My 10 Favorite Differentiation Strategies for the WL Classroom

When I first learned about differentiation, I thought that I would have to make three versions of all assignments.  I have since learned that differentiation is more than just tiered instruction; it is a responsive classroom.  Instruction can be differentiated by content, process, product, and environment, according to a student's readiness, learning styles, or interests.  Here are my ten favorite differentiation strategies for the world language classroom.  

1. Give students choices for products on assignments.  Instead of requiring an essay for an assignment to practice writing, give students the choice of creating a brochure, PowerPoint presentation, timeline, etc.  Keep the content requirements the same but allow the demonstration of learning to vary.  Students will produce better work when they have choices for showing their learning.
2. Expand product choices.  Instead of requiring a PowerPoint presentation, give students options that allow them to demonstrate their strengths in areas besides writing. For grading purposes, I generally recommend that the content be the same.  Ideas:
1. Puppet show
2. Video skit
3. Original song
4. Paper collage
5. Advertisement
6. Timeline
7. Poem
8. Flipbook
9. Interview
10. Super snazzy technology, like Powtoon or Glogster
3. Small-group skits.  Do informal skits where students present to each other in small groups instead of in front of the class.  This sudent-centered activity will ease stress for a variety of learners and lead to better internalization of key skills.  
4. Add self-reflection and goal setting to tasks.  Instead of grading student essay drafts, create a form that students fill in (with quantitative measures) to grade their own essays and set goals for the rewrite. Let's be honest - students often ignore the meticulous feedback we give them on essays.  Give students ownership over rewrites and the final drafts will be better (and you will do less work). 
5. Use stations.  About to teach a unit on a country, like Belgium?  Give seven choices of stations and have students choose four, completing a task at those four stations.  Later students will share their learning in small groups.  Ideas:  Literature selection, comic book characters, a move clip, a song from the country, information about their food, etc. Check out this blog post about stations in the WL classroom.
6. Provide homework choices.  Instead of doing the same workbook pages, let students choose from a variety of options that meet their learning styles and needs.  
7. Exit slips.  To help plan instruction for the next class, give students a formative (non-graded) assessment at the end of the lesson to gauge their learning.  Modify groups, activities, and instruction based on student learning. Some examples here.
8. Let students choose topics based on their interests.  When students are writing an essay to practice a particular grammar skill, such as writing in the past tense, let them choose the topic.  For example:  Write a children's book, describe the weekend of a dog, tell the story of how your favorite musical group started, etc.  Students will complete better work when they like the topic.  If you are really interested in this strategy, check out RAFTs, which give students choices over their role, audience, format, and topic.
9. Group students by learning styles.  Let students choose how they want to practice chapter vocabulary.  Check out this great presentation for teaching vocabulary using multiple intelligences. 
10. Choice boards.  Let students choose which activities to do for homework or classwork. On a grid of nine options, students choose three.  Here is a great page of choice board ideas. 

I have used all of these activities in the classroom and loved all of them.  I would be happy to receive your feedback!  I truly believe that it is our responsibility as educators to teach the individuals in front of us, and that adding these differentiation strategies to our tool kit will improve the performance of our students. 

20 Grouping Ideas for the World Language Classroom

In the world language classroom, it is critical to get students talking and listening to one another.  Here are twenty grouping strategies to encourage teamwork, team building, a positive class culture, and communication.  I'll be sure to do another post on group work structures, which help to make many of these grouping strategies more effective.

1.  Permanent seats:  Groups of 4.  Choose groups carefully; each group should have a student leader and be diversified for skill level and student characteristics. I found it best to have a high-performing student with two typically middle-level students and one lower-skill student.  The higher and lower should not be next to each other. Place students strategically so that best friends are separate or across the room facing in opposite directions.  A group of four allows for interactions with three different people, easier management,  and creates an environment focused on student-centered learning.  I never liked groups of three, and would rather have a group of five.  I occasionally used groups of six, but found groups of four to be the most productive. 

2.  Group by learning preference or learning style.  Give students a learning styles survey; for certain activities, put students in groups based on how they learn, and give them an activity that suits this learning style.

3.  Skill level.  Based on a pre-test, group students for activities designed to match their mastery of objectives.  These groups are flexible and will vary each time.

4.  Interest.  What do students want to learn about and/or what is their focus for a project?  For example, group the students who love skateboarding to create an advertisement for their favorite skateboard park.

