Choice menus (sometimes called Extension Menus or Choice Boards or fifty other titles) are a foundational technique for many teachers. Typically, they’re a grid somewhat like a tic-tac-toe board that has different options students can choose from to complete some task or project. Just do a quick search and you’ll see thousands of them. I’ve […]
Differentiating for Gifted Students
Differentiation is the practice of offering students appropriate learning opportunities. That means, they can work at the level most likely to result in actual progress.
For gifted students, it's not more work (what I call "moreferentiation"). Rather, it's appropriate work that creates growth, curiosity, or depth of thinking.
Differentiation is not creating 30 different lesson plans. These articles share many, many ideas for how to differentiate in the real world.
Being Gifted Doesn’t Mean You Don’t Need to be Taught
I got an email from a member of the Gifted Guru community recently that asked this question: How can I help teachers understand that just because a child doesn’t understand it right away or without help, they still may need advanced work? She explained that some teachers she works with believe that if a […]
Quick Differentiation Technique: Scholar Extension Opportunities
Looking for a quick differentiation technique any teacher can use? I made this one up, and it’s worked really well for me for years. I call it “Scholar Extension Opportunity.” Scholar Extension Opportunities (SEOs) are optional opportunities for students to extend their learning experience. They may include creativity, product complexity, or audience expansion (including publishing). […]
What To Do With An Advanced Language Arts Student
I received an email from a parent who had asked the high school to allow her 9th grade daughter to enroll in AP English, rather than in Honors 9th Grade English. The school declined, and the parent wanted my suggestion on what to do. Note: Frequently I get questions from parents or teachers about their children […]
Why Self-Paced Computer Instruction is Insufficient Differentiation
The spread of one-to-one devices in schools has meant that some people believe we’ve waived a magic wand and solved the differentiation problem. It’s easy! Simply plug the kid in and let the computer program pace and level their learning. Mischief managed! This is wrong thinking, and here’s why. The 2nd Biggest Mistake in […]
Tiered Lesson Plan Template
I wrote about creating a tiered lesson plan, and here I’m sharing a template teachers can use themselves. I created this template for myself because none of the ones I found met my needs. Using the Tiered Lesson Plan Template When I’m creating a tiered lesson plan, I begin by filling out the top part. […]