Resources for Differentiation
Katherine Senecal
Assessment Resources
Plicker: This can be used as a formative assessment tool. Students hold up unique answer cards and the iPad can scan answers quickly and collect the data,
Bright Loop: record keeping website, create, store and review anecdotal records from conferences and small group lessons. Click on the link to view how it works!
Useful Websites
Montana AGATE, this site provides news and training on gifted and talented education for the state of Montana.
Dr. Carol Dweck, this website gives more information on the differences between a growth or a fixed mindset. It has resources for parents, teachers, coaches, and more about how to build a growth mindset in students.
Ian Byrd is a leading innovator on gifted education. He has a wonderful webpage with resources and tips on how to add complexity to tasks to challenge all students. He also has resources on introversion and how it can affect many of your gifted students.
National Association for Gifted Children has many resources for parents, administrators, teachers, and more on the myths of gifted education, and how to teach to high potential.
Read Works, this website has Common Core supported reading passages for K-8 reading. Search by topic, grade level, skill, or reading strategies. This can be used to find appropriate reading passages for your higher level readers.
Number Talks presents ideas for daily mental math and problem solving practice.
K-5 Math Teaching Resources: This site provides an extensive collection of FREE resources, math games, and hands-on math activities that are aligned with the Common Core. They include math printables that can be utilized in centers, small groups, or whole group.
Daily 5 Literacy Block manage student chosen literacy centers while meeting with small groups and individual students
Technology for Engagement and Differentiation
PBS Learning Media: free content website, K-12, video, interactive games, lessons, free
Keyboarding Without Tears: iPad app or online keyboarding and literacy activities, K-5, supplement to Handwriting Without Tears program (need to purchase)
KidBlog: blogging platform for schools, free with paid upgrade options starting at $35/year
Explain Everything: app for screen-casting ($2.99, but very hands-on)
Popplet app and website for creating graphic organizers. Students can draw, use text and pictures to organize their thoughts.
Class Dojo: classroom management website and app, reward behavior using avatars plus print or e-mail reports for parents.
Toontastic: the basic level of the story making app is free. Students choose characters and set up a story via a story arc to create an engaging movie. Excellent for teaching how to utilize narrative writing! Upgrade to get additional settings and characters!
Tellagami: students create a Gami to perform. Limited to your imagination, students can have the Gami give a weather report, read a story, and more. This website provides a bunch of ideas how the Tellagami app can be used in your classroom (free last I checked).
Education City: Aligned with Common Core, you can have students analyzing text features at a second grade level while other practice phonics skills! We also have the math section which covers all our common core standards! Don't let this fantastic resource slip away!
Mystery Skype: collaborative activity to connect classes via Skype to ask and answer questions. Excellent for building skills in geography, understanding of cultures, and sense of communities.
Nearpod: interactive presentation website, import slides from Power Point or Google Slides, add interactive elements such as quizzes, polls or drawing activities, share with mobile devices, free with paid upgrade options.
Kodable: teach K-3 students how to code using this iPad app. The future needs coders and this app has a full curriculum!
KidRex: KidRex is a kid friendly search engine! Ideal for reports and projects, kids can search this site to find appropriate websites for their report!