Monthly Archives: July 2011

Differentiated Instruction Ideas for Drawing

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Differentiate Instruction with Drawing

Drawing is an oldie but a goody activity. Drawing a picture uses visualization. It interests those students with the visual learning style or those with the spatial multiple intelligence learning style.

Teachers can use drawing in all sections of a lesson . The following is an example of the type of lesson plan drawing can be incorporated into.

  • Anticipatory Set: Draw a picture of something you learned in class yesterday.
  • Vocabulary: Draw a picture that represents the vocabulary word according to its definition.
  • Mini-Lesson: Draw a picture next to each section of notes before moving onto the next section. You could even call students up to the board to create a storyboard to go over when you conclude the lesson.
  • Activity: Draw a tattoo someone might have created after living through (whatever event you wish) or a cartoon strip or a political cartoon.
  • Concluding Set: Go over the storyboard left of the board from the mini-lesson.

Teachers can add to the spatial multiple intelligence learning style to make the assignment more appealing for students who have different multiple intelligence learning styles. Here is an example of this:

  • Linguistic Multiple Intelligence Learning Style: Explain what the drawing is and how it relates to the content.
  • Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Multiple Intelligence Learning Styles: Allow students the option of working individually or with a partner.

Differentiating Instruction for drawing is possible. The following are two different ways to differentiate instruction for drawing.

  • Multiple Intelligence Learning Styles: Teachers can give their students options of activities that use different multiple intelligence learning styles and the same content.  http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico offers over 50 activity templates with rubrics to help teachers differentiate instruction quickly.
  • Leveling/Tiering/Scaffolding: Lower ability levels can draw what they are learning. This is a lower level critical thinking exercise because they are simply translating text to pictures. Middle ability levels can draw a comic strip. This uses a higher level of critical thinking because it uses humor as well as chronology. This also brings in the logical multiple intelligence learning style to the activity session. Higher ability level students could create a political cartoon. This uses an extremely high critical thinking level because not only do they have to use the content and humor they also need to take a side by deciding how they feel about the content.

Teachers need to make sure that they follow these two tips of advice when they are planning for differentiated instruction:

  • all students must use the same content
  • all students need to be challenged

Bringing in art such as drawing allows teachers to differentiate instruction in multiple ways.

Written by,

Kasha Mastrodomenico (Connect with me on Linkedin.com)

http://www.socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

kasha@socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico

Tattoo Activity to Teach About Andersonville Prison

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Differentiate Instruction for Andersonville Prison

Creating a tattoo is an unconventional activity but it may help draw in students to the content you are hoping they learn.

I used a tattoo activity once to teach about Andersonville Prison while teaching GA Studies. I had them focus on the experiences of the prisoners and come up with a tattoo that someone might have gotten that would represent them. Unfortunately, many of my students could relate to the prison experience because they had been incarcerated themselves.

Tattoos are not just for learning about prisons. Although in many westernized countries the tattoo culture originated there, like in the Soviet Union. Today people get tattoos to symbolize dreams, important people or events in their lives. It can be a versatile activity.

Tattoo activities use different multiple intelligence learning styles. The following are used in a tattoo artist activity:

  • Spatial Multiple Intelligence Learning Style: drawing and design
  • Linguistic Multiple Intelligence Learning Style: explaining how it relates to the content either verbally or in writing
  • Intrapersonal or Interpersonal Multiple Intelligence Learning Styles: students should be able to choose if they work individually or with a partner.

A tattoo artist activity can be used to differentiate instruction. Here are two examples of how it can be used for differentiated instruction:

  • Multiple Intelligence Learning Styles: In order to differentiate instruction using multiple intelligence learning styles the teacher can offer students a choice of up to 3 alternative activities using different multiple intelligence learning styles and the same content. They can then allow their students to choose how they work, individually, with a partner or in a group. Creating these options can be a time consuming activity for teachers. I recommend using activity templates. http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico offers over 50 of them to help teachers differentiate instruction quickly.
  • Levels/Tiering/Scaffolding: Some students need more guidance than others. Three critical thinking exercises (figuring what and how to design it as well as explaining how they relate to the content) might also be overwhelming for some. In order to guide those students on a lower ability level, plainly state what they need to draw. Then they can use their creativity for how to design it and then their critical thinking skills to explain how it relates to the content. If I were to assign the tattoo artist activity for Andersonville Prison again, I could state that the students should draw some poop and make it look either dead or sickly, remember I teach middle school. This would represent the lack of drainage for raw sewage and that it spread disease. It might also be a good idea to have a graphic organizer to guide them through or a checklist so they don’t forget parts of the assignment.

Teachers need to be careful when they try to differentiate instruction. They need to make sure that what they’re assigning:

  • uses the same content
  • is challenging and not just busy work

Written by,

Kasha Mastrodomenico

http://www.socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

kasha@socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico

How to use schedules to teach about the Montgomery Bus Boycott

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Differentiate Instruction for the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Creating a schedule for learning content can be a good way to reinforce a point. I used a schedule activity when I was teaching about the Montgomery Bus Boycott. I had the students pretend that they were one of the leaders of it. I had them create a pick up and drop off schedule for work, church, shopping, school, etc. Anything that they use transportation for in their lives could be put on the schedule. This helped them draw on their own experiences and connect the content to themselves.

