| "A full 70 percent of U.S. middle and high school | | | | purposes. This is the reason why we need to abandon |
| students require differentiated instruction which is | | | | one-text-for-all-learners and bring multiple texts into our |
| instruction targeted at their individual strengths and | | | | classrooms. Using multiple texts enables each student |
| weaknesses."--Reading Next, page 8. This quote, from | | | | to learn at his or her instructional level. This way, each |
| a study completed in 2004 by Catherine Snow and | | | | student can continue to improve and develop the |
| Gina Biancarosa, both researchers at Harvard | | | | reading skill and stamina to prepare for the dramatic |
| University, illustrates the need to address the diversity | | | | changes in the job market in this and the next century. |
| of literacy skills among adolescent learners. The divide | | | | At this point, you might be wondering exactly what |
| that we teachers observe in the middle grades and | | | | differentiated reading instruction is? |
| middle school becomes apparent when school districts | | | | Differentiation is a way of teaching and not a |
| require all students to learn from grade level content | | | | prepackaged program or the same workbook for |
| textbooks and literature anthologies that most students | | | | every students. When you differentiate reading |
| can't read. Statistics from a study by the U.S. | | | | instruction, you need to know your students so well |
| Department of Education pointed out that more than | | | | that you can plan learning experiences that will improve |
| eight million American students are struggling readers | | | | students' reading, thinking, recall, and writing. What |
| who read two or more years below grade level | | | | follows are some key principles that form the |
| (2003). Data also shows that high school students in | | | | foundation of differentiating reading instruction. |
| the lowest 25 percent of their class are 20 times | | | | First: Ongoing, formative assessment invites you to |
| more likely to drop out of school than excellent and | | | | continually pinpoint students' strengths as well as areas |
| proficient readers. | | | | of need in order to match instruction and learning |
| Right now, too many middle and high schools across | | | | experiences to each student. |
| our nation place students in a curriculum where | | | | Second: Diverse learners in your class have varied |
| everyone reads the same text and completes the | | | | levels of reading, writing, thinking, speaking, and problem |
| same assignments. It's not working, and here are some | | | | solving skills and expertise, requiring that you develop |
| reasons. Little to no progress in reading scores from | | | | instruction that reaches every learner. |
| the National Assessment of Education Progress (the | | | | Third: Partner and small group work whose |
| NAEP) which is the nation's report card has been | | | | membership changes as students show you they |
| made since 1992. At this rate, the number of adults | | | | need reteaching or are ready to move forward. |
| who don't have the education and literacy skills to | | | | Problem solving places the focus in differentiated |
| work in twenty-first century technological jobs will | | | | classes on issues, themes, and concepts which allows |
| continue to increase. Add to the NAEP results and the | | | | teachers to focus on big ideas using multiple or |
| studies completed by Snow and Biancarosa and the | | | | different texts instead of everyone reading one novel |
| U.S. State Department, the daily frustrations you and I | | | | or textbook. |
| experience trying to reach classes of diverse learners | | | | Finally, choice is at the heart of differentiation. In addition |
| with one set of textbooks, then the need to explore | | | | to mandated and required tasks, teachers offer their |
| other methods of instruction becomes obvious. | | | | students choices in reading and writing tasks that |
| In any middle grade or middle school class there will be | | | | relate to a unit. |
| groups of students who read below, on or near, and | | | | So to differentiate reading instruction teachers need to |
| above grade level, and you and I need to differentiate | | | | think of the purpose of assessments--they are a way |
| reading instruction to meet each student's unique | | | | to gain in sights into their students' learning. When |
| needs. This is the heart of differentiating reading | | | | teachers know their students and respond to their |
| instruction. This is the reason that teachers and | | | | strengths and needs, they can support and maximize |
| researchers have begun to look closely at ways to | | | | learning and reach every reader. |
| help adolescents read and write for many different | | | | |