Running head: DIFFERENTIATED LESSON PLAN

Differentiated Lesson Plan

Justine Manabat
December 6, 2014
EDUC 660
Chaminade University of Honolulu

Manabat-

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Name of Lesson: Human Physiology The Digestion System

Teacher: Justine Manabat
Date: December 10th, 2014
Class: Seventh Grade
Central focus and purpose of the content you will teach:
A vital component in life is food. Every organism on earth thrives on energy from various
types of food in order to live a full functioning life. The central focus of this content is for students
to learn how the process of digestion in humans work. Students will be able to understand what
organs and their functions play a role in digestion. Additionally, students will gain meaningful
knowledge on how the types of foods they eat get digested and how these foods affects their
overall well-being.

Differentiation/ Accommodating for Diverse Learners and Exceptional Children

Differentiating and accommodating for diverse learners and exceptional children takes a
little more time to plan for, however, the most important factor to consider is that these strategies
will be of best interest for these individuals. In order to reach all individuals, differentiation
happens in three areas: content, process, and product. According to Tomlinson (2001), if teachers
were to differentiate these three areas, teachers offer different approaches to what students learn,
how they learn it, and how they demonstrate what theyve learned. Another factor to consider
when differentiating and accommodating for diverse learners and exceptional children are the
characteristics of students their readiness, interests, and learning profiles.
One model of differentiation that I would always consider using is to vary my teacher
presentations to the class and to utilize various text and resource materials. All students acquire

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knowledge differently and in order to help the students learn the information the best way that they
can, it is important to know how they learn (visually, kinesthetically, and audibly) and be able to
give them the support that they need to reach understandings.
Additionally, this classroom with be a heterogeneous classroom advanced learners will be
together with grade level students, struggling learners and exceptional children. According to
Hallahan, Kauffman, & Pullen (2012) majority of students with learning disabilities can be taught
suitably in general education classes (p. 36). Also, exceptional learners should be in the most least
restrictive environment so that their lives will be as normal as possible. Every learner has strengths
and weaknesses and by combining different students with other students, they will be able to help
one another in more ways than none.
Explain how you will differentiate:
In the future I plan on teaching high school students and if that does not work out, I would
teach middle school students. Differentiation is an important way of teaching because it can be
catered to all types of learners, even students with special learning needs. As with all students, to
start off by varying the way information is presented to them is just the beginning of
differentiating. Hallahan et al., (2012) mention various curricula and instructional strategies in
order to meet the needs of exceptional learners such as cooperative learning students work
together in heterogeneous small groups to solve problems, peer tutoring teachers train peers to
help teach academic/social skills to classmates, and partial participation exceptional learners
participate in all activities experienced by all students in the general education classroom (p. 38).
When exceptional learners have the support of their peers, they will be able to go through the
motions of school without much difficulty. Additionally, Tomlinson (2001) mentions the use of

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tiered assignments, where students will have the option of different assignments that is on a single
topic that varies in difficulty.

Describe how you will meet the unique learning needs of:
1. Grade level students Before presenting information to the class,
students will receive key words that will be defined. The definitions will be
pictures of the organs and their functions will be in bold lettering. After whole
class instruction of the digestive system has ended, these students will create
a Food Story that involves themselves imagining and becoming their favorite
foods to tell how their journey through the digestive system happens. These
students are required to use the key words and they have the option to add
drawings to their stories.
2. Struggling Readers As with the rest of the class, key words of the digestive system will be
defined in bold lettering and in pictures. I will also have a recorded version of the defining of key
words and the whole class presentation of the digestive system, so that they are able to go over the
presentation again if they need to. Also, there will be a short video shown to these learners so that
they are able to visually understand the digestive process. These learners will have the option of
creating a Food Story but both learners will work together to create a collage of the digestive
system, showing the different parts in pictures. The use of pictures is highly encouraged because if
they understand the picture, they will be able to put their understanding into words soon enough.
3. Gifted and Talented Students Hallahan et al., (2012) state that most of us feel a moral
obligation to help people who are at some disadvantage compared to the average person, who have

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differences that prevent them from achieving ordinary levels of competence unless they are given
special help (p. 429), regardless of the fact if students are exceptional learners, average, or gifted
and talented, all students deserve the attention and support from their teachers. Students at all
ages and grade levels are entitled to challenging and appropriate instruction and if they are to
develop their talents fully (Hallahan et al., 2012, p. 442). Since these students might get bored
easily, it is important to find ways to help lessen their boredom (Hallahan et al., 2012). These
students will receive key words that will be defined at the beginning of the class and instead of
creating a Food Story they are to be grouped together to create a comic book about the digestive
system. Each student will choose a part of the digestive system to focus and research on and each
will create a page about their specific part. As a whole group, they will choose an ailment that
deals with the digestive system (e.g. stomachaches or lactose intolerance) and present their
findings to the rest of the class. These students will also be able to access more advanced resource
materials to help with their work.
GLOs:
1. Community Contributor essential for human beings to work together
2. Complex Thinker ability to demonstrate critical thinking and problem solving
3. Quality Producer ability to recognize and produce quality performance and quality products
National or State Standards:
Hawaii Content and Performance Standards III
Strand: Human Physiology
Standard 4: Organ Systems Understand the functions of various organ systems
Topic: Nutrition, Digestion, and Excretion
Benchmark SC.HP.4.3: Evaluate the structure and function of the digestive system in
transportation and absorption of food and nutrients
Learning goal/objectives of your lesson:
The learning goal and objective for this lesson is for the students to understand the
digestive process in humans. Students will be able to identify and define the functions of the

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various organs and other components that make the digestive system work. At the end of the
lesson, students will have a conscious awareness of how food is vital food is to their lives.

