Differentiation Made Simple: Timesaving Tools for Teachers

Differentiation is a practice that is beneficial to every student. Rather than focusing on leaving no child behind, differentiation aims to move every child ahead. The trouble for many teachers is, however, that differentiating for all students is time consuming. Differentiation Made Simple will help classroom teachers overcome time constraints and other obstacles to differentiation by providing a wealth of ready-made and generic tools they can employ right away.

The tools include task cards for literature, creative writing, and research; tic-tac-toe menus; graphic organizers; and guides to creating differentiated units—each one tied to specific questions and concerns teachers have about differentiating instruction. Also included are product lists and other assessment ideas, including rubrics and a scoring conversion table.

Written especially for teachers in the trenches, Differentiation Made Simple will help unlock the door to creating a classroom where every child is challenged by work appropriate for their abilities, interests, and learning styles.

Mary Ann Carr began writing mysteries for kids to solve while teaching gifted students. She has taught grades 1-7, working with gifted children as a gifted and talented education resource teacher for 14 years. She currently teaches in The College of William and Mary's summer enrichment program. Carr recently retired as a resource teacher and lives on the Chesapeake Bay in a rural county in Virginia.