• Home
  • Membership
  • Master Mentor Sentences
    • Mentor Sentences for K-2
    • Mentor Sentences for 3-5
  • Courses
    • K-2 Course Login
    • 3-5 Course Login
    • Master Mentor Sentences Course
    • Interactive Read Alouds
    • FREE 1-2 Mentor Text Course
    • FREE 3-5 Mentor Texts Course
  • Shop
    • My Account on Jivey’s Site
    • Shop Jivey’s Site
    • Join the Mentor Text Membership
    • Shop on TpT
    • Mentor Texts on Amazon
  • About
    • Meet Jivey
    • Disclosure & Affiliate Policy
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • 0 items
  • Ideas by Jivey

    Jivey shares ideas and lessons to make literacy accessible for all.

    • Shop
    • Master Mentor Sentences
      • Mentor Sentences for K-2
      • Mentor Sentences for 3-5
    • Maximize Time With Mentor Texts
    • Vivid Vocabulary
    • Close Reading
    Uncategorized

    The Importance of Differentiation in Reading

    September 25, 2016

    Share
    Pin
    Tweet
    If you’ve been a teacher within the last decade, you know the word “DIFFERENTIATION” isn’t just the latest and greatest buzzword. It’s crucial across all subjects to be able to meet the needs of the different learners in your class.


    For a teacher just starting to differentiate, the idea of it can sometimes seem overwhelming. It does require more planning, but once you get to know your students, it becomes easier. This post is going to focus on differentiation in reading instruction, but the ideas can apply to many subjects!

    WHAT DIFFERENTIATION LOOKS LIKE

    • Teaching the standards with a variety of levels of texts to meet different levels
    • Teaching the standards in tiered levels (providing access to all learners for the standard)
    • Giving students choice on how they demonstrate their knowledge based on learning styles
    • LOTS of formative assessments to determine who understands and who needs more support

    WHAT DIFFERENTIATION DOES NOT LOOK LIKE

    • Teaching the same lesson to every small group
    • Gifted students always teaching low learners
    • Ability-grouped classrooms
    Why should you differentiate instruction in reading? And why AREN'T you differentiating reading assessments? Ideas by Jivey lays it all out for you and helps you head in the right direction!
    I will go ahead and tell you upfront, I am NOT a fan of basal programs. They don’t allow for in-depth teaching of reading comprehension and, of course, many students either cannot read the story on their own or should be reading material at a much higher level.

    For this reason, I believe in using a reading workshop model. I start with a mini-lesson to teach a standard using a mentor text then I pull small groups of students. While I pull small groups, students are reading independently (from a text on their instructional level). The small groups I pull are generally based on reading level, but sometimes based on skill need.

    Ideas by Jivey reminds you to stop leaving students out teaching only whole-group. Teach students in small groups to differentiate for levels of learners.
    In my small groups, I generally expand on the mini-lesson skill using a leveled text appropriate for the readers in the group. Depending on where we are in a chapter book, this isn’t always possible, so sometimes it is a review of previously learned skills. The students are learning grade-level standards, but not necessarily with grade level appropriate texts: some are lower, some are higher.

    Activities in reading also look different, based on my students. They are STILL working on the same grade-level standard as everyone in the class, but with modifications. I might provide a sentence stem, partially filled graphic organizer, or word bank for students who are below level. Students who are above level will have more open-ended opportunities to complete the activity. (This is called tiered-level learning.)

    Why are we differentiating instruction, but not differentiating assessments?
    Reading assessments should also look different! After all, are you assessing whether they understand the skill, or assessing whether they can read the text? I believe if you are determining whether students have mastered a comprehension standard, the student should be able to read the assessment passage on their instructional level.

    Using differentiated reading assessments has only recently become a common practice. For this reason, there aren’t many resources out there with grade-level appropriate questions with differentiated passages… which is when I come to the rescue. 🙂

    I have created assessments for grades 3-5 that you can mix and match based on what your students need. The passages are written on four levels (2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th) so that you can assess on your grade level, but provide instructional level texts.

    There are six fiction and six nonfiction passages for each strand: key ideas and details, craft and structure, integration of ideas, and all standards combined.

    There are also a variety of ways to mix and match the assessments to create long and short assessments on different standards! I didn’t number the questions so that you can use as many passages as you’d like in your test. You might also consider assessing on just one standard with a few texts, or assessing multiple standards with just one text. You can even assess a standard with fiction and nonfiction! The possibilities to mix and match are endless!

