This document discusses differentiating instruction for English learners. It defines differentiation as making strategic adaptations to instruction or assignments. Teachers should differentiate to provide equitable access to curriculum and meet the linguistic needs of English learners. The main ways to differentiate are by process, content, and product. Examples of differentiation strategies include modifying content delivery, providing scaffolds like word banks or extended time, and allowing alternative assignments or assessments. Effective differentiation involves strategic grouping and focusing on one type of support tailored to students and the lesson.

1. Differentiating for Language
Proficiency
Bridging for Comprehension

2. What is Differentation?
Making strategic
adaptations to
instruction or
assignments.

3. Why Differentiate?
To provide
equitable access to
curriculum and
meet the linguistic
needs of English
learners (ELs).

4. How to Differentiate?
Process
Product
Content
Consider three
main ways to
adapt and modify
instruction or
assignments.

5. Differentiating Content
Present
information in
other ways to
facilitate and
support
comprehension.
Chunk new
information
Audio & visual
presentations
Reading materials
at different levels

6. Differentiating Process
Provide different types
and levels of scaffolding
and/or support.
Think of this as training
wheels or a parent
running alongside to
support a child as he
learns to ride a bike.
Word
Bank
Extended
Time
Sentence Stems
Group/Partner Work
Use of translation

7. Differentiating Product
Provide for other ways
to demonstrate learning.
Consider linguistically
appropriate grading
such as differentiated
rubrics or separate
rubrics for content and
language.
projects
models
verbal explanations
illustrations
choice
role play

8. Differentiation with Small Groups
Be strategic
with grouping.
Group with a
purpose.
Give groups similar yet specifically designed & equally
demanding tasks.

9. Take a Closer Look
The next few slides contain
examples of differentiation
plans developed by teams of
teachers.
Take a few moments to view
them with your EL lens.
What type of supports are
provided? Are there ideas you
can apply to your own
classroom?

10. Differentiation Example
Type: Process
• Text support
• Partner & group
Learning strategy
• Repeated details
Graphic Organizer
• Scaffolded
• Sentence
starter/cloze

11. Differentiation Example
Type: Product
• Word
• Sentence
• Paragraph
Supports
• Visuals
• Word bank
• Sentence starters

12. Differentiation Example
Type: Process
• Word bank
• Sentence stems
Graphic Organizer
Visual support

13. Planning for Differentiation
It is not feasible to provide
all types of differentiation
for everything. Pick one
type of differentiation that
is most appropriate for
your students and the
lesson content to clear the
path for learning.