Designing a Differentiated Lesson Plan

 Lesson Plan Reflection

    Reading is a major component of the curriculum in second grade. Students are transitioning from learning to reading to the more complex process of reading to learning.  It is imperative that they are exposed to multiple genres and that they are exposed to good reading strategies frequently.  According to scholars, in 2nd-grade students are developing the skill sets that will allow them to see beyond the pronunciation of words to their meaning and implication, and the focus changes from decoding to the mechanics of reading (James, 2016). As students grasp the mechanics of reading, their comprehension skills come into greater focus. Comprehension skills require modeling, continuous practice, and spiral review that must be planned and implemented consistently.  Shared reading is a component of reading instruction that g usually involves the whole class and the teacher reading an enlarged text, for example, a big book, or projected text, that is above level (Department of Education, 2023).  

    To plan for differentiation, I considered the diverse learners in the classroom.  For shared reading lessons, each student has a copy of the text which engages visual learners.  During shared reading, we pause, think and discuss which engages verbal learners. The instructional strategies are typical of all shared reading, and I carefully selected an engaging text with proper instruction that is aligned with state standards.  When considering differentiation, shared reading assists learners at all levels and can improve reading strategies for all learners with different learning styles, abilities, and readiness levels.  “Shared reading is an evidence-based practice for improving a range of language and literacy skills in young children, including those with or at risk for learning disabilities (Murphy, et al., 2023). Shared reading supports the development of reading for struggling readers because it gives them access to texts, they are not able to read on their own.  The reading of the text and subsequent discussions thereafter are facilitated by the teacher are the primary methods for granting young children access to texts (Gibbs & Reed, 2021).  The process of shared reading creates positive learning experiences for all learners in the classroom.  

I differentiated assessments for the learners in the classroom based on the learning styles of the students and considered their individual needs.  Students could create a chatter-pix character from the story and narrate the perspective of the character in first person.  This allows the students to be creative and pretend that they are the character.  Students retell the story using the pronouns I, me, and my, and can demonstrate their understanding of the story, and the characters.  There was also an option for students to complete a graphic organizer for the characters in the story.  This works well for students who aren’t comfortable verbalizing or acting as a character and provides student choice.  Lastly, students write a reflection about the main character and the lesson they learned. When assessing, it is important to consider learning styles and to provide student choice. Students can choose how they demonstrate their understanding they are motivated.  Gifted students will be challenged with deep thinking questions for students for reflection and would extend their thinking about the story and create a “what if” scenario and change the ending of the story. Another option would be to discuss how the character changed from the beginning to the end of the story and discuss the motivations for their actions and discussing the character's interactions in the story.  Early finishers would compare the characters using a Venn Diagram.  

    The technology used for this lesson includes a digital presentation which would be created using Genially.  This interactive presentation platform would allow students to create a story map with visuals and embedded HTML that allows for interaction and movement.  Students can also add voice recordings and videos.  They will also use chatter-pix which is a fun and engaging app that uses any photo or drawing and transforms it into a character that the students then add their voice to.  Both technologies are both user-friendly and engaging to all learning styles and are culturally appropriate.  

References

Department of Education. (2023). Shared reading. Department of Education and Training Victoria. https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/english/literacy/readingviewing/Pages/teachingpracshared.aspx 

Gibbs, A. S., & Reed, D. K. (2021). Shared Reading and Guided Play for Vocabulary Instruction with Young Children. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 53(4), 280–288.

James, A. (2016). 2nd-grade reading: What happens. IXLLearning. Education.com. https://www.education.com/magazine/article/second_grade_reading/ 

Murphy, K. A., Pentimonti, J. M., & Chow, J. C. (2023). Supporting Children’s Language and Literacy through Collaborative Shared Book Reading. Intervention in School and Clinic, 58(3), 155–163.