Random groupings
These can be tailored to fit the unit of study and can be more complex for each level.  Students get into one line by communicating solely in the target language. These groupings can last three minutes to an entire class period, depending upon the activity. You can then break students into smaller groups to suit the needs of the activity, maybe groups of two or groups of four, or even larger. Ideas for random groupings:

5.  Hair color.  A way to review appearance vocabulary. 

6.  Deck of cards.  You can sort students by card grouping or by suit. 

7.  Number of siblings.  Review of family.

8.  Rating scale.  Ask students - how they feel about certain topics, and rate from highest to lowest.  In level 1, it could be "pizza."  In a higher level, it could be a question about which cultural practice is preferred.  You could do a number of questions like this in a row, and ask students to make comments in the target language throughout the activity. 

9.  Number of buttons on an article of clothing.  A fun way to review clothing and create conversation. 

10.  Mood for the day - happy to grumpy.  This would be a great way to connect with students on a personal level.

Get them moving!
These are groups that allow students to get out of their seats and having conversations with each other.

11.  Inside/outside circle.  Line students up facing each other; I usually ask that they "high five" so they are certain who their partner is. Give them a prompt or a survey to complete. Rotate to communicate with different partners.

12.  Four corners.  Ask students to choose one of the four corners in the room, where you have placed different labels.  Again, this can vary by unit of study.  Favorite season in level 1; weekend rating scale in level 2; favorite character from a story in level 3; most important environmental issue in the target country in level four.  You could then give students a task or conversation questions.

13.  What's your favorite....?  Place a different picture on each group of four.  As students walk in, have them select their "favorite" of the series. Then, give them a series of questions to discuss or answer within that group.

14.  Stations.  Make each table of four desks a different activity.  Require students to complete, for example, any five of those activities.  They can move on as they finish.  Ideas for stations:  Listening station, game review, reading activity, practice quiz, computer task, etc.  Or you could have stations to learn about a time in history, such as music, literature, or historical figures. 

15.  Gallery walk.  You can use this for students to produce work or to review and discuss each other's work.  To create work, put a number of large posters around the room, either on each table of four or on the wall. Ask students to fill in vocabulary about a topic, or give a one-word answer to a question.  Groups can rotate as they finish or based on a timer.  To review work, ask students to place their work in visible places, and then discuss with a number of classmates.  A worksheet is helpful for students to write their feedback.

Ideas for groups of four

16.  Student-chosen groups.  I would rarely let students choose their own groups (except for interest-based activities), but would do it on occasion.  I found this a helpful "carrot" for getting students to finish certain activities.

17.  Conversation tables.  Put a tented paper on each group of four with questions for students to ask and answer of each other.  You can ask students to record a partner's answers or assign a recorder the task of summarizing group responses.

18.  Dice.  I loved to give prompts with dice.  On the board, 1-6 would each have a different task, and occasionally, a second die would have different characters.  Students complete the random prompt based on chance.

When all else fails...

19. Who's your favorite____(team? singer?)?  Create teams based on student responses to preferences, such as "Yankees or Red Sox?"

20.  Ask the students for ideas!  Give them an exit slip to create different groups.  You will get many ideas from them.

I hope these grouping ideas can improve your class culture, energize your students, aid learning, enable teacher facilitation, and increase communication.  What grouping strategies have you used in your classroom? 

Differentiated Holiday Project

Student Holiday Project

Differentiated by content, product, and learner trait

This is a holiday project that I used in my (French) classroom for a couple of years.  I edited this project from one that I found in a book by Deborah Blaz about differentiation in the world language classroom.  (Click here to access the book)  Students worked alone or in groups to prepare then present the projects to the class.  While presenting, students completed the listening sheets. 

I found this project was a great way to build class culture, meet a number of standards, and also to have fun right before the December break.  It also solved the problem of a "food day."  Instead of requiring all students to bring in food, it was an option, so students who could afford to feed others would. 

What I liked about the project:

• Interesting because they were varied
• High completion rate thanks to the choices
• Many students made food (a crowd pleaser) but it was not required
• A number of students completed multiple projects because of the extra credit
• The project was based on the target culture
• Students were able to choose a variety of holidays from different religions
• The listening sheet made students be active listeners (I graded it for a class participation grade)

 What I would change:

• There needs to be more target language; I would modify the rubric
• In order to encourage the use of the TL, I would include sample vocabulary for presentations and a more in-depth model in the target language
• I would consider having students present in small groups instead of in front of the entire class (in order to increase student engagement)

I hope you can edit this project to fit the needs of your own learners.   And...Happy Thanksgiving!

