The Book Fort
Instructional Ideas for Immediate Implementation
Welcome to The Book Fort! Vol. 1 Issue 11
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Week Eleven: Differentiation through Engagement
The school year is off to a good start. You’ve begun building classroom community and by now you know all of your students’ names, nicknames, and preferred names. Rituals and routines are in place and you’ve given your first set of grades. Now what? The focus of this week’s Book Fort is differentiation, a term that strikes fear in some and frustration in many. It has become an educational buzz word, but not many people really know what it means, in my experience. Admins might expect to see it in the classroom when they observe and evaluate, but have teachers been trained on planning for it and using it effectively? The jury is out on that.
So, this week, I am giving you a few strategies that will hopefully help you think about differentiation in a broader sense, and a fantastic professional book published by ASCD to reference if you want more to study with your PLC. Differentiation strategies can be imbedded in your daily instructional approach without a ton of extra effort or planning, I promise. And, you will better meet the needs of all your learners if you do take the time to differentiate. If you are elementary, never fear: these strategies are for everyone!

Practical Applications
Reading Strategy: Sparking Student Interest
Brain research tells us that novelty is an important motivator when it comes to reading, and all areas of learning (84-85). Sparking student interest is an important part of drawing them into the reading material we want and/or need them to work with, even when that material is prescribed or seemingly dry. Taking the time to do this, even though it won’t be done for them on standardized tests, helps to build background knowledge on a variety of topics and is a way to encourage them to do the same when they approach unfamiliar texts on their own. Below are a few strategies for engaging student interest in reading.
Student Interest Cards Student Interest Cards (Tomlinson) can be used to gather information about what students are interested in. This four-square card can be used to group students by common or differing interests, which in turn can encourage peer relationships and connections (88). | Concept Invitations Concept Invitations (92-93) can be used to guide the initial and on-going conversations about those larger ideas. This is a good way to foster connections between students and content. | Shake and Share Shake and Share (94-95) can be used to get students up and moving while learning what their peers know about a new concept or topic. Great for community building and reinforcing accountable talk. |
Student Interest Cards
Concept Invitations
Shake and Share
Entry Points Entry Points (Gardner) can be used to consider a new concept or text through multiple lenses, including narration, logic, numbers, philosophy, aesthetics, experience, and collaboration (99-100). | Tea Party Tea Party (Beers) can be used to generate interest in a text or text set and is a great way to teach some very necessary “soft skills” (96). Students employ prediction and inference skills in this pre-reading activity. | Round Table Round Table (Kagan) can be used to “whet a student’s appetite for what they are about to study (101). This was originally developed by Kagan in 2008 as a cooperative review strategy and can be adapted to hook students. |
Entry Points
Tea Party
Round Table
Writing Strategy: Interactive Learning Experiences
Writing experiences for students unfortunately tend to be very similar across the grades and content areas once they pass 3rd grade and move into intermediate studies. Testing is partially to blame, but so are we, if we’re honest. Taking some time to design interactive learning experiences that encourage various types of writing regularly will pay off in the end. Students will loathe writing less and so will you! Bonus: student voice and idea development will soar when differentiation is regularly used to approach writing in different ways. Below are a few ways to create interactive learning experiences.
Logographic Cues Logographic Cues (Beers) can be used during reading to prompt reflective writing after reading (118-119). | Interview Model Interview Model (Kagan) can be used to encourage collaboration, speaking, and listening (120-121), and can be the basis for research or informative writing. | Quartet Quiz Quartet Quiz (Tomlinson) can be used to formatively assess students through writing prompts and open ended, text based questions (122-123). |
Logographic Cues
Interview Model
Quartet Quiz
Analytical Role Cards Analytical Role Cards can be used to encourage thinking through various lenses, and can easily roll into analytical writing (126-127). | Debate Team Carousel Debate Team Carousel can be used to conduct structured debate or discussion through persuasive or thesis-driven writing (132-134). | Structured Academic Controversy Structured Academic Controversy (Johnson & Johnson) can be used to explore, discuss, and come to consensus on complex issues with multiple sides; this lends itself to persuasive or thesis-driven writing and/or speech. |
Analytical Role Cards
Debate Team Carousel
Structured Academic Controversy
Speaking Strategy: ThinkDots
Kay Brimijoin developed this strategy “for thinking and talking about a concept, topic, idea, or issue from multiple perspectives” (137-139). This can be used to introduce a new concept, topic, or text, to fuel larger, whole group discussion, to process reading, and/or to assess and review after reading. Bonus: this is perfect for AP Language and Composition Synthesis prompts.
Here’s the gist:
Teacher creates six ThinkDots cards, each with a number corresponding to one of the “dots from a die on one side and a prompt or question on the other side.
Students work in groups of two to six with one die and a set of ThinkDots per group. Each student is responsible for one of the prompts/cards.
Students take turn rolling the die, sharing the question, and responding until each student has take responsibility for one card.
Students use a graphic organizer to track their thinking and discussions.
All groups can work with the same set or different ones, depending on the level of differentiation needed for a given topic or instructional sequence.

Classroom Tool of the Week
Zoom

Teacher2Teacher

What Kids are Reading
The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsay Currie 5th grade blogger & Wonder Lead Ambassador Olivia Van Ledtje of New Hampshire highly recommends The Particular Incident on Shady Street. Liv says, "Do you want suspense? Drama? And ghosts? Then you need this book!" Check out Olivia @TheLivBits and Lindsay Currie @lindsayncurrie | The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie Carlisle Area, Pennsylvania 11th grader Matthew loves this tale of Junior, American Indian teenager who cannot seem to fit in anywhere, but tries to find his way. This is a favorite of many high school boys, so check it out here if you haven't! Follow the author @Sherman_Alexie for news on books and events. | Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse AndersonBeechwood High School 7th grader Brenna loves Laurie Halse Anderson's Fever 1793. She loves that this book is historical fiction and enjoyed the characterization of the protagonist. Check out the author @halseanderson as this is only one of her MANY amazing books. |
The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsay Currie
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Beechwood High School 7th grader Brenna loves Laurie Halse Anderson's Fever 1793. She loves that this book is historical fiction and enjoyed the characterization of the protagonist. Check out the author @halseanderson as this is only one of her MANY amazing books.
