Differentiated Instruction

Differentiated Instruction for 9th Grade US History: It All Begins With Pre-Assessment

The three groups will receive differentiated instruction based on the results of pre-assessments that provided a broad overview of the competencies of the students in terms of language and the content of ninth grade US History. Students will have been placed in the three groups. This will include modifying some activities to better fit the student’s abilities and language skills. Differentiated instruction will be based off of the pre-assessment. It will be done efficiently considering the attention that will be required to manage groups at once and students that are struggling. There will be an emphasis on technology and adaptations of the core lesson plan. Students will be required to complete the course content, but will be given extra assistance in key areas, or will be challenged and others depending on ability level. 

Group 1

This group is composed of the 5 students who answered most, including the most difficult, of the pre-assessment questions correctly. These students are champions and the greatest challenge for teaching Will be to make sure that Their time is well spent and they are learning New content rather than Just reviewing content that they’ve already mastered.

Pre-Assessment: Students will complete a series of short essays to gauge their abilities on the subject assess their potential for growth. Students will complete a standardized test for US History. The test will look at areas that they are already confident in and look for areas or time periods where they will need additional study. A Google forms sheet will allow students to state their goals and interests in the subject matter to allow for differentiated projects that will supplement the basic course material.  This assessment will assist the teacher in finding possible gaps the students will need to review and helping the teacher pick areas of the course that they can challenge students and in a way that best interests them.

Differentiated Instruction: Students will study additional content that will prepare them for taking more advanced courses at a later date or exams for college credit at a later point. This is meant to be an introductory history class, but the students are already very competent in the coursework, and should be working on more advanced content while also working on peripheral skill set such as reading and writing skills. Supplementing the coursework or moving through it at a faster pace can be done through Khan Academy and Kahoot. While typically not something done in ninth grade, they will be well-prepared for taking more advanced history courses by mastering content areas. Students will complete an alternative set of assignments that emphasize writing and presentationsStudents will be allowed to work at a faster pace separate from the general population. Students will be able to read out a textbook on their own and can use Google classroom to view lectures rather than sitting through your discussion with but broader class. Students will have additional activities and robust study guides for alternative tests that will help prepare them for more advanced courses in US History.

Group 2

This group has 5 students who appear to have limited knowledge about the topic, of which 3 are struggling with language and are at different reading levels and 2 students who have little to no comprehension of the topic and need to be tested further for special needs.

Pre-Assessment: Students will complete a series of short responses to writing prompts to better gauge the understanding of language and content. A Kahoot will utilize pictures and simple vocabulary to test content. This will separate content from language skills. A Google forms will allow students to answer a series of questions based on what they have learned in past courses. It will give the teacher a better idea of what foundation have had for the US history course. For example, a migrant student that recently immigrated may not have had the emphasis on US history in their native country.

Differentiated Instruction: Students will be able to utilize pictures that supplement the writing on the page. Vocabulary will be carefully worded so as not to be difficult or the page will include additional information to help students decipher the vocabulary. Questions are broad in nature allowing for multiple routes to demonstrating knowledge of content. Short written responses that can be supplemented by pictures. Directions are “laconic” and use basic vocabulary.A greater emphasis of the grade will be placed on the content versus the ability of the student to use language skills. The students will not be rated lower for poor grammar or misusing words on essay assignments for example.Students will be allowed to record a presentation rather than present live. This will allow for students to start and stop activity and practice key vocabulary and phrases. It will allow them for multiple opportunities to perfect their activity.

Group 3

The 12 students who have some knowledge about the topic as shown in their score, but need to develop higher order thinking skills.

Students will take a broad comprehensive standardized test to determine which areas of history they understand or are in need of growth. Students will take a Google Forms survey that states their goals for the course and their background that has prepared them for the course such as other history classes that they’ve taken in the past. The Google Forms will also assess interests in history. Students will complete a series of short answer quiz questions that assess critical thinking skills as relevant to US History. These three sets together will provide a snapshot of how the students can be best served by differentiated instruction.

Students are required to complete additional coursework in areas that they tested low during assessments. This will involve completing worksheets that have important events, dates, people, etc. from the area of history to supplement the lectures and to challenge their critical thinking skills with conclusions that they must write about to summarize historical significance. Students will answer questions from a Kahoot specifically designed to challenge critical thinking skills. There will be an explanation for each answer, why it was correct, and the thought process that can support those conclusions. Students part of the “general population” will complete regular coursework. This will involve textbook and lectures. In the course of these regular lessons, and in order to develop higher order thinking skills, a greater emphasis will be placed on writing assessment; the students will be required to complete a series of short responses at different points of the lecture to challenge critical thinking skills. This will target key portions of the lesson and make sure that students are fully absorbing the information.