Differentiated Instructional Strategies Graphic
First, Before Differentiating...Have You Created "Anchor Activities?"
Anchor Activities
Explanation: Students are expected to understand and know how to complete such activities with no teacher participation so that teacher can work with small groups or individuals. Teachers often spend time early in the school year describing such activities for independence throughout the year.
These are ongoing activities that students can work on independently throughout a unit, a grading period, or longer.
Some example "anchor activities" might include:
The purpose of an Anchor Activity:
Explanation: Students are expected to understand and know how to complete such activities with no teacher participation so that teacher can work with small groups or individuals. Teachers often spend time early in the school year describing such activities for independence throughout the year.
These are ongoing activities that students can work on independently throughout a unit, a grading period, or longer.
Some example "anchor activities" might include:
- "Brain Busters"
- Learning Packets
- Activity Box
- Learning / Interest Centers
- Vocabulary Work
- Accelerated Readers
- Activities / Websites with Technology
- Investigations
- Magazine Articles with Questions / Activities
- Listening Stations
- Journals / Learning Logs
- Silent Readings
The purpose of an Anchor Activity:
- Provide meaningful work for students when they finish an assignment or project, when they first enter class, or when they are "stumped"
- Provide ongoing tasks that tie to the content and instruction
- Free up the classroom teacher to work with other groups of students or individuals
Some Differentiated Instructional Strategies