    Get your assessments from my TPT store by clicking here!

    Why should you differentiate instruction in reading? And why AREN'T you differentiating reading assessments? Ideas by Jivey lays it all out for you and helps you head in the right direction!

     

    Share
    Pin
    Tweet
    Featured Reading Reading Workshop testing
    by Jessica Ivey 

    About Jessica Ivey

    View all posts by Jessica Ivey

    Related Posts

    • Are Picture Books COMPLEX Enough?
    • Make Vocabulary Stick With These Five Activities
    • 3 BIG Reasons Why You Should Throw Out The Vocabulary List
    • Introduce Finding Specific Text Evidence With Do Unto Otters
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Welcome!

    Welcome!

    Hi, I'm Jessica, also affectionately known as Jivey! I am passionate about making literacy accessible for all students using research-based strategies. Students learn best through content integration and in-context skills, and my goal is to help you deliver your instruction with these best practices!

    Looking for something?

    SHOP

    SHOP

    Recent Posts

    • Teaching Grammar that Supports the Science of Reading
    • Teaching Text Structure With Picture Books
    • Planning a Language Arts Schedule (How To Fit It All In!)
    • Mentor Sentences Routine: Break It Down (Assessment)
    • Mentor Sentences Routine: Break It Down (Time to Imitate)

    Facebook

    Ideas By Jivey

    16 hours ago

    Ideas By Jivey
    💡 It's time for a fresh, integrated approach to teaching grammar! 🚀 This free webinar will show you how to transform your ELA lessons using mentor sentences - a proven best practice. Say goodbye to ineffective teaching methods and hello to practical application that really works. Register now: members.ideasbyjivey.com/crash-course-registration-page ... See MoreSee Less

    Photo

    View on Facebook
    · Share

    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

    Ideas By Jivey

    2 days ago

    Ideas By Jivey
    🐟Are you a first- or second-grade teacher who teaches about ecosystems and/or animals? 🐸 Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner is SUCH a great book to use for a true ELA-Science integration!! 🐢The unit I created for this one aligns life science (ecosystems, and classifying and describing animals) with shared research, using text and pictures to learn, as well as writing with vivid verbs and prepositions!👉Check it out here: www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Over-and-Under-the-Pond-Life-Science-Integration-Mentor-Text-... ... See MoreSee Less

    Photo

    View on Facebook
    · Share

    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

    Ideas By Jivey

    3 days ago

    Ideas By Jivey
    📚 I'm excited to be back for another Mentor Text Monday! Today, I'm highlighting The Kindest Red- the sequel to The Proudest Blue by Olympic medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad.❤️ This heartwarming book provides excellent lessons on themes and acts of kindness. ❤️ 📖 Amazon affiliate link for the book: amzn.to/3MqEFgx✍️ Thinking about integrating this picture book into your curriculum? Head to my TPT store for the last club unit I created that will help teach students about theme, crafting 5-paragraph essays, spreading kindness, and properly using commas in a series. www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Kindest-Red-Mentor-Text-Unit-for-Grades-3-5-Teaching-Them... ... See MoreSee Less

    Photo

    View on Facebook
    · Share

    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

    Pinterest

    Instagram

    💡 It's time for a fresh, integrated approach to 💡 It's time for a fresh, integrated approach to teaching grammar! 

🚀 This free webinar will show you how to transform your ELA lessons using mentor sentences - a proven best practice. Say goodbye to ineffective teaching methods and hello to practical application that really works. 

Register at the link in my profile!

#ideasbyjivey #mentorsentences #freetrainings #teachertraining #teacherPD #teachinggrammar #grammarteachers
https://members.ideasbyjivey.com/crash-course-registration-page
    🐟Are you a first- or second-grade teacher who t 🐟Are you a first- or second-grade teacher who teaches about ecosystems and/or animals? 🐸 Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner is SUCH a great book to use for a true ELA-Science integration!! 

🐢The unit I created for this one aligns life science (ecosystems, and classifying and describing animals) with shared research, using text and pictures to learn, as well as writing with vivid verbs and prepositions!

👉Check it out at the link in my profile! 

#ideasbyjivey #iteach1st #iteach2nd #mentortext #scienceteacher #2ndgradescience #1stgradescience  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Over-and-Under-the-Pond-Life-Science-Integration-Mentor-Text-Unit-Grades-1-2-9078283
    📚 I'm excited to be back for another #MentorTex 📚 I'm excited to be back for another #MentorTextMonday! Today, I'm highlighting The Kindest Red- the sequel to The Proudest Blue by Olympic medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad.

