Differentiate Any Assignment with These 6 Reliably Easy Ideas

Differentiate is likely a word you have heard about a million and one times if you are a teacher. We hear we need to differentiate assignments for our students, but no one really takes the time to explain what that looks like in the classroom.

Ideally, student learning is unique to each student, but when you have a room with 25 plus kids in it, that’s a lot of differentiation. Even differentiating an assignment for just a few students can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be!

Differentiate by Using Cooperative Learning

I am a huge proponent of cooperative learning in every aspect, but it is a miracle worker when it comes to differentiation. It is a powerful tool for all learners, but it is especially great for our English Language Learners.

My favorite cooperative learning structure for completing a worksheet is Sage-N-Scribe because it allows students to help each other all while voicing exactly what they are doing.

To complete Sage-N-Scribe

1. Partner A has the pencil

2. Partner B thinks out loud while Partner A scribes for them giving them praise or corrections

3. Partner A and Partner B switch roles and repeat

This strategy is amazing for all students because voicing their thinking really makes them work on their metacognition and work on academic vocabulary. It also allows me, as the teacher, to hear how my students are doing.

Differentiate by Providing Challenge Questions

It is easy to forget when we talk about differentiation that it doesn’t go in just one direction. By providing students with challenge questions we are able to up the ante for our high achievers and quick finishers.

A challenge question can be as easy as asking a student to write their own question about a topic or be more in-depth to include research or possibly a STEM challenge.

Challenge questions can also be given to every level of learner in your class because each student will meet the challenge where they are.

Alternatively, you can have students create their own challenge questions.

Differentiate with a Highlighter

A highlighter is a magical little tool. It is super easy to stick one in your pocket or clip it to your lanyard so that you have it at a moment’s notice to whip out and be ready to differentiate like a boss. I use a highlighter to select items for a student to complete. I use this tool when there are specific items that I need to see student’s progress on. When using a highlighter it usually means I am the one selecting which items need to be completed, and it is usually more than half of the items.

Sometimes I will ask the student which item they are struggling with and work with them on that item, and then highlight items that will compliment their learning based on that item. A fringe benefit of using the highlighter is that students love the color that is added to their paper. My favorite highlighters are the Frixion erasable highlighters because a teacher reserves the right to change her mind.

Differentiate with Sticky Notes

Sticky notes as a differentiation tool are amazing for students that need a little bit of control because it offers choice. In this case, I generally have a highlighter and meet with a student. I tell them what the different sections are. Then I use my highlighter to split up the items based on the standard. Then I write in highlighter how many of each item I expect them to complete. Finally, I leave the student with sticky notes to choose which problems they will complete and which items they will cover with sticky notes to omit. It becomes their responsibility to choose items for each standard to complete.

By using sticky notes to cover the problems they will no longer be completing it also gives the student a little piece of mind, simply because there isn’t as much on the page to look at. A fringe benefit is it allows them more room to work as well.

Differentiate by Changing the Medium

Pencil and paper just don’t work for some students. I get it. Personally, I HATE writing in pencil. Like, with a passion. When I do have to use a pencil it automatically puts me in a bad mood. I prefer pen, or marker, or just about anything else.

Instead of fighting a student on their writing utensil, let them work in another medium. Is it an assignment which can be completed on the computer? Can they use a whiteboard instead?

These easy for you things can make all the difference!

Differentiate with Student Created Assignments

Giving students the option to create their own assignments opens up a whole new branch of critical thinking.

Giving a student a standard and having them write their own question, do research, or create a project shows a much deeper level of understanding than simply answering a multiple choice question. It is an undeniable use of higher order thinking skills.

This differentiation strategy works to scaffold learning down to our lowest level learners as well as build up more challenge for students ready for it.

Wrapping Up

Differentiation isn’t just a buzzword. It is, what is best for our students. This doesn’t mean it is easy, but when we step back to the basics we can make it happen.