Students entered the lesson at different readiness levels. Some needed sentence stems and simplified examples; others were ready to create their own context clue sentences and teach their peers. Visual tools like anchor charts, color-coded highlighting, and sentence strips supported visual learners. For kinesthetic learners, I included vocabulary acting stations and hands-on tasks.

These choices weren’t random—they were strategic, based on both data and observation (Dunn & Dunn, 1993; Tomlinson, 2014). Wonder Woman thrived with multiple formats, so she took on leadership roles in peer learning. This allowed her to stretch while helping others.

Quizizz was my chosen technology tool. It’s student-friendly, self-paced, and provides instant feedback. I reviewed the question sets beforehand to make sure they were visually clear and grade-appropriate. Students who needed more support had access to audio tools and visuals. For enrichment, I integrated Flip, where students could record videos explaining vocabulary words. This added student voice, creativity, and ownership.

These tools weren’t used just because they were fun—they helped students work at their own level and express learning in different ways (Sousa & Tomlinson, 2011).

Assessment was built into every part of the lesson. During stations, I used informal checks—observing student participation and accuracy. Quizizz served as both a formative and summative assessment tool, while students also completed written or verbal reflections. This offered multiple means of expression (UDL), and it gave students a chance to show what they knew how they knew best.

ELLs: Used sentence stems, word banks, and visuals (Gay, 2018)

Special Needs: Worked with simplified text and pre-highlighted examples

Gifted Learners: Created original context clue sentences and quizzed peers

Early Finishers: Used Flip to record vocabulary explanations or tackled extension puzzles

This experience taught me that differentiation is not just about "easier" or "harder" work—it’s about flexibility, accessibility, and equity. Students deserve choices in how they learn, how they practice, and how they show understanding. With intentional planning and the right tools, we can make that happen.

I plan to continue using learning inventories, informal check-ins, and adaptive tech to guide how I design lessons. Differentiation isn’t an extra step—it’s what makes real learning possible for every student.