❤️ This heartwarming book provides excellent lessons on themes and acts of kindness. ❤️ 

✍️ Thinking about integrating this #picturebook into your curriculum? Head to my TPT store for the last club unit I created (link in bio) that will help teach students about theme, crafting 5-paragraph essays, spreading kindness, and properly using commas in a series. 

#mentortexts #KindnessMatters #ideasbyjivey #iteach345 #iteach3rd #iteach4th #iteach5th 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Kindest-Red-Mentor-Text-Unit-for-Grades-3-5-Teaching-Theme-Kindness-9560190
    📝 Bored of traditional grammar teaching? Your s 📝 Bored of traditional grammar teaching? Your students are too! 

🌟 Come see how to implement a game-changing method that will engage your students and make your grammar lessons stick in this FREE crash course. 

🔮 No workbooks, no PowerPoints, no fancy anchor charts! Intrigued? Sign up at the link in my profile! 

#ideasbyjivey #mentorsentences #freetraining #freewebinar #grammarteacher #professionaldevelopment 

https://members.ideasbyjivey.com/crash-course-registration-page
    😬 Stop the cringe. Start using the fun, resea 😬 Stop the cringe. 

Start using the fun, research-based routine THAT WORKS in K-5 classrooms!

🤓Check out the free webinar to get started!! 
Link in profile @ideasbyjivey 

#ideasbyjivey #teachersfollowteachers #mentorsentences #teachersofinstagram #grammarteacher #teachinggrammar #freePD #teachertraining #freeprofessionaldevelopment

https://members.ideasbyjivey.com/crash-course-registration-page
    🤓Using high-quality sentences from literature t 🤓Using high-quality sentences from literature to illustrate grammar and writing conventions and to serve as examples of effective writing is PROVEN to provide a more engaging and effective learning experience! 

📚 Head to the link in my profile to read about this practical, meaningful approach to teaching writing and grammar to move away from traditional, isolated grammar instruction and toward understanding how grammar works within the context of actual writing!

#ELATeaching #MentorSentences #ideasbyjivey #teachinggrammar #grammarteacher #teachertips #teachersfollowteachers 

https://www.ideasbyjivey.com/routine
    🌟Teachers everywhere are seeing just how powerf 🌟Teachers everywhere are seeing just how powerful it is to use mentor sentences for teaching grammar and author's craft!

🖊️Watch your students' writing skills and grammar comprehension bloom as they learn directly from the talented authors of all your favorite books.

🔎Explore #mentorsentences for your grade level by clicking on the categories along the left side of my TPT store (link in profile)!

#fabulousfeedback #ideasbyjivey #teacherspayteachers #mentorsentence #GamechangingGrammar #picturebooks #iteachtoo #teachingrevolution #childrensliterature #educationaltools 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Ideas-By-Jivey
    ❓ Did you know I offer a FREE crash course for m ❓ Did you know I offer a FREE crash course for mentor sentences?

⏰ And I've opened it so that you can access it immediately! (That means no saving the date, schedule conflicts, etc... watch it now, or use the link you'll receive in your email to watch it later!)

Register at the link in my profile! 

#ideasbyjivey #mentorsentences #freeprofessionaldevelopment #freewebinar #teachergram #teachersfollowteachers 
https://members.ideasbyjivey.com/crash-course-registration-page
    📚Back for another #MentorTextMonday that celebr 📚Back for another #MentorTextMonday that celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

🌱The Boy Who Grew a Forest: The True Story of Jadav Payeng by Sophia Gholz is a true story about a boy who transforms a barren wasteland into a thriving forest by planting trees on his island home in India's Brahmaputra River. 

🌳If you're looking for a way to incorporate this book into your curriculum, check out the unit in my TPT store at the link in my profile! This inspiring #picturebook can be used to teach students about social responsibility and community activism while also covering skills like problem/solution text structure, citing evidence, comparing the book to a firsthand account, vocabulary, and more!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Boy-Who-Grew-a-Forest-Mentor-Text-Digital-Print-Unit-8022666
    Load More... Follow on Instagram

    Copyright © 2023 · Prima Donna theme by Georgia Lou Studios

    Copyright © 2023 · Prima Donna on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

    This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See full disclosure here.​

    accept

    This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.
    See full disclosure here.​

    accept