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Running Head: APPLIED DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION PLAN ASSIGNMENT

Applied Differentiated Instruction Plan Assignment

SeventhGrade Science Unit: Kingdom Animalia and Ecosystems

Kimberly Gallagher

Post University

APPLIED DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION PLAN ASSIGNMENT 1

Applied Differentiated Instruction Plan Assignment

SeventhGrade Science Unit: Kingdom Animalia and Ecosystems

The theme of the seventhgrade science curriculum is Characteristics of Living Things .

The third trimester begins with providing more details on the organisms within the kingdom

Animalia and then an introduction into the different ecosystems where these living things exist.

The goal for the unit is for the students to build their knowledge, skills, and understanding of

living things as well as to understand their role as humans throughout the world’s ecosystems.

There is a concentrated effort throughout the school year of looping all new knowledge back to

content learned earlier in the year. The student population consists of seventh graders within an

all boys, private school, in a very competitive and college focused suburb of New York City.

The teacher has a degree in Molecular and Cell Biology, ten plus years of teaching within a

private school setting as an upper school and middle school math and science teacher. The

philosophy of instruction utilized in the classroom was one that had a primary focus on student

engagement through a positive environment, supportive teaching, appreciating students unique

learning styles and providing opportunities for academic success with hard work.

To improve the classroom experience for all students the concepts and practices of

differentiated instruction will be implemented and utilized. The goal of creating a differentiated

classroom is to ensure that the content, process, and product within a classroom are varied in

ways that meet students at their readiness level, connect the material to their personal interests

and utilize methods of teaching that fit into a student’s learning profile (Tomlinson, 2001).

Sternberg and Zhang made special note that when discussing different learning and thinking

styles “educators need to teach to and assess a variety of styles. Teaching should be


differentiated to help each child capitalize on strengths and compensate for or correct

weaknesses” (Sternberg & Zhang, 2005, p. 252). The entire lesson has been altered and infused

with numerous philosophies of Tomlinson, Gardner and other leaders within the academic

community that surround the importance and positive implications of a differentiated instruction

environment (Tomlinson, 2001; Purefoy, 2009). Weaving these concepts into the classrooms day

to day activities makes a studentcentered class so students will be engaged and everyone will

have the opportunity to learn, process and experience the content in a way that fits their form of

intelligence (Purefoy, 2009). A prelearning survey will be used within this lesson to develop a

sound understanding of interest, readiness and a learning profile (Tomlinson, 2001). A learning

menu will be used to expand the differentiation experience through process and product

(Tomlinson, 2001). A reflection questionnaire will be utilized by the teacher and student to

evaluate the lesson and student experience (Tomlinson, 2001).

Designing a classroom by instituting differentiated instruction “provides different

avenues to acquiring content, to processing or making sense of ideas, and to developing products

so that each student can learn effectively” (Tomlinson, 2001, p. 1). By changing the setup of the

science classroom to a differentiated design, the focus moves more from teacher focused to

students focused (Tomlinson, 2001). Differentiated classrooms are designed to be responsive

environments. Teachers within these environments become “increasingly proficient in

understanding their students as individuals, increasingly comfortable with the meaning and

structures of the disciplines they teach, and increasingly expert at teaching flexibly in order to

match instruction to student need with the goal of maximizing the potential of each learner”

(Strahan, Kronenberg, Burgner, Doherty, & Hedt, 2012, para five). Differentiated classrooms


have a direct link to increases in student engagement which fits directly into the pedagogic

Philosophy and design of this seventhgrade classroom (Strahan et al., 2012). There is a direct

link between student feeling of engagement and differentiation as understood and taught by

Tomlinson; “teachers who are adept at differentiating instruction embrace individual differences,

learn more about individual students as learners, and structure activities in ways that help

students create connections with new information” (Strahan et al., 2012, Generating

propositions, para six). Tomlinson believes that engagement and interest are powerful and

require tools in the classroom which is why “engagement is a nonnegotiable of teaching and

learning” (Tomlinson, 2001, p. 52). Students develop higher levels of engagement not only with

their material but with their teachers through a differentiated classroom setting (Strahan et al.,

2012).

A significant way of changing the seventhgrade classroom into a differentiated

instruction environment is to put into place the concepts of interest, readiness and working with

learning profiles for students.

