Differentiated Instruction: Task Cards

Task cards are assignments written on cards and placed in

BEFORE
easily accessible containers (e.g., envelopes, folders, boxes).
Each card has one assignment or task (e.g., multiple choice
questions, short-answer questions, open-ended questions). DURING
Students choose a card and do the work individually, in pairs,
or in small groups. The cards are a resource that teachers can AFTER
reuse in many different ways. If possible, the cards should be
laminated.

How to do it:
Benefits
1. Use the results of ongoing assessments and
The strategy benefits teaching
knowledge of your students’ interests to create
task cards that will allow them to meet the learning and learning in the following ways:
outcomes for your lesson(s). • T
ask cards allow students to work
independently and give them
2. Organise the cards by topic, skill, concept, type of
choices in their learning.
task and/or difficulty level. Mark the cards in a way
that is easy for you to identify and sort the cards • T
ask cards provide students with
according to these categories. tasks that are tailored to their
learning needs and interests.
3. Have students do the activities or tasks on the cards
for independent work, in pairs, or in small groups. • T
ask cards motivate students, as
You can monitor the whole class, or work with an there is only one task to complete at
individual student or a small group. a time.
4. You could use task cards in the following ways: • T
ask cards allow teachers to
differentiate their instruction to meet
• Scoot game: Place a numbered task card on
students’ needs.
each desk. Have students answer their card on a
provided answer sheet and then ‘scoot’ around
the room to a new card/desk when prompted.
Success Criteria
• Early finishers: Place the task cards in a
Look for:
designated area in the classroom. Students
can get a set of task cards when they finish FF Students working independently.
an assignment early to review or enrich their
learning. FF Students active and engaged in the
task.
• Exit tickets: Prepare a set of task cards with
‘exit ticket’ questions for students to answer at FF Students on-task and completing
the end of the lesson. the task cards.

• Homework: Allow students to choose cards to

take home for practice or review.

Differentiated Instruction: Task Cards © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 1
Example of strategy in use

Students in a lower secondary maths class are reviewing word problems. The teacher has
grouped students based on assessment of their earlier work on this subject and has created
task cards that include word problems. The teacher has created four sets of cards differentiated
by level of difficulty.

The teacher works with one group at a time to assess their understanding and help them with
any problems. As the teacher works with small groups of students, the other students choose
task cards from sets of cards differentiated by level of difficulty. Each student has a task card
with one maths word problem on it. When they have finished with a task card they choose
another one, or swap with someone in their group.

Differentiated Instruction: Task Cards © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 2