Turns out, differentiation doesn't always require hours of planning...sometimes it takes your grade-level assignment and just a few tools:
- post-it notes
- yellow highlighter
- pen
In kindergarten, I find that these three simple tools provide endless ways to differentiate for students at varying levels of English proficiency and skill level. Sticky notes can provide a sentence frame to get started, a quick word bank, or a model for students who are reversing or struggling with getting a sight word. Highlighters can allow students to state an idea that they are not yet able to write--for example, students who enter without any phonics/phonemic awareness skills. They can trace over words or letters to write their ideas. You can use a pen to draw _____ for each word a student wants to write. You can further differentiate by helping students remember what they wrote by filling in a beginning or ending sound as needed. The pen is also helpful as students dictate their writing to you!
Sentence frames, word banks, phonics support, blanks, models, and word support--you can have differentiated supports at multiple levels all with just three tools!
Love,
Ms. M
