Unit Differentiation

A lot of the units appeared to be geared towards the younger grades, and because I am more interested in the older grades, I focused on some of the units that were for older grades. I really liked the teacher reflection for the geometry unit. She talked about how some of the students would not even be familiar with the concepts, while others would be masters in the concepts. She began her planning based on what she knew about her students, rather than planning than adapting. It really shows that she was familiar enough with her students’ interests and abilities to aid her in her planning. I also liked how she talked about how it would be more effective for her students to use manipulatives verses filling out worksheets. In the actual unit overview, each activity is tiered based on readiness. She talked about how she would circulate the room during these activities, making note of struggling students. This information helped her determine how she grouped her students for the remainder of the unit. I also liked at the end of the unit she had final products based on interest and learning style. At the end of the unit the teacher reflects on how each student was able to “grow” because she planned with varying starting points in mind.
I also liked the unit about literature circles. It started out by stating that literature circle routines take time to develop so it is a good idea to do this unit at the beginning of the year. The teacher wanted all of her students to understand the various roles that take place within a literature circle, the challenge was accommodating the various reading levels. I like she allowed journal responses based on choice and student interest. In writing, I think it’s important to allow students a lot of freedom, otherwise writing becomes a chore. I noticed that she did some extra prep work with ESL students so that they could participate as much as their classmates. The teacher notes that doing this unit at the beginning of the year really sets the pace and provides her with a lot of information about her students and their level of abilities with reading, analyzing literature, participating in group discussions, and taking on leadership roles.