center? I welcome ideas, strategies, lesson ideas, and sample
lessons as well as leads to internet sites and other resources.
thank you !
Robert Joyce, M.S. Ed, B.S.Ed
Virginia --- Library Media NK-12 Post Graduate Professional
North Carolina---Media Coordinator (076),Media Supervisor (078)
South Carolina---Media Specialist (60), Media Supervisor (59)
Virginia---Pittsylvania County
rajoyce59@verizon.net
School LIbrarian/Library Media Specialist
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Thanks to those who took time to reply ! If anyone who knows of other ideas,
professional readings, and web sites, please send and an update will be sent.
REPLIES:
LM NET subscribers can search the archives using differentiated instruction
non-subscribers (link is ) LM_NET Archive: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/archive/
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This was big at my school last year, go to
https://musiclmcproject.wikispaces.com/
and take a look around - hope it helps.
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Differentiated instruction can be applied in many ways: in the content, materials,
grouping, choice, product, learning styles, learning centers, technology. If you
have a Gifted-Ed teacher or dept they can provide you with lots of materials on
differentiated learning. When you collaborate with classroom teachers you will
decide on how to differentiate, not just high, middle, low. Basically, any lesson
plan can be differentiated. It can be a lot of work if your school does not use a
team approach. For example, when a third grade wants to differentiate 3 lessons,
each teacher creates a differentiated lesson then shares it with the team. You can
create a shared space for lessons with googledoc, wiki, moodle or blackboard.
Differentiation is best practices. Once you set it up it will run itself. Carol Ann
Tomlinson books will provide a good foundation.
The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners (ASCD)
(Paperback)
by Carol Ann Tomlinson (Author)
Carol Ann Tomlinson- The Differentiated Classroom
Not sure if Tomlinson and Jay Tighe's book "Integrating Differentiated Instruction
& Understanding by Design (Connecting Content and Kids)" is any good. Although, it
didn't get good reviews on Amazon, I do like Tighe's "Backward by Design" model. It
fits well with differentiated instruction.
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Have a talk to Gary Green who has been doing this for some time - West
Australian girls school.
ggreen@plc.wa.edu.au
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We have been doing DI for a few years now
http://www.henry.k12.va.us/3442108618403040/site/default.asp
### lesson plans require password !
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Students are working at their own level and interest as they select materials for
checkout- differentiated instruction. You teach to meet all of their needs with
regard to selection of materials.
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Our staff had an in-service this year using the took Reaching All Learners: Making
Differentiation Work by Bertie Kingore. I've heard Bertie speak before, and she's
great. The book is available from Professional Associates Publishing at
www.kingore.com
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Differentiated Instruction merely means addressing the needs of various ability
levels of students.
What I usually do when we have a group activity is get the teacher to group
students together. For example: last year , we worked on summarizing with 5th &
6th grade using the VA Readers Choice primary book [ STATE BOOK AWARD for
Virginia] Once Upon a Time, Asleep in Sixty Seconds. The teacher paired strong
readers and writers with weaker readers or writers, I put out a selection of short
folk tales & had them summarize them. In one instance, one student is reading at 2
-3 grades below grade level..he knew the folk tale of Ali Baba and the Forty
Thieves, he was paired with another student who read well but had never heard of
the tale...this was a great match because the lower reader felt empowered by his
knowledge and supported by the assistance of his partner and was able to
participate in the summarizing .. and the stronger reader learned a new story as
well as worked cooperatively with the lower reader .
Other instances- when we are doing , Almanac searches, I usually make up a
selection of questions with too many for most students to answer. I put the most
important concepts at the beginning . My expectation is that 10 out of 15
questions will be answered and the upper level students get the more difficult
questions at the end of the searched.
IN dictionary skills- I had students find the guide words for a list of words. I
used dictionaries from different levels-just making sure that the words chosen were
in all 4 different levels of dictionaries,the same with atlases. I actually used
the vocabulary for landforms & maps that 3rd grade has to know for state curriculum
[ in Virginia--> SOLs] (killing 2 birds with one stone) I had an extra sheet with
words not in the dictionary and had the ones finished ahead of time find the guide
words between which their words would be found.
Our school has many students speaking other languages , so I have to always make
sure that students understand the vocabulary-, this is differentiated instruction
in that with a homogeneous population I might not need to always verify the
vocabulary or idiomatic understanding of the students.