Progress monitoring/ formative assessment: (how will you keep kids on-track and monitor
this?

After whole class instruction on the digestive system, students will break into independent
work and group work depending on what their task is. The grade level students will be working
independently for their food stories and at the same time they can also work collaboratively with
their peers to check for any misconceptions or for inspirations. For the struggling readers, I will
ask them if they need to review the presentation again by listening to the audio I recorded. I will
then explain what they are required to do, showing an example of what the outcome of their
product should be like. Also, I will remind of them how much time they have to complete their
work. For the gifted and talented students, I will again remind them of what is expected of them
and also show an example of the product (comic book) and describe to them various digestive
ailments that they can conduct their research on. Students in the classroom will be working
independently or with others, but the most important thing is to always remind students of the
amount of time they have left to finish up a section of their activity.
Post Assessment After the unit has ended, grade level students will be required to turn in their
food stories, the struggling readers will have to turn in their collage of the digestive system, and
the gifted and talented students will turn in their collaborative digestive comic book and present
their research about the specific digestive ailment that they chose. Students must be able to define

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and identify all components of the digestive system. All assignments have accompanying rubrics to
assess their understanding and work.
Steps in Procedure: Describe the steps in the learning activities.
At the beginning of the lesson, a presentation of the digestive system will be given to the
whole class. All students will receive key words/terms that will be defined by myself with pictures
and bold lettering. During the presentation, there will be concrete (real-life materials used in
digestion), symbolic (pictures of organs of the digestive system), and abstract (the role of digestion
critical to everyday life) content given to all students.
Grade level students will be required to write a food story. Students will become their
favorite food and they will describe their journey through the digestive system starting from the
very beginning of digestion to where it ends. Students are required to use the all the key terms
given to them at the beginning of the class.
The struggling readers will be able to go over the presentation again if necessary. The
definitions and pictures of the terms of the digestive system will be available for them to use to
create their digestive system collage. Both students will work together to create pictures that
describe the digestive system.
Gifted and talented students will be required to make a digestive system comic book, each
person in this group will create a page on a specific part of the digestive system using research that
they have gathered either from the resources that I have given them or online. Also, these students
will have to research a digestive ailment of their choice and present their findings to the rest of the
class.

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Management Considerations:
In any classroom, students feed off of one another, positively or negatively. Since this
classroom is a laboratory, the lab tables are permanently situated. According to Tomlinson (2001)
having a home base for students will enable me to organize students and materials more
efficiently. When it is time to break into groups, students will move to different lab tables
designated for their various tasks. Lab tables are situated on both sides of the classroom, enabling
me and the students to move around freely without being bothersome to others. Also, students will
have a game plan for when they need help and I am unavailable to help them such as asking peers
for clarification or having an expert of the day (an advanced learner) to help explain something
(Tomlinson, 2001).

Rubrics
GLO 4: Quality Producer Food Story
Indicators

Accuracy of
All supportive
Facts (Content) facts are reported
accurately.
Student names
and describes the
function of all the
digestive system
organs.

Almost all
supportive facts
are reported
accurately.
Student names
and describes at
almost all, but at
least five, of the
digestive system
organs.

Most
supportive facts
are reported
accurately.
Student names
most of the
digestive
system organs,
but only
describes some
(but at least 3).

NO facts are reported

OR most are inaccurately
reported. Student only
names the some
digestive system organs,
but does not describe
their function.

Creativity

Students takes on
the role of the
food he/she has
eaten and
describes in
detail what it is
like to be that

Students takes
on the role of
the food he/she
has eaten and
describes what
it is like to go
through some

Students write an
informative report and
do not take on the role of
the food. Students
merely report
information.

Students takes on
the role of the
food he/she has
eaten and
describes in
detail what it is
like to be that

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food going
through the
digestive system.
Student adds
humor to his/her
writing.

food going
through the
digestive system.
Student adds
humor to his/her
writing.

(at least 3) of
the organs.
Student is
straight and to
the point.

Transitions
A variety of
(Organization) thoughtful
transitions are
used. They
clearly show how
ideas are
connected.

Transitions
clearly show how
ideas are
connected, but
there is little
variety.

Some
The transitions between
transitions
ideas are unclear or
work well; but nonexistent.
connections
between other
ideas are fuzzy.

Focus on Topic There is one

(Content)
clear, wellfocused topic.
Main idea stands
out and is
supported by
detailed
information.

Main idea is clear

but the
supporting
information is
general.

Main idea is
somewhat clear
but there is a
need for more
supporting
information.

The main idea is not

clear. There is a
seemingly random
collection of
information.

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ManabatReferences

General Learner Outcomes (2013). Hawaii Department of Education. Retrieved from

http://www.hawaiipublicschools.org/TeachingAndLearning/StudentLearning/Lear
nerOutcomes/Pages/home.aspx
Hallahan, D. P., Kauffman, J. M., & Pullen, P. C. (2012). Exceptional Learners: An
introduction to special education. Upper Saddle Creek, NJ: Pearson Education,
Inc.
Hawaii Content & Performance Standards (2014). Hawaii Department of Education.
Retrieved from http://165.248.72.55/hcpsv3/search_results.jsp?
contentarea=Science&gradecourse=Human+Physiology&strand=&showbenchma
rk=benchmark&showspa=spa&showrubric=rubric&Go%21=Submit
Tomlinson, C. A. (2001). How to differentiate instruction in mixed-ability classrooms.
Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development