When designing a lesson plan and incorporating the lesson is important to consider your

student's interests. Teachers who care about their students take on the challenge of trying to

intertwine their student's interests into every lesson when possible (Tomlinson, 2001). Through

a differentiated classroom and by tapping into students learning styles, teachers may also be able

to generate new and different interests in their students (Tomlinson, 2001). When the teacher

uses interest focus design they are:

(1) helping students realize that there is a match between school and their own desires to

learn, (2) demonstrating the connectedness between all learning, (3) using skills or ideas


familiar to students as a bridge to ideas or skills less familiar to them, and (4) enhancing

student motivation to learn. (Tomlinson, 2001, p. 53)

When interests are sparked, or engaged students tend to put more of themselves into the lesson’s

work and remember more long term (Purefoy, 2009).

Implementing readiness evaluations before each lesson will help with designing and

implementing discovery activities that will build upon prior knowledge as well as help a teacher

to push students to their academic potential (Castaneda, 2010). Being aware of the readiness of

the students in the classroom will allow adjustments to the content, process, and product so that

students are not just learning at a preexisting level, but they are being supported and pushed to

the next level of understanding (Tomlinson, 2001).

Utilizing learning profiles of students are essential to the development of a differentiated

classroom and a new tool that will be utilized in this seventhgrade curriculum. Teachers can

work with the knowledge gained through the learning profiles of their students to incorporate

differentiation through complex instruction options (Tomlinson, 2001). “The goals of

learningprofile differentiation are to help individual learners [and their teacher] understand

modes of learning that work best for them, and to offer those options so that each learner finds a

good learning fit in the classroom” (Tomlinson, 2001, p. 60). Teachers can observe the strengths

of their individual students and then design classroom activities which highlight all of the

strengths of their students (Tomlinson, 2001). When putting together the learning profiles for

students one of the main concepts that can be considered are the Multiple Intelligences proposed

by Gardner (Howard Gardner’s Theory, n.d.). Gardner stated that when considering Multiple

Intelligences “knowledge could be displayed in multiple waysdifferent "ways of knowing":


verbal/linguistic; logical/mathematical; visual/ spatial; musical/rhythmic; bodily/kinesthetic;

naturalistic; interpersonal; intrapersonal” (Gray & Waggoner, 2002, p. 184). As the instructor

becomes aware the types of intelligences of their students that valuable information can aid in

lesson plan development. Teachers can tap into varied presentation styles, varied student modes

of expression, create a flexible environment, have multiple modes of assessment and offer

varying styles for students to organize their data or offer multiple entry points into subject matter

as a way to set the tone for a positive differentiated environment (Tomlinson, 2001).

Throughout the lesson or unit plan in a differentiated classroom, the teacher implements

differentiation into the content, process and product experience for the students.

In the seventhgrade science classroom, multiple avenues of teaching content have been

used throughout the academic year. The practice of differentiating content includes exposing

students to multiple ways to experience and be exposed to the curriculum (McCarthy, 2014). As

teachers “provide a variety of ways to explore the content outcomes, learners find different ways

to connect.” (McCarthy, 2014, Differentiating Content, para three). Differentiating content is

used to bring students the knowledge they need based on their learning profiles and learning

styles; the teacher figures out how to deliver the knowledge to their students based on student

needs (Tomlinson, n.d.).

The seventhgrade science classroom curriculum and lesson plan for the Kingdom

Animalia and Ecosystem unit provides many different avenues and options for content

differentiation. Currently, the practice of differentiating content is utilized within the classroom

through flipped classroom homework videos, a mixture of lecture notes in class, TEDTalk

videos, imagery for the presentation of the content. Working through this course has solidified


the rationale for continuing to use these methods to differentiate the content experience.

Through the online “homemade” videos, used in the flipped classroom setting, the students not

only can take notes at the pace that works best for them, but they can review the subject matter as

many times as needed. They also have a longterm resource for studying if they find listening to

a lecture or watching one helps them further develop and recall their understanding. Regardless

of their form of identified intelligence, the material is available to them in the style they need to

learn (Howard Gardner’s Theory, n.d.) Lots of imagery is used throughout each flipped

classroom lesson as well. McCarthy felt strongly that imagery is an important part of the 4MAT

cycle and should be included within each academic unit (The 4MAT System, 2010). When

imagery is used alongside the written word, the images help to pull together the total package

(The 4MAT System, 2010). The difficult concepts and language within the Kingdom Animalia

lessons on distinguishing animal symmetry, vertebrate vs. invertebrates or endotherms vs.

ectotherms will be made easier to understand through drawings within the flipped classroom

videos and during inclass lectures (The 4MAT System, 2010).

