Differentiated Lesson Plan

Grand Canyon University

Education 551

Designing a Differentiated Lesson Plan

I choose to create a lesson plan for an ESL class. This class is for Intermediate English students. I choose this lesson because I thought it would be engaging and many ESL students struggle with the concept of active voice vs. passive voice and understanding how to use these tenses. To begin, I planned for student readiness, my handing out a pretest and then a learning style survey. I evaluated and choose instructional strategies to differentiate for my students and engage my class of diverse ESL students.

The students in this class range in learning styles. I included activities that would appeal to the four learning styles, auditory, visual, reading/writing, and kinesthetic. I included activities that met all the different learning styles in my class. “Each student has a preferred learning style, and successful differentiation includes delivering the material to each style: visual, auditory and kinesthetic, and through words. This process-related method also addresses the fact that not all students require the same amount of support from the teacher, and students could choose to work in pairs, small groups, or individually. And while some students may benefit from one-on-one interaction with you or the classroom aide, others may be able to progress by themselves. Teachers can enhance student learning by offering support based on individual needs. Examples of differentiating the process: Provide textbooks for visual and word learners, allow auditory learners to listen to audio books, and give kinesthetic learners the opportunity to complete an interactive assignment online” (Weselby, 2021). The majority of my students were kinesthetic and tactile learners, and so I did several role plays and partner activities to engage student learning. This provided students with the opportunity to practice the English tense they were using. My class enjoys group work and being able to stand up and act out or move around the classroom. The fun activities and role plays allowed my students to act out and use their grammar in a fun setting.

The most important part of teaching is getting to know your students. I engaged my students in short discussions and questions to find out their interests. Most of my students are interested in soccer (futbol), and so I found articles related to international soccer and famous players. Students seemed to love this! It is important to gage your student’s interests and to incorporate that in your teaching. Using examples and activities based on the interests of students helps to engage them in the content.

I used informal assessment to gage my class and the levels of students. ESL can be challenging. Sometimes a student will score into the class because of their grammar test, but they have a deficiency in speaking or listening. The overall test given by the school takes the median score and uses that as a placement. I often find that most students score high on reading and grammar, but they have difficulty in speaking and listening. I have to use informal assessments to gage each student and their level, and then differentiate the lesson based on the different English levels inside the classroom. I use scaffolding in my lessons. Scaffolding is a great way to start the lesson, and it allows me to transfer the responsibility of learning to my student(s). “Scaffolding in the classroom consists of helpful interactions between the teacher and the student that enable the student to do something beyond what he could do independently. A scaffold is a temporary framework that is put up for support and access to meaning and is taken away when the student feels success and masters tasks, concepts, and, in this case, language acquisition” (Vasquez, n.d.). Scaffolding has many benefits in the classroom. Students often experience a supporting class environment, they can gain support from their peers and the teacher, and they are given feedback. Most students are more engaged and take an active role in their learning when they are offered scaffolded instruction. It is suggested the teachers use verbal scaffolds and procedure scaffolds to meet the needs of an ESL learner and classroom. I use scaffolding at the beginning and end of all my classes (Van de Pol, 2015).

I differentiated my lessons and activities in several ways. I linked my student’s prior knowledge to the topic. I asked them pointed questions to address the topic using active and passive voice. I showed them video clips that they may have seen or heard in the media and then asked them to dissect the style of voice being used. Every unit has a vocabulary list based on what the student will see in their texts. I took the key vocabulary words and then made a list of bold and italic key words for the student. I also allowed the student to translate these words into their language and put the definition next to the word. I differentiated activities and assignments by manipulating the number of questions asked, the time allowed, and allowed for partner collaboration. During the initial lecture, I handed students bulleted points to help them summarize the lecture. When we watched the videos, I put subtitles on, and handed students the transcript of the listening so they could follow along with what they were hearing. There are many ways to differentiate a lesson. This is a vital skill for teaching.

I differentiated my assessments to address the specific learning goals of the individual and group. Assessments were differentiated based off time and the number of questions they were asked to answer. Individual students were also allowed to use their notes.

During group work, student groups are heterogeneous. I chose my student’s groups based on high and low levels in the class. For ESL, I want my lower students to work with stronger peers in the classroom. Sometimes I put names of students on a popsicle stick and then draw them out of a cup. This method looks random, and I mix groups up so students don’t always work with the same person, but I generally chose the groups prior. My students do not know why I have grouped them the way that I did.

Special needs students receive ILPs and IEP’s and so accommodations are made based on those recommendations. My gifted students are often asked to do more research, or ask them to make a fun extra credit game or review game for the entire class. My early finishers are allowed to work on enrichment activities provided and their workbooks.

Technology is a key part of the lesson. I utilize technology in all my lessons. The technology resources that I use the most frequent are Flipgrid, Google Classroom, and YouTube. The curriculum materials used such as Focus on Grammar, National Geographic, Reading Explorer, and Ted Talks 21^st Century all over digital resources. The listening audio tracks, resources, pre-tests, post-tests, answer keys, and differentiated materials are all online and at my disposal as a teacher. These are great curriculum resources that meet the grammar, reading, writing, and listening areas of ESL. Speaking activities are not generally included, and so I use online materials to find activities.

Other great online ESL resources and materials that I use quite frequently are:

These are all wonderful online resources that I use daily. Many of these sites off something exciting and new and the activities engage students (Purcell, et al., 2013). These are great sources and they help cut down on my time trying to create an activity students will like. There is a difference between teaching English out of a textbook and teaching students a grammar tense based off a fun-engaging activity and online sources are very helpful for finding material. In the lesson I created, I used Flipgrid, YouTube, Google Slides PPT, but I also searched for fun activities in passive and active voice using online. I assigned a general topic and asked students to create a presentation. I offered several forms of online media that they could choose from, such as creating a Weebly site, PPT presentation, a video or podcast, etc.

These sources are all ESL based and were examined to determine appropriateness for individuals or the group of students. I used their workbook and textbook to find similar worksheets and compare the material. I read the reviews, and I did the assignments myself to see if there were confusing questions or sentences, they may not know. Most of the sites offer a basic guideline for the activity and help to determine if the activity is for a beginner, intermediate, or advanced level ESL student. The textbooks that I use go up and down based on CEFR levels. A Level 3 class is a B1 and B2 class. The textbooks are all a number 3. I also have the same textbooks in a Level 2 and a Level 4, so I can compare the different levels and activities. When I have to re-teach a topic or students are struggling with a topic, I use the Level 2 textbook and its activities.

As an educator, it is vital to be able to design curriculum that is differentiated, standards-based, and measurable. Diverse learners must be taken into account. Lessons should be delivered so that all students can achieve mastery and success in the classroom.

Resources

Purcell, K., Buchanan, J., Friedrich, L. (2013). How teachers are using technology at home and in their classrooms. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2013/02/28/how-teachers-are-using-technology-at-home-and-in-their-classrooms/

Van de Pol, J., Volman, M., Oort, F. et al. (2015). The effects of scaffolding in the classroom: support contingency and student independent working time in relation to student achievement, task effort and appreciation of support. Instructional Science. 43, 615–641(2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-015-9351-z

Vasquez, V. (n.d.). Scaffolding Techniques for English Language Learners: Part 1. Collaborative Classroom. https://www.collaborativeclassroom.org/blog/scaffolding-techniques-english-language-learners-part-1/

Weselby, C. (2021, April 29). What is Differentiated Instruction? Examples of How to Differentiate Instruction in the Classroom. Resilient Educator. https://resilienteducator.com/classroom-resources/examples-of-differentiated-instruction/