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My district uses differentiated instruction but I have found little use for it in
the Media Center. I will explain why. I have the students for 40 minutes once a
week. In that time I read a story, give a lesson, and the students do book
selection. My lessons are usually about 15 minutes. That doesn't leave time for
DI. When I do cooperative activities with other teachers the teachers use DI for
the requirements for the students. Using DI will depend on what you teach. If you
have computer lab and have the students do projects DI would come into play.
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think that collaboration is going to help with this in that who knows best
what the students need and how to address that in lessons and projects. One
lms moved into using centers for her instructional
time. Students go to several centers that they can have success with and
still learn info lit. skills.
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from the Virginia Educational Media Association conferences :
Using the Library for Differentiated Instruction
http://www.vema.gen.va.us/conference/07handouts/Handouts2007/woods.pdf
Doing It Differently in the Media Center: Differentiated Lesson
http://www.vema.gen.va.us/conference/06handouts/Stinnett-Keesee.pdf
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provide a wide variety of access to books and presenting them in different ways.
------------------------
Do you try to help the children select materials appropriate to their interests
and reading levels? Do you teach more than one way to takes notes ( note cards,
highlighting, etc.) When you do Mother Goose, do you read/sing/chant/clap out
rhythm? Do you tell stories with books, puppets, flannel boards, cut and tell. etc.
Do you use graphic organizers of varying levels of complexity? Do you pre-assess
and then group for certain tasks? We may differentiate in different ways that a
classroom teacher would, but we do it.
------------------------
I know exactly what you mean/ One small way I differentiate is to
give a "Learning Sheet" that can be filled out to a greater degree by some
students than others and encouraging kids to do what they can. Example, for
a brainstorming of sources to use for a report on Christopher Columbus, some
kids will name just sources, others will add what kids of information will
come from those sources.
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Here is my 2 cents worth. Librarians differentiate by nature...We help students
choose books that interest them (varies for each child), that they can read
independently (which varies for each child), and when you do activities, we vary
them for special needs of students (read to kids who are auditory, visual learners
read).
---------------
I strive to differentiate instruction by providing a variety of learning
assessments and teaching modalities. Most of the media specialists in my
district are worksheet and overhead transparency driven; I can't take
that. I honestly think it's lazy teaching and who wants to grade that
many worksheets? Instead, I take our curriculum and chunk it into
concepts instead of isolated skill sets. I try to limit to 2 worksheets
per marking period and end with a summative project. Last year, I had
3rd graders create their own dictionaries. This year, I plan on a
Newbery poster size book advertisement, a 5th grade Time Capsule project
involving research, etc. I only see kids 45 min. per week with also
around 30 min. for a lesson, so I break down the project into stages,
and we have several weeks to complete them. I also integrate technology
into the projects when appropriate. Hope this helps.
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DI is also a huge initiative in our school. It took over a year, but everyone
finally got the idea that my best type of DI is to provide the perfect book for
each child based on their interests, abilities, needs.. I do this when I recommend
books to my visitors, as well as when I review/purchase them.
Our school is also big on centers, and I have a lot of what we used to call sponge
activities--something a student can work on while others are still getting their
books or finishing an assignment. I have a lot of puzzles, 3D puzzles, worksheets,
alphabetizing activities, and so on. BUT I have 40 minutes and that makes a big
difference.
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It's a fancy term that means you teach the same thing different ways to reach all
abilities and learning styles - you already do this! When you read a book you read
(oral), show pictures (visual), and with the little ones - coloring pages,
activities,etc. related to the story (kinetic and reinforcement). You pick out
stories that are age appropriate for the entire class. Also, when teaching Dewey
you cover all the bases once again....orally describing location, visually showing
locations (modeling) (scavenger hunts), kinetically ( using OPAC, finding books -
hands on). So....you're already there 8-)
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Differentiated instruction is a good concept. Some real world solutions:
Offer websites and books for different ability levels when doing research.
Student experts can tutor their peers.
Change it up to accommodate all ability levels. We discuss, write, and draw
responses to literature.
Try creating learning centers in the library for different lessons. It allows
children to get moving and choose an activity that they are strong in.