Process, or the processing of knowledge, occurs in the seventhgrade science class during

many lesson supported activities. The essence of the term process is about the opportunities that

students are given to work through, make sense of, and develop a deeper understanding of the

curriculum (Tomlinson, 2001). When students are given opportunities to “analyze, apply,

question, or solve a problem using the material, they have the make sense of it before it becomes

“theirs.” This processing or sensemaking is an essential component of instruction” (Tomlinson,

2001, p. 79). Differentiating process is about what students go through to “make sense of the

content. They need time to reflect and digest the learning activities before moving on to the next


segment of a lesson” (McCarthy, 2014, Differentiating Process, para one). The seventhgrade

lesson plan offers many opportunities for students to experience process through many activities

that include classwork assignments, homework assignments, lab experiences, lab writeups,

assessments, use of manipulatives, daily recall activities and blog posts, etc.

There are many opportunities to utilize the concept of differentiation through process

within the Kingdom Animalia and Ecosystems that can be added or further developed to enhance

the classroom experience for the seventhgrade students. Handson activities, choosing imagery

to represent their knowledge, rethinking and retrieval of information (Stop and Jot) are methods

that can be used to help students process the lessons within this differentiated unit (Brown, 2014;

The Teacher Tool Kit, n.d.; Purefoy, 2009). Part of each class will involve activities on a daily

basis, for students to quickly process, rethink and retrieve their understanding that fit into the

model described in the Stop and Jot technique (The Teacher Tool Kit, n.d.). Including imagery

within the Stop and Jot method also pulls in the 4MAT principles because students end up using

different pieces of their minds just from the “process of choosing an image” (The 4MAT System,

2010, 2:42). On the day after the concept of animal symmetry is introduced there will be an in

class opener activity which helps students process the information and make connections

between the topics and their world. The students will come into class and have a handout on

their desk asking them to describe in words and through a drawing the concept of bilateral, radial

and asymmetrical body plans. They will then exchange this with classmates who will use their

notes to make corrections, if necessary, on this activity. After that activity, the students will

exam a few sample organisms in jars and state whether or not the organisms have radial, bilateral

or an asymmetrical body plan. Then there will be a classroom discussion about the body plan


terminology, how it applies to the organisms we are viewing and discussion on why this is an

evolutionary advantage or disadvantage for the ecosystems they live in. These brief class opener

activities demonstrate how differentiation of process will be worked into the seventhgrade

lesson on a regular basis. The students within this activity will need to retrieve information,

process the information, additionally use imagery to demonstrate their knowledge, have a

handson experience with the concepts and discuss how all of these terms relate to organisms

within their world.

Product in a differentiated classroom provides many different opportunities for students

with all different interests, readiness, and learning profiles to demonstrate what they know, have

learned, and their current understanding of the new curriculum (McCarthy, 2014). This is an

area that demands a lot of growth within the seventhgrade science curriculum. Most

assignments in the past were a one size fits all way for a student to show their knowledge, skills,

and understanding which does not fit in with the differentiated classroom model. These

adjustments and changes will be an ongoing area of improvement and an area where the

differentiated classroom experience can be developed throughout this academic year and future

years.

Product differentiation will be one of the main areas of growth within the seventhgrade

lesson planning. There are main opportunities within the Kingdom Animalia and Ecosystems

unit’s curriculum for change. The biggest change of inclusion of differentiation in the student

product within the lesson plan is the addition of the Learning Menu. This will be highlighted

later on within this paper in the DuringLearning Activity section. The use of graphing within

the lesson plan is another example of how differentiation through product will be highlighted.


Within each unit in the seventhgrade science curriculum, there is a graphing assignment as this

is part of the core of our overall middle school science experience. What is normally done in this

course is that the students are provided articles and data by the teacher to graph and then peer

review each other’s work. The graphing assignment within this lesson will now be differentiated

and turned from a teacher lead activity to a student centered activity. The students will be tasked

to find graphable data online that is accompanied by a scientific journal or magazine article

about ecosystems or organisms within ecosystems. The student will have to generate a data table

with the proper headings and titles and create instructions to give their peers on what to graph.

