Modules 1 and 2: Planning for Differentiation

CSU-Global
Course:

Your Name:

Kristen Olson

Subject / Course:

Special Education (Mild/Moderate)

Topic:

Math

Lesson Title:

Think before you Subtract

Level:

4th grade

Lesson
Duration:

OTL 565

30 min.

SUPPORT YOUR CHOICES THROUGHOUT EVERY PHASE OF THE LESSON WITH

RESEARCH THAT SUPPORTS ITS EFFECTIVENESS.
Common Core or State Standard(s):
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NBT.B.4

Fluently add and subtract multi-digit whole numbers using the standard algorithm.
(Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2016)

Description of Lesson as currently taught:

Students receive the majority of their math instruction in the general
education classroom. My current model for intervention is to pre-teach
lessons with a focus on the essentials. I use manipulative tools to model
concepts and to allow students hands-on-learning opportunities as they
work through a selection of sample problems.
Differentiated Instructional Approaches and Pre-Assessments

Climate
In this module you learned that one of the important elements of planning for
differentiation was establishing a CLIMATE that fosters differentiation (safe,
nurturing, encourages risk-taking, multi-sensory, stimulating, challenging and
collaborative). Explain what steps you will take to establish a climate that
allows for effective differentiation.

This is my 2nd year with this particular group of 4th graders. Over time I
have taught these students to encourage each other and to be open about
their mistakes or when they don't understand something. I've done this
through modeling and prompting. Anytime a student has exhibited a lack of
tolerance for another person's differences or was insensitive to a person's
difficulty with a task I've pulled that student aside privately to help them
understand the impact of their words and/or actions. It is fun to see now
how open they are. When a student volunteers to share and explain a
mistake they made in their work you know they feel safe and supported.

Knowing the Learner

In this module you learned that another one of the important elements of
planning for differentiation was KNOWING THE LEARNER (abilities,
strengths, weaknesses, learning styles, multiple-intelligence preference, and
cultural diversity including linguistic, religion, sexual orientation, and
geographic area). Explain what steps you will take to know the learners in your
classroom.
At the beginning of the school year I asked each of my students to

Modules 1 and 2: Planning for Differentiation

complete an online learning styles questionnaire. I then compiled all

of the results into a Google Spreadsheet that I refer back to from
time to time.
At the beginning of each quarter I ask students to reflect on their
learning and set goals for themselves for the next quarter. This often
gives me some good insight into what is important to them and how
they are feeling about where they are at right now.
At the time of each student's IEP I also collect information from
parents as well as the students about strengths, interests, goals,
etc...
Pre-Assessment
In this module you learned that instructional decisions should include time for
pre-assessment in order to determine the potential impact of the affective
filter on the comprehensibility of instruction (e.g., cultural background, first
(L1) and second (L2) language proficiency, prior knowledge in the content
area, etc.). Explain how you will pre-assess students in this lesson.
All students within the group have taken the Unit 4 pre-assessment. Based
on the information from this assessment as well as progress monitoring
data I've collected over the past few weeks the starting point for students
on this lesson is as follows:
Student A: Knows only the standard algorithm - accuracy is inconsistent
Student B: Can use the standard algorithm with guidance, can use place
value pieces to model and solve
Student C: Can use place value drawings, place value pieces, friendly
numbers, number line, and standard algorithm
Student D: Can use place value drawings, place value pieces, friendly
numbers, number line, and standard algorithm and can make decisions
about when each method is most efficient

Learning Target (Objectives, Student Set Goals, and/or Essential Questions):

Students will be able to fluently subtract multi-digit whole numbers by
choosing the most efficient method for the given problem.

Learning Task
Unit 4 Module 2 Session 5 Work Page Problems

Modules 1 and 2: Planning for Differentiation

Number of Days: 1

Learning Task

Students will apply their learning of various subtraction strategies from the
lessons leading up to this lesson. They will work together as a team to
follow the given steps for each problem:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Analyze the problem

Discuss their observations
Determine the most efficient strategy
Solve
Explain why they chose the strategy they did

Student Differences
In this module you learned that differentiation consists of planning lessons in
response to student differences in one or more of the following areas:
Readiness, Interest, and/or Learning Profile/Style. Choose which area you will
use to differentiate your lesson and then explain how you will assess or
determine the student differences in your class.

