DIFFERENTIATION of PROCESS

Guidelines for Successful Groups

1. Give yourself time before you begin using groups. Never use groups until you have all other areas of
classroom management in place. After your students learn what is expected of them in whole-class
instruction, they are ready to begin training to work in groups.
2. To train students, set high standards for groups. For group success, students should focus on:
how to access materials in breakout rooms
how to submit completed work
using behaviors appropriate for group work
3. Establish rules for working with partners, in groups, and at centers. Be consistent in enforcing
consequences when rules are broken. Rules for groups might include:
Whether you are working alone or in a group, remember - you are responsible for staying on task
and for getting the job done.
If you have a question, try to figure it out on your
own. use what you already know to help you. You
also may use any resources you may have (notes,
text, course information)
Ask 3 before you ask me. If you cannot answer
a question on your own, you should always ask
three fellow students before asking the teacher.
Consider designating a daily expert to help field
student questions about the assignment.)
If you complete the activity, check it carefully and
make changes if necessary. Then, find something
constructive to do. (Consider having a breakout
room with additional activities, resources, or
extensions for students who finish early)
4. Train students what to do when they are unsure about
how to complete a task, rather than interrupting you.
Post in your breakout rooms:
Things you can do instead of asking me:
Use your resources
Ask three before you ask me: a friend, a partner
in your group, or the daily expert
Skip it until you can get help and go on to another
problem or task
5. If a student is disruptive in a group, remove them and
have them complete the assignment on their own.
6. If a student working alone on a differentiated
assignment does not stay on task, have her return to
the task the other students in the class are doing.

Generic Anchor Activities

How many words can you make using the letters
in this word: _______?
How many words can you make using these
letters: _______?
How many ways can you say _______?
How many ways can you group these words
_______?
Make a list of words that relate to _______?
The answer is _______, what is the question?
Make a list of things that belong in this category
__________.
What _____ best describes _____(color, animal,
location, food, etc)? Why is this a good
description?
What if you combined these two things:
__________ + __________? What would you
have? Name it. Describe its attributes.
How would you design a new _______?
What might ______ think about _______? Explain
your answer.
What might ______ say to _____? What a
conversation the two might have, or draw a
cartoon using speech balloons.
What solutions would you suggest for _______?
List the criteria you would use to judge _______?
How would you rank order these: 5 _______?
What is the best thing about _______? The worst?
List problems we might have if _______ didnt
exist in the world?
Brainstorm a list of how things might be if we
didnt know about _______.