The student will have lots of choice in how they present their product. This activity will allow

students to chose the topic of their article of interest as well as to determine the depth of the

scientific article based on their readiness and interests. While making the assignment for others,

they can develop the handout in their personal style, desired use of technology and personal

preference for visual appeal. The student lead activity will then end as students peer edit each

other’s graphs using the same grading rubric the teacher uses on tests and quizzes. Peer review

is an essential part of a differentiated classroom as students begin to provide each other feedback

they develop understandings of their own and their peers learning styles (Purefoy, 2009).

Reflection has an important place within a differentiated classroom. One of the changes

that will be implemented in the seventhgrade science classroom is the use of a reflective

questionnaire as a way to help students and the teacher become more aware of the learning

profiles that exist and to help the teacher adjust their lesson make it more differentiated. Part of

continued successful differentiation within a classroom includes effective and regular assessment

of the student’s needs and experiences (Tomlinson & Allan, n.d.). In differentiated instruction,


everything can serve as helpful information to understand and further develop the learning

profile for what is effective for each student (Tomlinson & Allan, n.d.). When students reflect on

their classroom experiences, it helps them to better understand their learning profile (Knowing

and responding, 2016). The practice of reflection helps teachers as they continue to develop

their lesson plans, their practice and gain further student insight for future lessons for their

student body (Tomlinson & Allan, n.d.).

The following section of this paper highlights very specific ways the philosophical ideas

of differentiation will be included within the lesson on Kingdom Animalia and Ecosystems

through a prelearning activity, duringlearning activity, and a postlearning activity.

PreLearning Activity

The prelearning activity that will be utilized for the lesson on Kingdom Animalia and

Ecosystems will include an interest, readiness and learning profile questionnaire. This

questionnaire was developed using the questionnaire from the Tomlinson text as a guideline

(Tomlinson, 2001, p. 6970). The questionnaire designed for the seventhgrade classroom to be

used can be found in Appendix A. With information that is collected; the lesson plan can be

tailored to the interests of the students within the class in the area of living organisms and the

ecosystems where they live. Within a science class, there are many discussions that take place in

class on current events. The selection of current event topics or scientific articles used to foster

in class discussions and highlight the knowledge of the lesson can be chosen based on the

subjects of interest to the students. The blog posts, which are videos or articles students are

required to read or watch and comment on, can be based on the topics of interest of the students.

Graphing assignments that are generally assigned during each lesson can be selected based on


differing topics of interest for the student body within each class. The readiness portion of the

questionnaire will allow the design of the lesson plan to be adjusted to support those students

who have a weaker knowledge and push those with a more solid understanding of the topics.

This readiness knowledge can be used in group projects. At times it makes more sense to have a

number of different level of students working together to support each other and other times

during project work it is helpful to group students together based on their readiness so teacher

support can be adjusted accordingly (Richards & Omdal, 2007). Learning preference

information is useful when designing lesson activities as well. This will allow the teacher to

adapt the lesson if certain learning preferences are not met. In designing labs, that support the

lesson plan, knowing your student populations learning preferences is very helpful in grouping

positive lab partners as well as shifting the lab activities when needed to fit your students.

DuringLearning Activity

The duringlearning activity that will be implemented and utilized within this lesson is

the use of a Learning Menu (The Teaching Channel, n.d.b). The Learning Menu which will be

used can be found in Appendix B. The differentiated instruction goal of this assignment will be

to offer many different options for students to use to demonstrate their product or knowledge,

skills and understanding they have gained from the seventhgrade lesson on Kingdom Animalia

and Ecosystems. Using a Learning Menu allows students with different readiness levels and

varied interests to chose how they wish to demonstrate product, their knowledge, skills, and

understanding of the lesson material based on what they believe is their own personal strengths

(Flores, 2012). The appetizers choices available to the students helps to strengthen their recall

and organizations of the concepts. These are all different handouts offered through the text


support material. The side dishes portion of the Learning Menu ensures that students have a firm

handle on the information as they must figure out how to teach others with the support material

they develop. There is a great deal of differentiation involved here as students can choose

between topics as well as ways to demonstrate the support material to their peers. The main

course includes items that every student must complete. There is some differentiation involved

within this portion as it is designed to allow students to chose when they complete the quizzes on

the unit lessons. The dessert portion is the final main project and one which offers the most use

of the concepts of differentiation by the students. The dessert portion also is driven by trying to

help students make connections to their world as this is an essential piece of making sure this

knowledge stick (Purefoy, 2009).