__________________________________________________________________________________

Holidays in Francophone Countries

The holidays are approaching. Francophone countries have a variety of religions and celebrations.  The project is due ___________________________, whichever day you have class. 

 

The task:  Pick one of the following.  You will present your information to the class.  You may work in groups of 2; however- there must be evidence of SHARED responsibility.  Each additional assignment you do is worth 4 extra credit points, for a maximum of 8.    

 

• Holiday expressions.  Find out how to say words associated with holidays in the target language (including verbs and phrases for a variety of religions, like “Happy Hanukkah” or “Happy Holidays” or “to celebrate Three Kings Day”). Include at least 15 expressions.

• Holiday celebrations.  How do families celebrate the various holidays in Francophone countries?  What would a typical Christmas/Hanukah/Kwanzaa etc. feast look like in a French speaking country?

• Books, songs, fairy tales, fables?  What sorts of songs, books, fairy tales, and fables have been written about these holidays in French speaking countries?  Find lyrics, fairy tales, etc., to share with the class.  You may find a French holiday song to play for the class; bring it in along with the lyrics.

• Videos.  You may make or find a video about holidays in France or French speaking countries. Share with the class. 

• Holiday food. Prepare a traditional food for the holiday you have chosen to share with the class.  Be sure to bring in a list of ingredients.

• Perform a song.  Perform a song (using a guitar, CD, video tape, MP3 file) for the class, in French, from one of these celebrations

• French Exchange contact.  Contact a student from the French Exchange. Find out how his/her family celebrates the holidays and share the information with the class.

• French experience.  Contact a relative/friend who has spent the holidays in a French-speaking country. Ask him/her what the holiday is like in that country.  Share the information with the class.

• French holiday cards.  Find 20, print them out, and share with the class. 
 
• Your own idea.  Have a better idea?  I would love to know what it is.  I am open to other topics/formats.

 

Be sure to include:

1. Culturally accurate information, the name of the country/region and the holiday
2. A visual component, such as a PowerPoint slide, handout, poster, brochure or student-created website
3. For the presentation – Speak so the entire class can hear you, include some French, and have all members present equal amounts
4. Timeliness – Turn in your project/present by ____________________, whichever day you have class
5. Citations – Include at least 2 – books, websites, or people

 

Sample visual: 

Christmas in France (name/region & holiday)   They celebrate St. Nicholas’ Day on 12/6 – la fête St. Nicholas They celebrate Christmas Eve by doing to midnight mass and having a big feast – Le Réveillon They also celebrate Epiphany, 3 Kings Day, on January 6th – la Fête des Rois Sources: http://french.about.com/cs/culture/a/christmas.htm http://www.santas.net/frenchchristmas.htm http://www.the-north-pole.com/around/france.html

 

Topic	Exemplary	Proficient	Partially Proficient	Incomplete	Points/Comments
1. Information	4  points Culturally accurate.  You include the name of the country/region and the holiday.	3 points Mostly culturally accurate, with a few small errors.  You include the name of the country/region and the holiday.	2 points You include either the name of the country/region or the holiday.	0 points You do not include the name of the holiday nor the country/region.
2. Presentation:  Format	4 points You include a visual piece – a PowerPoint, poster, website, brochure, or handout to share your information with the class. The visual is easy to read with a variety of information and is well presented.	3 points You include a visual piece to share your information, but it is not always easy to read/understand.  You have a variety of information.	2 point You include a visual with “bare bones” information.	0 points You include no visuals.
3. Presentation: Presence	4 points You speak so the entire class can hear you.  You include some French in your presentation.  Both group members present equally.	3 points You speak so the entire class can hear you and both group members present equally.	2 points The entire class cannot hear you and one person dominates the presentation.	0 points You do not present your information.
4. Timeliness	4  points Your presentation is turned in by________________ (whichever day you have class.)			0 points Presented after _______________.  Must be presented!
5. Citations	3 points You include the name of the sources you used – whether it be a website, a book, or a person. You use at least 3 sources.  You include specific site names.	2 points You include the name of the sources you used – whether it be a website, a book, or a person. You use at least 2 sources – specific names.	1 point You include the name of the sources you used – whether it be a website, a book, or a person. You use at least 1 source.	0 points No sources.
Your score/19

 

What went well:                                                                        What to improve: 

 

Name of Presenter	Holiday	Country/Region	2 facts in English or French	1 source