-----------------------
I say give it up! I also see students once a week (K-30 min. 1-8 40 minutes) it's
all I can do to get them in on time, settled down, present 15-20 minute lesson on
library skills and still have time for browsing/selection and check out. (no aide
either) I'm just trying to present new library skills to each grade while
reinforcing what they are learning in language arts.
We really are in a unique position when it comes to instruction. If anyone can
offer you a magic formula please pass it on!
------------------------
You have even less time than I, but one idea that I have used successfully is the
RAFT. Role, Audience, Format, Topic. You read a story, and they respond
(differentially?) to it--for example, you read Judith Viorst's Alexander Won't Move
story. Then kids choose a Role (Alexander, his new neighborhood friends, his old
neighborhood friends, etc.), an Audience (who are they writing or drawing for),
Format would be they choose to write a postcard from/to Alexander, or a diary entry
about the move, or a scrapbook page, if they draw better, or a letter, if they are
good writers, etc. etc. This way some kids can draw, some can write more for a
letter/diary entry, less for a postcard. You could even sell it as collaboration if
you worked with a teacher in advance and had them finish their work in the
classroom if you didn't have time to do it all in your 30 minutes. If you get a lot
of good advice, post a hit! If you want more links about the RAFT thing, I took an
inservice on it, so I could send you some links.
---------------------------------
Depending on the lesson you can differentiate by using an activity
that can be worked on at different levels. Scavenger hunts are the
best activity I use and I use it for a variety of lessons:
orientation, using reference resources [I talk about atlas,
encyclopedia, dictionary and almanac then give them a series of
questions to answer using the different resources], organization [I
put CD covers or magazines in a pile on the table and have them
decide on how to organize them so that someone could find them using
criteria they choose], web searching [questions again, using only
google as the search tool]. The gifted kids will run with it, the
regular kids will have plenty of challenge, and the lower end will be
able to answer some of them.
Have them work in teams- don't always put a gifted with a slower kid,
let 'alike' folks work together also.
Differentiated curriculum is subtle. In the library there are many
ways to let kids explore at their own level. But activities are the
best way. Give everyone the core knowledge they need [how DDC works,
how books are shelved, tips for using google etc] and then let them
practice however they need.
-----------------------------------
I, too, have 30 minute classes. I do "mini-lessons."
Kinesthetic learners--throw a beachball with questions
written on the different colors. The color where the
right thumb "lands" is the question the student
answers. (These questions ask title & author,
setting, favorite part, what happened, main
characters, and "How did it end?") I have 7 tables
with assigned seating and use the beachball with one
table per class. I always catch the ball at the end
and tell about the book I'm currently reading.
Auditory learners--read aloud: book talks, chapter
per week, or a short picture book. Also, I have a
listening center set up for these children to listen
to short books (10 minutes).
--------------------
How much time do you allow for checkout? I know that I feel rushed and
have trouble with all the differentiation with a 50 minute class period,
I can't imagine only 30. I try to allow 15-20 minutes for book exchange.
I have the students shelve their own books, which I guess could be
considered differentiation depending on the amount of books each has and
the section the got books from. We know E and Fic books are much easier
to shelve that non-fiction. Also I try to allow 20 minutes so the
students can select "Just Right" books. Selecting a "Just Right" book
can be differentiation since "Just Right" is not the same for everyone.
I also try to do activities in pairs or small groups. This I guess could
be differentiation because I try to group the students that need help
with the students that are accelerated. I hope this helps. I do hope
with 30 minute classes I hope you are automated.
--------------------------
Let's keep it simple. How about a lesson on how to shelve fiction?
You could put out a selection of fiction books in several stations -- maybe
5 - 10 different books at each station. Put students in small groups of two
or three and have them put the books in alphabetical order according to how
they would be put on book shelves.
For the more capable student, have them alphabetize authors' names of
fiction books that re1uire looking at second or third letters of the
authors' names.
For the less capable kids, have them alphatize authors' names that only
require using the first letter of the last name.
Or... you could have the least capable students put your encyclopedias in
order.
My question is.... how are you supposed to know how to group the kids for
the differentiated lesson? Surely you aren't expected to knowt he ability of
every child in your school!
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Welcome to the world that our entire county has been living in for the past
two years! We've had to do DI lessons and be observed by a consultant from
one of the state universities, school board office personnel, the principal,
and other staff members. I feel your pain!
