Differentiating Instruction with Menus: Science (Grades 3-5) - Softcover

Westphal, Laurie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1593632274 ISBN 13: 9781593632274

Publisher: Prufrock Press, 2007

Synopsis

Differentiating Instruction With Menus offers teachers everything they need to create a student-centered learning environment based on choice. Addressing the four main subject areas (language arts, math, science, and social studies) and the major concepts taught within these areas, these books provide a number of different types of menus that elementary-aged students can use to select exciting products that they will develop so teachers can assess what has been learned―instead of using a traditional worksheet format.

Each book contains attractive reproducible menus, each based on the levels of Bloom's revised taxonomy, for students to use to guide them in making decisions as to which products they will develop after studying a major concept or unit. Using creative and challenging choices found in Tic-Tac-Toe Menus, List Menus, 2-5-8 Menus, Baseball Menus, and Game Show Menus, students will look forward to sharing their newfound knowledge throughout the year. Also included are specific guidelines for products, rubrics for assessing student products, and teacher introduction pages for each menu.

This book includes menus that teach students about physical science, earth science, and scientists and the tools they use.

About this title

From the Author

These books are full of product based menus meant to accompany various units of study, however, the higher level product activities found on the menus can be selected and used whole group, or provided as options after a compacting preassessment. Think of these books as a jumping off point to meet whatever needs you may have!  I absolutely love the flexibility of menus!    I wrote this book with the hope that it would make menus more accessible to everyone; create a "household name," if you will. Menus are so flexible and useful; once they are implemented, teachers begin to look for other uses for them.  It is not that teachers or curriculum writers can not create these menus themselves, but since there just isn't always enough time, these books are designed to be ready to use.     
Menus are appropriate for all grade levels and areas of instruction. If you try a menu of your own design, or one from my books and it isn't everything you hoped it would be - please contact me! I would be happy to brainstorm improvements with you. Drop me an e-mail and we will figure it out!

About the Author

After teaching science for more than 15 years, Laurie Westphal now works as a gifted education and science consultant. She enjoys developing and presenting staff development on low-stress differentiation strategies and using menus, working with teachers to assist them in developing lessons to meet the needs of their advanced students.

About this edition

• Publisher: Prufrock Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1593632274
• ISBN 13: 9781593632274
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 136