PostLearning Activity

The postlearning or reflective activity which will be included in the lesson plan will

include a number of openended questions to gain input from students on the dessert activity of

the Learning Menu. This activity can be found in Appendix C. The dessert activity content

covers the ecosystems of this unit as well as the connections of the ecosystems, and living

organisms to the student's world. The questions are asked to gather information on two levels.

One level is whether or not the students can reflect on how they worked best. Does this kind of

activity help them to learn the material covered in the lesson? Does making connections to

current events and their own world help them to better understand material? Does working

directly on vocab lists and with imagery help them grow to understand and remember

knowledge? Does teaching or creating presentations help them to understand better? On the

other level, the teacher can use this to judge if this assignment created a positive learning


experience for all different types of learners. Did some students want more guidance? Can the

activity be designed differently for those who may struggle with time management? Was there

enough flexibility within the dessert project to allow students to explore their interests? Did this

activity truly help students to solidify their knowledge, skills and understanding the connections

of Ecosystems to their world? Upon review of all the answers, the lesson can be adapted for

future classes and this information gathered can be added to the students learning profiles as the

projects are developed for the next unit.

Future Goals

I hope to continue this journey of learning about and implementing differentiation

strategies by continuing to use resources posted by others within the academic community on

websites like The Teacher Channel. I found watching videos other teachers posted on how they

differentiated their classroom the best way for me to judge whether or not this was a tool I could

implement and use in my class.

I have three goals for myself as an educator as I try to implement and expand my toolbox

as a differentiated classroom instructor. At the beginning of each year, I will develop a very

detailed learning profile questionnaire to help me to assess my student's needs, type of

intelligence and preferred learning style. In science, I will create a PreLearning Questionnaire

for each lesson, so that I try to utilize my student's interests to enrich the curriculum and further

develop their engagement. In the prealgebra math courses, I will implement the differentiated

Exit Card daily beginning the next academic year (The Teaching Channel, n.d.a). Upon

completion of this course I will print up a great deal of resource material from this course to keep


on my desk and hang up a list of differentiated goals on my office wall, to remind myself on a

regular basis of the goals I have committed to from this course.

If given the opportunity I would recommend to others the following resources as I will be

using them as regular reference in my personal growth and development as an educator:

http://www.teachingchannel.org/ This has a vast collection of videos from fellow

educators that I found as a resource and inspiration to try Learning Menus and Exit

Cards.

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlazzo/2016/03/response_di

fferentiating_algebra_instruction.html Education Week contains many helpful and

useful articles and different perspectives on setting up a differentiated classroom. This

particular one is an article on differentiating within an algebra course. One of the

challenges I have foreseen throughout EDU605 is to try to figure out how to adjust and

make my prealgebra class more differentiated within our school's culture and academic

goals.

Differentiated Instruction for the Middle School Math Teacher I hope to order this text

to generate ideas for me to further develop the differentiated classroom experience within

my seventhgrade math course.

Summary

The concepts and theory of differentiated instruction help to enrich the classroom

experience for the students and allow for the teacher to design an experience that is engaging for

students. Students that are learning within a classroom that has implemented Tomlinson’s

practices of discovering student readiness, interest and learning profile in my seventhgrade


science classroom will be get more out of their academic experience. Teaching using

differentiated content, process and product for students within the seventhgrade science

environment, will ensure that I have done my best to reach every student’s learning style and

allow the students to find the greatest success using their own personal strengths (Sternberg &

Zhang, 2005). The students that come through my course will now be exposed to numerous

ways to gain knowledge, work through knowledge and demonstrate their understanding to me

and their fellow peers. Through differentiated instruction my students and I are in a partnership

working as a team to help create the most positive and engaging classroom experience

(McCarthy, 2014). “The core of differentiation is a relationship between teachers and students.

The teacher's responsibility is connecting content, process, and product. Students respond to

learning based on readiness, interests, and learning profile. ” (McCarthy, 2014, para three).

One of the things that I can do to help my colleagues improve their own differentiated

instruction is to share my Learning Menu, PreLearning Activity Questionnaire and Exit Card

goals with them. I have already been asked to make presentations to the rest of the individuals in

my department on the way I differentiate presenting content to my students. I will continue to

share my ideas at the three school wide department meetings we have each year and offer to

make presentations if anyone would like to hear more about what I am doing and what I have

learned to make my classroom a better place to learn.