Readiness: The level of a students skills or understanding of a topic, do some

need scaffolding and others challenged?
Interest: Finding ways for students to pursue individual areas of interest about the
topic; will choices be given?
Learning Profile/Style: What is the intellectual preference of the student?
Individual vs. group work; multiple- intelligences, etc.

For this lesson I've decided to focus on learning style.

Student A:
Linguistic

Student B:

Kinesthetic

Intrapersonal

Modules 1 and 2: Planning for Differentiation

Musical

Linguistic

Kinesthetic

Student C:
Visual

Linguistic

Intrapersonal

Student D:
Naturalistic

Linguistic

Visual

Varying Tasks
In this module you learned that in order to differentiate instruction the
educator can vary the task in one or more of the following areas: Content,
Process, and/or Product. Choose which area you will differentiate. Then
describe in detail exactly how you will differentiate your lesson based on the
area you selected.

Content: What students are to learn

Process: How students are to learn. Includes instructional strategies, adjustable
assignments, and curriculum approaches.
Product: How students show what they have learned. Includes performance tasks
and assessment tools.

For this lesson I've decided to differentiate the process. In order to provide
a kinesthetic learning opportunity for Students A and B I will allow students
to use the white board, manipulative pieces at the table, and the
opportunity to move back and forth between the board and the table as
they work. Students also have alternative seating options (wiggle cushions,
wobble stools, and balance balls) that allow for movement while they work.
"When teaching kinesthetic learners, its important to emphasize the how
of the concept. Explain something in terms of how to do it, how it functions,
and how it might feel" (Wegman, 2014). The how to steps in the learning
task will help my kinesthetic learners with understanding how to do it. All of
the students in this group are linguistic learners and that is why I've
incorporated the opportunity for them to work as a team and talk through
every step of the process. This cooperative learning opportunity also
appeals to the intrapersonal learning styles of Students A and C.
Feedback Strategy (Frequent checks for understanding):
According to Gavan Watson, an Educational Developer at the University of
Guelph, there are four elements of good feedback.
1. Specific - feedback is a tool for future change
2. Actionable - emphasizes what could be done differently next time
3. Timely - the most effective feedback is immediate and frequent
4. Respectful - look for the good, focus on future solutions
For this lesson I am going to focus on being timely with my feedback. I will
be observing the group as they work through the problems. I will listen to
their conversations to determine what they are understanding and where
they each might be struggling. I will then use questioning strategies as
needed to prompt their thinking so they can overcome any hurdles they
encounter.
Summative Assessment (Collect student data):

Modules 1 and 2: Planning for Differentiation

Ticket out the door - One problem will be given at the end of the class time
for students to solve independently. Each student will then have the option
of writing an explanation or explaining to me verbally whey they chose the
method for solving that they did.

SOURCES:

Add a References Page for the research/sources you

used to determine your strategies above (begin on a new page and
follow the APA guidelines in the CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA
Style).

