Tiered: Lessons, Activities, Instruction

1
Tiered Lessons, Activities, Instruction

• February 2009
• TAG Office 503-916-3358
• www.tag.pps.k12.or.us

1
2
In our last episodes

• Characteristics of Gifted Students
• Grouping Strategies

3
The Big Picture
4
And NowBack to our regularly scheduled program

• We bring you Tiered Assignments

5
Tiered Assignments (Lessons or Activities)

• Tiered assignments are a differentiation strategy
  where learning tasks and projects are developed
  based on assessed student need.
• Tiered assignments are intended to provide a
  better instructional match between students and
  their needs.

5
6
At the end of this TAG Episode

• Participants will
• Define Tiered Lessons (or Activities)
• Experience a Tiered activity
• View multiple ways to Tier

7
Why Tier?

• Students arrive with varied
• Cultural and linguistic backgrounds
• Learning opportunities and experiences
• Interests
• Readiness levels

• Teachers vary
• TASK for different levels
• PROCESS for different levels
• PRODUCT appropriately to demonstrate learning

7
8
Tiered Chocolate Activities

• Make a list of descriptive, sensory and/or
  comparative words to describe your chocolate.
• Create 3 SIMILES to help someone understand how
  you feel about your chocolate.
• Create a warning label to attach to your
  chocolate.
• Finish these analogies
• Chocolate is to stress as ___________
• Is to ___________________.
• Chocolate is to happiness as ________
• Is to ___________________.

8
9
There are multiple methods for designing Tiered
Assignments
Tier by.

• Challenge level (Depth)
• Complexity
• Resources

• Outcome
• Process
• Product

10
In designing a Standards-based tiered lesson

• Start with grade-level standards, concepts or
  skills
• Modify the content into two to three progressive
  levels of depth and complexity
• Differentiate by process, product, resources or
  outcome

Research, Interview, Read book, Use Internet.
Perform, create, present, write.
11
Example of an Elementary tiered assignment Grade
1- Insects

• THE STANDARD L3. Explain why plants and animals
  reproduce their own kind
• Strategic Observe and show structures of an
  insect larva and of an insect adult (mealworm,
  wax worm, milkweed bug, silkworm or butterfly)
• On-level Show the life cycle of a wax worm
  (mealworm, milkweed bug, silkworm or butterfly)
• Advanced Compare the stages of the life cycle of
  a wax worm to the life cycle of another insect

11
12
Example of a Mid-level assignment tiered by
Complexity

• Create an informational brochure meeting E2
  STANDARD(4th Grade Land and Water)
• Strategic (Least complex) informs classmates
  about how land features (shape of the land,
  angle of slope) affects the flow of streams and
  amount of soil runoff.
• On Level (More complex) informs classmates
  about how land features and human activities
  (dams, removing/planting vegetation) interact to
  affect the flow of streams and erosion and
  deposition.
• Advanced (Most complex) presents various
  positions about human activities affecting water
  quality and makes a recommendation

12
13
High School example of tiering by Depth and
Complexity within a Standard

• HS.1 Structure and Function
• ?HS.1.PS.1 Describe the atomic model and explain
  how electron configuration is related to the
  Periodic Table and to chemical properties.
• ?Compare and contrast the atomic model, electron
  configuration and chemical properties of an
  alkali metal, halogen, and noble gas and explain
  the placement of each in the periodic table.
• ?Based on the atomic model, electron
  configuration and chemical properties of an
  alkali metal, halogen, and noble gas, explain the
  placement of each in the periodic table and
  create a method for describing the chemical
  properties of other elements based on their
  relative position to these elements in the
  periodic table.

14
Using a Teachers Edition for Support

• Does the activity help the student reach the
  standard?
• Is the activity basic or advanced?
• Do the suggested extensions offer more depth and
  more complexity, or just more work?
• Are there multiple activities that provided
  opportunities for tiering the
• content to support the standard?

15
Caution

• Be sure that the tasks you design are truly more
  advanced and not simply MORE work.

16
How do tiered activities meet the needs of
Special Ed, ESL, Gifted, and General Ed students?
Rate
Level
Matches individual need to content
16
17
Rubrics

• General enough to apply to all tiers
• Key concepts are clear and included
• The Standard that students need to meet is clear
• Students understand how the varied activities,
  resources, products, etc help them demonstrate
  key concepts or State Standards
• Make sure the key concepts are
• evaluated separately from the
• quality criteria

17
18
Rubrics

• Quality, Effort, or Career Related Learning
  Standards (CRLS)
• Criteria for Quality of Product, Measured Effort,
  or CRLS is separate from the evaluation of
  proficiency in meeting the standard.
• Neat, Organized, ON-Time work is recognized, but
  not directly tied to meeting the Standard.

• The Standard that students need to meet is clear.
• Key Concepts are included, but general enough to
  apply to all tiers.
• Regardless of assignment, activity (or tier)
  students understand how their work demonstrates
  the standard.

19
Additional Resources for Tiered Assignments

• Differentiating Instruction in the Regular
  Classroom by Diane Heacox
• How to Differentiate Instruction in the
  Mixed-Ability Classroom by Carol Ann Tomlinson
• Tiering Assignments Compacting Curriculum
  Its for Everyone! By Lynda Rice

19
20
Take-Away Packet

• All of the handouts provided in your Take-Away
  Packet are available from our website
• www.tag.pps.k12.or.us
• Look in Educator Resources

20