Lesson/Strategy

Grade Level

Subject

Learning Contract

Fourth Grade

Reading and Writing

Lesson Fit: When I will use this strategy:

The learning contract will be used to provide a guide for students to complete a biography project.
This project is combining all of the skills we have been working toward in reading, research, and
nonfiction writing. This project will be used as the final project.
The learning contract is differentiated by offering students options of how to complete several steps
of the process. The options are tiered to support students learning.
Challenges:
The challenge with this learning contract will involve how independent students can be with the
learning process. I anticipate some students will struggle with being given the freedom to follow
the plan at their own pace.
I plan to present the contract to students and have them sign a work behavior contract. I also plan
to have work check-in days to make sure I am supporting them in this way as well.
Assessment: How I will know this strategy is working:
I will assess their process on work check-in days and will assess their final projects at the end of
the learning. Students will present their projects to the rest of the class.
Lesson/Strategy

Grade Level

Subject

Questioning

Fourth Grade

Reading

Lesson Fit: When I will use this strategy:

The questioning strategy for differentiating will be applied throughout the day in all subject areas.
This example will be specifically prepared questions to use with an article in reading. The
questions are prepared to fit every level of Blooms taxonomy. They will offer students the option of
answering at different levels. The preparation of the question list will allow me the option of asking
appropriate questions as I gauge student understanding in the middle of the lesson.
Challenges:
The challenge with questioning as a teacher is knowing when is appropriate to ask each level of
question to each student. It is also a challenge to know how to provide students with the
opportunity to think about and answer the appropriate question for their learning.
I plan to have all of the questions prepared and on a clipboard. I also plan to offer two question
options for responses, making sure that all students are processing the same content, just at a
different level.

Assessment: How I will know this strategy is working:

I will assess students responses to questions at each level and adjust my questions based on their
responses.
Lesson/Strategy

Grade Level

Subject

Tiering

Fourth Grade

Reading

Lesson Fit: When I will use this strategy:

Students will complete a pre-assessment on writing a fiction summary. They will be rated on a
learning progression and instruction will be tiered to their level. They will receive instruction at their
level and have the opportunity to practice the summarizing skill with different levels of support.
Challenges:
Students will be tiered into two groups with two separate teachers. The challenge will be that even
within one tiered group, there will still be a variety of student needs.
I plan to tier even further in my group of students. I will formatively assess as we learn, and I will
tier students into smaller groups based on their needs.
Assessment: How I will know this strategy is working:
I will formatively assess as we work and adjust instruction to meet student needs. I will assess the
complete process at the end of the learning process and continue to tier instruction in small group
reading.
Lesson/Strategy

Grade Level

Subject

Curriculum Compacting

Fourth Grade

Reading

Lesson Fit: When I will use this strategy:

After a pre-assessment, I will tier students according to their needs in the skill of fiction summaries.
The higher tier group will have the summarizing curriculum compacted. They will complete the
exceeds level learning in one week, and they will complete a blackout poetry project as an
extension. This project will ask them to take what they know about summarizing and deep themes,
and they will be blacking out words on the text to create a poem that communicates the
summary/theme of the text.
Challenges:
A potential challenge to the strategy applied in this way is that even within this higher tier, students
will be learning at different paces and levels. The teacher will need to adjust instruction based on
their needs. It is very likely that some students will complete the curriculum compacting process
faster than others.

Assessment: How I will know this strategy is working:

I will formatively assess students during the process. They will summarize a text after one week of
instruction at the exceeds level. If they are a level 4, they will move on to the project. If they are
not, they will return to work on summarizing with activities that meet their needs.
Lesson/Strategy

Grade Level

Subject

RAFT

Fourth Grade

Reading, Science, and Writing

Lesson Fit: When I will use this strategy:

The RAFT writing activity will accompany a reading activity that meets the what happened and
why standard in the common core. Students will respond to an article about whale hunting. This
will require creative thinking. It differentiates by giving students choice for their role, audience,
format, and topic. They will be able to choose what is best for their work.
Challenges:
This RAFT activity will challenge some students who will struggle with thinking outside of the box to
write a response.
I plan to offer a few blank spaces on the RAFT diagram. Students can create their own options to
fit their level.
Assessment: How I will know this strategy is working:
Students will create a written response to the text that is written in a creative way.
Lesson/Strategy

Grade Level

Subject

The Equalizer

Fourth Grade

Math

Lesson Fit: When I will use this strategy:

I will use the Equalizer to plan tiered lessons to support students with classifying polygons
according to their attributes. I will adjust the foundation/transformational, concrete/abstract, simple
facet/multiple facet, and less independence/greater independence dials on the Equalizer tool.
Challenges:
One challenge with the Equalizer is choosing which dials would be best to adjust for any given
lesson. There are so many elements to consider when differentiating, sometimes it is
overwhelming to decide which would be best.
I plan to choose four elements to focus on differentiating for this series of math lessons.
Assessment: How I will know this strategy is working:

I will formatively assess students in targeted groups. This will occur during small group math
instruction, so they will move in and out of targeted groups depending on the skills they develop.
Lesson/Strategy

Grade Level

Subject

Choice Boards

Fourth Grade

Math

Lesson Fit: When I will use this strategy:

Students will receive a learning menu to use when their math work for the day is complete. This
menu will include several options that fit different multiple intelligences. There will also be a few
leveled options on the board. The board will have six options; students will be required to choose
four of the six.
Challenges:
One challenge to the learning menu is the management of student work and time. Some students
will finish the menu quickly and need other options, and some students will work on it slowly over
time.
I plan to create several different menus that are leveled to what students are working on. My
lowest students will have a learning menu that focused on facts and operation practice because
that is what they need practice with. My higher students will have a menu that focuses on some
exceeds skills because that is what they are ready to work on.
Assessment: How I will know this strategy is working:
Students will use the menu when they finish daily work. They will complete quality work and
choose options that fit them best.
Lesson/Strategy

Grade Level

Subject

Chalk Talk

Fourth Grade

Reading

Lesson Fit: When I will use this strategy:

I will choose four parts of a class text to display in the middle of a large sheet of butcher paper.
Students will rotate around the room to read the text and ask a question from a Blooms question
prompt. I will encourage students to ask higher tier questions, but this will be differentiated to allow
students to ask according to their levels. Students will rotate around again, writing responses to
the questions students asked on the paper. These will be displayed at the end of class for
students to do a gallery walk to review the class discussion that is visible.
Challenges:
One challenge to the chalk talk strategy is that the text will not be leveled. All students will be
reading the same level of text, which will be challenging for some students.

I plan to read the text with the class the day before and do a small amount of discussion, so that
they have all experienced the content before this visual discussion. I also plan to allow students to
choose from any level of Blooms taxonomy for their questions, which will differentiate the thinking
students will be doing during the work.
Assessment: How I will know this strategy is working:
I will rotate with students and write my own questions and responses. I will know the strategy is
effective as I see their thinking. Students will know it is effective as they make the gallery walk and
make final comments.