References

The 4MAT System: Official Site. (2010, Apr 6). Imaging: Step Three of the 4MAT Cycle.

[Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvhvkrEoGyc

Brown, Peter. (2014). make it stick . Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University

Press.

Castaneda, R., [Roxana Castaneda]. (2010, July 10). Readiness on differentiated

instructions. [Video File]. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMvCd5Xafag

D’amici, J., Gallava, K. (2008). Differentiated instruction for the middle school math teacher.

(n.p.). Wiley.

Education week. [Website]. Retrieved from

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlazzo/2016/03/response_di

fferentiating_algebra_instruction.html

Flores, F., [Fidel Flores]. (2012, Jun 12). Differentiated Instruction – Interest . [Video File].

Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMuzfujn7A

Gray, K. C., & Waggoner, J. E. (2002). Multiple intelligences meet Bloom’s taxonomy. Kappa

Delta Pi Record , 38 (4), 184–187.

Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.niu.edu/facdev/_pdf/guide/learning/howard_gardner_theory_multiple_intellig

ences.pdf

Knowing and responding to learning – A differentiated instruction educator’s guide (2016).


Retrieved from

http://www.edugains.ca/resourcesDI/EducatorsPackages/DIEducatorsPackage_2016/Print

Files/DI_EducatorsGuide_Print_NoBleeds.pdf

McCarthy, J., (2014, July 23). 3 Ways to plan for diverse learners: what teachers do. Edutopia.

Retrieved from

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiatedinstructionwaystoplanjohnmccarthy

Purefoy, D., [Derrick Purefoy]. (2009, November 7). Howard Gardner of the multiple

intelligence theory. [Video File]. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2QtSbP4FRg

Richards, M. R., & Omdal, S. N. (2007). Effects of tiered instruction on academic performance

in a secondary science course. Journal of Advanced Academics, 18 (3), 424453.

Sternberg, R. J., & Zhang, L. (2005). Styles of thinking as a basis of differentiated instruction.

Theory Into Practice, 44(3), 245–253. doi:10.1207/s15430421tip4403_9

Strahan, D., Kronenberg, J., Burgner, R., Doherty, J., Hedt, M.. (2012). Differentiation in action:

Developing a logic model for responsive teaching in an urban middle school. Research in

Middle Level Education. 35 (8).

The Teaching Channel. (n.d.a). Daily assessment with tiered exit cards. [Video File]. Retrieved

from https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/studentdailyassessmen t

The Teaching Channel. (n.d. b). Differentiating with learning menu. [Video File]. Retrieved

from https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/differentiatinginstructionstrategy

The Teaching Channel. [Website]. Retrieved from http://www.teachingchannel.org/

The Teacher Toolkit (n.d.). Stop and Jot. [Video File] Retrieved from


http://www.theteachertoolkit.com/index.php/tool/stopandjot

Tomlinson, C. & Allan, S.. (n.d.). Leadership for differentiating schools & classrooms. ASCD.

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nstruction@BuildingaFoundationforLeadership.aspx

Tomlinson, C., (2001). How to differentiate instruction in mixedability classrooms . Alexandria,

Va: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Tomlinson, C., (n.d.). What is differentiated learning? Reading Rockets. Retrieved from

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/whatdifferentiatedinstruction


Appendix A PreLearning Activity Questionnaire

Name: Date: Interest Questionnaire: What do you want to learn about ecosystems and organisms within the Kingdom Animalia? Here is a list of some of the topics we will be covering within this next unit. Number the following topics from 1 to 8 to indicate which subjects you are most interested in. List item number one as your favorite and item number 8 as your least favorite. ___ Evolution of Organ Systems ___ Biomes: Different types of environments

and habitats throughout the world

___ Ocean creatures and their habitats ___ Wetland creatures and their habitats ___ Human effect on different environments

throughout the world ___ Jellyfish and Marine Animal Dissection ___ What are you? Analyzing “Cool Creatures” in jars ___ Other: ____________________________________________________________


Readiness Questionnaire: What can you tell me about the organisms in the Kingdom Animalia and their Ecosystems? What does the term Ecosystem mean? What are the major Ecosystems in our world? What are the major organ systems within the organisms that fall under the umbrella Animalia? What makes an organisms belong to the Kingdom Animalia? Have you studied in school or on your own about the human impact on the ecosystems of the world? What organisms have you dissected before?