One lesson that I did that received positive feedback was fairly simple. I
was working with third grade on library shelf order, the differences between
fiction/nonfiction and how they're shelved, etc. I broke my class up into
"ability" levels by what I've observed and know about the students. Then I
gave each group a set of books to put in the right order. For the "low"
level group, I stuck with fiction chapter books since they seem to be the
easiest. You can vary the difficulty by including numerous authors starting
with the same letter, etc. The middle range group I gave E picture books.
This seems to confuse some students, so it's a bit more challenging. Here
again, difficulty can be adjusted by which authors you pick, or if you're
really picky about shelving (I got over that quickly being in an elem.
school), you can include several books by one author that need to then be
alphabetized by title. My "high" group received nonfiction books to order.
This was a special challenge because when I did the lesson, I really had not
taught them about Dewey yet. I did briefly explain to this group what to do
and then let them go to it. If the groups finished quickly, I then had them
take individual books and try to shelve them.
I must admit the lesson had ulterior motives for me because we'd had
computer problems, and I had a backup of books to shelve. However, it was a
fun lesson that they seemed to enjoy and hopefully learned a little bit
from.
Hope you get some good ideas--would you be willing to post a hit if you do?
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what are you teaching?
One of the best differentiated instruction tools for the library is the
scavenger hunt. Put the kids in pairs [or 3's] and have them locate
materials in the libarary using the catalog or just finding
books on the shelves. You give direct instruction first: e.g.
'fiction is imagination books. Their address is: FIC and then the first
three letters of the authors last name. Can anyone find the
book by Will HOBbs?' that sort of thing. You can make the first 10
questions easy and very concrete. Make it less concrete as it goes along so
that the higher end, abstract thinkers, can move right along at a faster
clip. I used to give prizes for the most completed, but now i give everyone
a prize at the end. [usually a Jolly Rancher candy or the like].
This is an excellent thing to do and reaches every student.
Reinforces any lesson you give also. PLUS, you can develop it according to
the grade level and subject you're teaching.
I've done scavenger hunts on:
how to find books in the library [questions are: find the book that has the
call number 595.6 ABC; Find a fiction book with the first letter of your
last name. What is the title?] how to use google [who won the world series
in 1989; what important event happened there?] using almanacs, answer
questions from the almanac.
how to find books in the catalog [and then go get them from the shelves.
Another lesson:
collect things that are alike but have different qualities to them. I used
to do this with records [you know, from record players! In the old days.
Could use CD's now I reckon].
Give each group of 3-5 kids a batch of them and tell them to organize them
however they want. Some will choose title, some artist [if using music],
some color, etc. have them explain how they organized them and why. then
explain how the dewey decimal system works.
Another:
explain the dewey decimal system. give them numbers. have them line
up according to the ddc number: 389,389.1, 389.12, 389.21, etc.
make it hard or easy depending on age.
the best differentiated lessons allow for concrete thinkers to get the basic
info needed; the gifted kids to quickly get the concrete info needed and
then move on to the abstract.
Hope this give some ideas you can translate for your own kids! The 2nd
graders can do many of these things if you make it easy enough for them -
and direct them to lessons that you can instruct and then give them
practice!
Good luck!
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Hi,
It is a bit difficult to provide suggestions without any context for the
lesson. What skill or concept are you going to be dealing with? In general I
would suggest identifying the basics needed to understand the concept or
apply the skill and that is introduced to whole group. This is followed with
guided practice allowing the able ones to work more independently on
application of the skill or concept, while you provide structured support
for the ones who need it.
Another approach is to have set of content but have different ways to show
understanding for example working with a set of vocabulary words least able
look up in dictionary and write def. More able use in a sentence to
demonstrate understanding of def. Most able might be asked to use the words
in the context of a paragraph they generate. All students are working with
same set of vocabulary words but at different levels of application.
A scavenger hunt could be developed asking students to use the index of a
group of books to locate the answer. A print set of encyclopedias could also
be used. Questions could be on color coded cards indicating difficulty of
required search. (Is entry just a paragraph long with obvious answer, longer
article but answer is in early paragraph, answer requires scanning sub
headings to locate section within the article where the answer would be
found, answer requires going beyond just what is written on the page making
and inference or connecting to background knowledge etc.) Differentiation
could be in the type of question answered, number of searches expected to be
completed and in the amount of help provided.
It is difficult to provide a specific suggestion without knowing more about
what you are trying to cover.
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