This brochure was created for my course in differentiating instruction. The purpose of this assignment was to create awareness for parents on differentiation strategies and what to expect in my classroom. This is an example of the brochure I created. It could be handed out along with other back to school materials at meet the teacher.

1. I know you are thinking this sounds like way
too much fun! And you are right, but this is
my teaching philosophy, “learning should be
inviting and should have purpose.” I ensure
you that although my classroom will be fun,
it will still be structured and properly
managed.
And, don’t worry there will be assessment. I
will incorporate both formative and
summative assessment. Formative is
essentially ongoing assessment, including
observations, summaries and reviews. I will
provided students with continuous feedback
throughout the learning process. Summative
assessment will be conducted at the end of
each unit. These are your more traditional
test-like assessments.
All of these strategies are constantly
evolving and more importantly challenging
your student. Carol Tomlinson, a
differentiation expert, has found that
students care deeply about learning when
their teachers meet their need for
affirmation, contribution, purpose, power
and challenge. Differentiated instruction is
an invitation to your child from me, the
teacher, to meet his/her needs in the
classroom. It is going to be a great year and I
am excited to be a part of your child’s
learning journey.
Additional Resources
Websites:
 Edutopia
 Reading Rockets
 NAGC
 ASCD
Books:
 The differentiated Classroom:
Responding to the Needs of All
Learners by Carol Tomlinson
 Collaborate, Communicate, &
Differentiate! By Wendy W.
Murawski & Sally A. Spencer
Please feel free to contact me if you have any
additional questions regarding differentiated
instructional strategies within the
classroom. I am committed to supporting
your
child’s
learning
journey.
MRS. SMITH’S CLASSROOM
1st Grade
Learning Elementary School
fpsmith@txwes.edu
www.txwes.edu
817-531-6563
MRS. SMITH’S
CLASSROOM
Incorporating differentiated
instruction to support your
child’s
learning
journey.

2. What is
Differentiation?
Differentiation is a way of effectively
teaching students at various abilities within
the same classroom. The intent is to
maximize student growth (Hall, 2002).
Differentiation methods adapt to serve the
client, which in this case is the student,
through his/her learning journey
(Tomlinson, 2000). More simply stated,
differentiation is modified instruction that
helps students with diverse academic needs
and learning styles master the same content.
(Good, 2006).
My Rationale for differentiation:
I teach a class of 20 students with varying
abilities across different subjects. My goal is
to challenge your child within each lesson,
which requires me to adapt my instructional
approach to best serve his/her individual
needs. This approach requires a lot of time
and practice, so I ask for your patience in
understanding throughout the year. I want
to ensure growth in all students and feel like
the best way to do that is using
differentiated instruction.
Meeting the Individual
Student Needs
Differentiating Instruction:
1. Content
2. Process
3. Product
Differentiation of content refers to a change
in material being learned by a student.
Differentiation of process refers to the way a
student accesses material. Differentiation of
product refers to the way a student
demonstrates what he or she has learned.
Implementation Strategies:
1. Assess student readiness
2. Determine student interest
3. Identify student learning styles
Preliminary knowledge is required before
beginning the unit. Pre-assessments will be
given at the start of each unit to determine
readiness, interest and learning styles of
each individual student.
The KWL Chart is an example of pre-assessment that I
will give your child to determine his/her knowledge base
prior to beginning a new lesson.
Example of Differentiated
Instruction
Implementation is going to vary based on
student knowledge, interest and learning
style. Below are some differentiation
strategies specific to reading that I may
incorporate to help your child learn.
 Interest Centers
 Flexible Grouping
 Learning Contracts
 Choice Boards
 Tiered Assignments
Centers are used to create learning
experiences specific to your child’s interest.
Grouping allow for students to work with a
variety of peers while being grouped with
students in his/her same readiness, interest
or learning style. Flexible contracts allow for
me to have a contract with your student
focusing on a specific skill to be learned,
while giving the student freedom to learn at
his/her own pace. Choice boards contain a
variety of activities that all teach the same
skill or learning goal. Tiered assignments all
for students to learn an essential skill
provided on an appropriate knowledge base
and complexity level individual to him/her.
Differentiated instruction allows for the
student to take ownership in his/her
learning path and to constantly challenge
his/her level of learning. My classroom will
be an environment that embraces learning in
every form, shape and fashion!