Learning Profile Questionnaire: How do you like to work? *

*Questionnaire adapted from Tomlinson, 2001, p. 6970, Figure 10.5.

Question: Check for Yes Check for No

I study best when it is quiet. ( ) ( )

I am able to ignore the noise of other people when I am

working or studying.

I like to work at a table or a desk.

I like to work in other places other than a desk or table.

I like to work in groups.

I like to work by myself.

I work hard for myself.

I work hard for my parents or teachers.

I like to move around while I work.

I like video class notes.

Taking a full set of video class notes is more helpful to me

than taking class notes from the board.

Playing Kahoots motivates me to complete all of my readings

and note taking assignments.

I like to have set deadlines for my assignments.

I like to have open ended time periods for my assignments.

When my teacher gives us an assignment, I like to know

exactly what steps I am to accomplish.

When my teacher gives us an assignment, I like to have

some independence on how I work through the assignment.

Sources of images: http://images.slideplayer.com/27/9001199/slides/slide_1.jpg, http://www.pindex.com/uploads/post_images/original/image_4290.jpg

Source for Chart: Tomlinson, C. A. (2001). How to differentiate instruction in mixedability classrooms . Alexandria, Va: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.


Appendix B Learning Menu: Kingdom Animalia and Ecosystems

Appetizers (Complete three of the worksheets listed here be sure one comes from each mini unit Kingdom Animalia, Invertebrates and Vertebrates)

141F 147D 147F 153D 153F 163D 163F Side Dishes: (Chose three to complete)

Create three detailed and complete study guides for your fellow classmates that will help them distinguish and understand the following terminology. Everyone’s work will be scanned into Google Classroom the day before the test review is due. Your created study materials can be designed using images, flow charts or straight forward definitions. Please keep in mind that you are designing this as a study tool for a fellow student. You are the teacher now.

Sheet I: Abiotic vs. Biotic Factors Sheet II: Types of Symmetry Sheet III: Vertebrates vs Invertebrates Sheet IV: Ecosystem vocabulary Sheet V: Salinity in freshwater and marine water

Main Course (Each student will complete the main dishes) QUIZ: Kingdom Animalia Quiz (flexibility in date of completion) QUIZ: Ecosystem Quiz (flexibility in date of completion) Complete the Jellyfish Lab Write Up Complete the Classification of Organisms Pre Lesson Lab Write Up Complete Test Review

Dessert: (Pick your own prefered style of demonstrating your knowledge and understanding)

Types of Biomes Project Create a Video, Google Slideshow with voiceover recording, Posterboard, Trifold or art Sculpture which provides the following details about your assigned Biome. This assignment will be due the day of the Test Review

Details on the biome Type of environment abiotic and biotic factors Types of animals Current events related to the Biome HUman impact on the ecosystem in the past Human impact on the ecosystem today What affect can you personally have on the ecosystem

Appendix C


Post Learning Activity Reflection on Learning Menu Dessert Activity

Review the instructions you used within the Dessert portion of the Learning Menu and answer the questions below as you reflect on this class activity.

Dessert: (Pick your own prefered style of demonstrating your knowledge and understanding)

Types of Biomes Project Create a Video, Google SlideShow with voiceover recording, Posterboard, Trifold or art Sculpture which provides the following details about your assigned Biome. This assignment will be due the day of the Test Review

Details on the biome Type of environment, including abiotic and biotic factors

Types of animals

Current events related to the Biome

Human impact on the ecosystem in the past

Human impact on the ecosystem today

What affect can you personally have on the ecosystem

How does this activity connect to the content that was learned earlier in the year? Did I use all the resources that were made available to me? How could my teacher have guided me more throughout this experience?


How could I have been more motivated or worked harder throughout this project? How could I have better managed my time? What am I most proud of within this project? What do I feel I would do differently if I had the chance to do this project again? If I had an unlimited amount of time and resources, how would I develop a deeper understand of my topic? What in my topic was most interesting to me? How could my teacher have made this project more interesting to her students? The design of this project was to educate me, build my scientific knowledge and help me to develop an understanding on how Kingdom Animalia and Ecosystems interact with my world. Did I feel that this project accomplished those goals?

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