Creating a schedule uses multiple intelligence learning styles. The following are used:

  • Logical Multiple Intelligence Learning Style: planning the order, timing, and the amount of people they need to transport.
  • Linguistic Multiple Intelligence Learning Style: writing and using language to explain the importance of each transport.
  • Intrapersonal or Interpersonal Multiple Intelligence Learning Styles: students should be given a choice of how they want to work; individually, with a partner or a group.

A schedule activity can be used to differentiate instruction. Here are two ways to differentiate instruction while using a schedule activity:

  • Multiple Intelligence Learning Style: Teachers can offer students other options for activities using different multiple intelligence learning styles and the same content. http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico offers over 50 activity templates with rubrics to help teachers differentiate instruction quickly.
  • Leveling/Tiering/Scaffolding: For those with a lower ability level a pre-made schedule of times of the day as well as a bank of places to go will help guide them through the activity. It might also help to have a question section about why this is an important activity for people to have transportation for. Instead of having students explain why it’s important using complete sentences, allow them to list the reasons. Those with a higher ability level can create this schedule from scratch which will allow them to critically think and use their creativity.

When teachers differentiate instruction it is important for them to remember two things:

  • All students must use the same content.
  • Differentiated instruction is not increasing the amount of work a student does. In other words don’t just give busy work.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico provides lessons like the one above and can save social studies teachers time during the planning process for differentiated instruction.

Written by,

Kasha Mastrodomenico

http://www.socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

kasha@socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico

What multiple intelligence learning styles are used during a talk show activity

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A talk show activity is a fun way to practice public speaking skills without using a formal speech to do it. It also helps students develop questioning techniques all while allowing them to work with content. Talk shows get to the root of feelings and showcase personalities so it’s a good activity to do for book characters in Language Arts as well as historical figures.

Teachers can choose a specific talk show to model from. If they leave it up to the student they may pick a show like Jerry Springer. Although amusing, many times inappropriate things are said for a classroom. The students will also only focus on the absurdities rather than the content itself. It is safer to do an Oprah type show.

Many multiple intelligence learning styles are used for a talk show activity. The linguistic multiple intelligence learning style is used during writing the interview and conducting it during the show to the class.  Another multiple intelligence learning style that is used is kinesthetic. Performances like talk shows allow students to move during the performance. Especially if they are the host. They can plant others in their group or assign others in the class certain questions. Talk shows need to be done with at least two people so the interpersonal multiple intelligence learning style is used. If a teacher wishes to bring in the spatial multiple intelligence learning style, they could allow the students to dress up like the characters they are pretending to be.

A talk show activity can be used for differentiated instruction. Teachers can differentiate instruction in two ways:

  • Multiple Intelligence Learning Styles: The teacher can offer students other options to this assignment using other multiple intelligence learning styles and the same content. Activity templates can help teachers differentiate instruction quickly and easily. http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico offers over 50 activity templates with rubrics to help teachers differentiate instruction using multiple intelligence learning styles.
  • Leveling/Tiering/Scaffolding: Teachers can provide lower ability level students with the questions to ask almost like a one sided script. This will guide them and allow them to work with the content. Higher levels can create the questions as well as the answers to increase the creativity and critical thinking while working with the content.

Teachers need to make sure that when they differentiate instruction they are challenging each student. Teachers should not just assign additional work to upper ability levels. They will be able to see through the busy work and might even resent getting it.

Written by,

Kasha Mastrodomenico

http://www.socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

kasha@socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico

How can teachers use wanted posters as an activity?

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A wanted poster activity is good for a small amount of content. These are usually used for people in history or characters in a story but it can also be used in Science with a virus or math with a symbol. You can have students create it on paper or have them use a site like www.glassgiant.com/wanted. You could also give students a choice of how they want to complete the assignment as a form of differentiated instruction.

A wanted poster activity uses several different multiple intelligence learning styles.

  • The linguistic multiple intelligence learning style is used for writing the reason the historical figure, character, etc. is wanted.
  • The spatial multiple intelligence learning style is used to set the layout of the poster as well as the letter art used and of course the drawing of the character.
  • Wanted poster activities will work best using the intrapersonal multiple intelligence learning style, working individually or the interpersonal multiple intelligence learning style, working with a partner.

Differentiated instruction can be accomplished with a wanted poster activity. Teachers can offer other options to their students by creating up to three other activities using other multiple intelligence learning styles and the same content. Activity templates can help teachers differentiate instruction quickly and easily. http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico is a great site that can help you differentiate instruction through the use of multiple intelligence learning styles. It offers over 50 multiple intelligence learning style activity templates that come with rubrics.

Wanted poster activities can be easily used to differentiate instruction and can be very useful to learn a small amount of content.

Written by,

Kasha Mastrodomenico (Connect with me on Linkedin.com)

http://www.socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

kasha@socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico