Planning for Differentiated Instruction

Virtual Field Trip to a Savanna

Description: This artifact is part of a habitat science unit. The students learned about land habitats and took three virtual field trips to a savanna, a tropical rainforest, and a temporal forest. They went on a scavenger hunt for the types of animals and plants that live in these different land habitats.  

Connection: This artifact connects to Standard 3-3f which talks about understanding the appropriate role of technology to address student needs. In the slides you will find that I added a dictation on each slide to make this accessible to my non-reading students. On the slides that show videos, the audio includes reminders to come back to the slides to finish the trip. This was an added reminder for certain students to stay task. 

What I learned: Though the audio was intended for assisting non-readers, I learned that all my students appreciated the dictations. They said it made the trip feel real as I guided them through the trip like a tour guide. This highlights the fact that all students can benefit from accommodations. 

Phonics Google Slides Activity

Description: This artifact is an example of the many interactive assignments i have created during my time student teaching. The students were practicing -ir and -ur vowel teams. They were to sort the pictures then build the word. 

Connection: This artifact connects to Standard 3-3n which talks about using a wide range of instructional technologies to enhance a student’s ongoing growth and achievement. Using technology keeps students engaged, and when engaged information is better retained. 

What I learned: I learned that students are very tech savvy. They were able to quickly learn how to work the interactive activities I created. The students even taught me some things about how their Chromebooks work.I also learned that these type of activities are good for managing time. This type of work is often done with cut and paste worksheets, but sometimes there just is not enough time to go that route. This interactive activity still gives them the hands on experience that they need.