YOU WILL COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS IN MODULE

2, AFTER THE LESSON IS TAUGHT
Self-Reflection for Continuous Improvement:
Explain what went well in the implementation of your lesson. What changes
would you make to improve based on student achievement data and/or
evidence? A visual display of the student achievement data must be included
(i.e., table, graph, chart, etc.). What are the next steps for the students in your
class, a group of students, and/or an individual student to ensure EVERY
student is proficient? What are the next steps for you in becoming better at
differentiating your instructional approaches for all learners in your classes?
Use research (Module readings from the course text and 1-2outside sources) to
support your choices and ideas.
Overall this lesson went very well. I had the steps written out on a poster
size sticky with a visual for each step. To begin the lesson I provided
students with some sample problems. I asked them to NOT solve them. They
were shocked by this of course, and it got them on their toes. I then asked
students to "remind me" of the different ways they know how to solve a
subtraction problem. After they shared a few I brought back out the poster
we created a few days prior that shows the different solving strategies.
I then proceeded to ask my students to simply analyze each problem and
decide what method they would use to solve it. I was pleased with the
conversation that occurred as students engaged in this discussion. I was
even more pleased when students began coming to the board to circle parts
of problems that were "indicators" for them as to which method might be
most efficient.
Clearly students had some background knowledge going into this. The
reality however, was that two out of the four students participating this day
were leading the discussion and explaining to the others. The other two
students were significantly less familiar and tended to chose the same
method for every problem. One of them chose the standard algorithm, and
the other chose mental math.
After students thought through each of the problems we took time as a
group to solve each problem together. I called on a student for each
problem to tell which method to use and model the steps. I then used
questioning to involve the rest of the group in evaluating whether or not
that was the most efficient strategy and in some cases we solved in more
than one way to really put it to the test. It was a fun and engaging exercise
for everyone.
After solving a few problems as a group I directed the students to work

Modules 1 and 2: Planning for Differentiation

collaboratively to solve the problems on the work sheet, being careful to

analyze first before deciding on a method. Students worked together for
about ten minutes and generally agreed on which method to use. What I
noticed right away was that they weren't taking time to complete the
writing part of the work page where they were to explain why they chose
the method they did. This is not uncommon for these students, as writing is
by far their most difficult subject. I decided to question each student on
why they chase the method they did and get their answers verbally. This
gave me the opportunity to assess how they were doing, as well as giving
them a chance to articulate their thinking verbally before writing it down, a
necessary step for most students who struggle with learning disabilities.
At the end of the group time, I took pictures of student work and had them
take the rest home to complete as homework.
Results

Solved
correctly

Chose more
than one
method

A
B
C
D

1
1
1
1

2
2
2
2

Chose
methods that
were
appropriate
for the given
problem
3
3
3
3

Able to
explain
thinking and
justify
method
choice
4
4
4
4

The two students who were the most actively involved throughout scored
better in this exercise than the other two. Based on our pre-assessment at
the beginning of this unit as well as formative assessment collected along
the way, the two students who were most successful are the two who had
the most knowledge coming into the unit. Student B and Student C were
less skilled in the beginning and will likely require more time and more
instruction in order to solidify their understanding.
As we continue forward I will likely provide an extension activity to Student
A and Student D to work on together, while I work more with Student B and
Student C.
At the start of the next unit I would like to take some time between the preassessment and the start of the unit to pre-teach students who are starting
out with significantly less background knowledge than the rest of the class.
I wonder if this would be more effective than re-teaching/ extending at the
end of a unit.
"Taking a few minutes to jump-start students schema, finding out what
they know or have experienced about a topic and linking their knowledge
directly to the lessons objective will result in greater understanding for
English learners" (Echevarria, Vogt and Short, 2004). I suspect this would
especially hold true if we were able to front-load some of that "missing"
background knowledge for students with disabilities who have fallen
behind.

Modules 1 and 2: Planning for Differentiation

Evidence of Implementation:
Attach student work, photos of the lesson in progress demonstrating student
motivation/engagement and/or any other evidence as proof of
implementation. Remember to maintain student confidentiality (e.g., names
removed, etc.) and follow school policies around student photos, etc.

SOURCES:

Add any additional sources or research you used in this second

Modules 1 and 2: Planning for Differentiation

part of the template to the Reference list you began earlier. (Remember to
follow the CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Style).

Common Core State Standards Initiative. (2016). Grade 4 >> Number

operations in base ten. Retrieved from
http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/4/NBT/
Echevarria, J., Vogt. M., and Short. D., 2004. Making Content Comprehensible
For English
Language Learners: The SIOP Model. Pearson.
Watson, G. (2013). Characteristics of good student feedback. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Huju0xwNFKU
Wegman, T. (2014). Teaching kinesthetic learners. Retrieved from
http://www.brighthubeducation.com/teaching-methods-tips/128403teaching-kinesthetic- learners/