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Lesson Plan Checklist for Differentiation
Encourage teachers to use Carol Tomlinson’s checklist as a guide to planning differentiated instruction.
Use it yourself as you write notes to teachers about weekly lesson plans.
Select an area each week—not all seven—to focus your notes and help teachers continue their progress.
1. I’m clear on what I want the student to
_____know (facts, information)
_____understand (principles, generalizations, ideas)
_____be able to do as a result of this learning experience
2. In deciding content, I’ve thought about and selected
_____alternate sources/resources
_____varied support systems (reading buddies, tapes, digests, direct instruction groups, organizers, extenders
_____varied pacing plans
3. I’ve preassessed student readiness to
_____make appropriate content and/or activity assignments
_____get a picture of understanding and skill vs. facts only
_____focus the lesson squarely on what students should know, understand, and be able to do
4. As I assign students to groups or tasks, I’ve made certain
_____student group assignments vary from recent ones
_____students are encouraged to “work up”
_____if appropriate, provisions are made for students who need or prefer to work alone
_____group size matches student need
5. As I create differentiated activities, I’ve made certain
_____all of them call for high-level thinking
_____all appear about equally interesting to my learners
_____if readiness based, they vary along a continuum of Bloom’s taxonomy
_____if interest based, students have choices about how to apply skills and understandings or how to express them
_____varied modes of learning opportunities accommodate varied learning profiles
_____each activity is squarely focused on one, or a very few, key concepts and/or generalizations
_____student choice is maximized within my parameters needed for focus and growth
_____appropriate skills have been integrated into the activity requirements
_____expectations for high-quality task completion are clear for all students
_____I have a plan for gathering ongoing assessment data from the activity
_____I have a means for bringing closure and clarity to the tasks
6. When creating assignments for differentiated products, I’ve made certain they
_____vary along a continuum of Bloom’s taxonomy based on student readiness
_____require all students to use key concepts, generalizations, ideas, and skills to solve problems, extend understandings, and/or create meaningful products
_____maximize student choice within parameters necessary to demonstrate essential understandings and skills
_____include a core of clear and appropriately challenging expectations for the content of the product (what understandings and skills it must demonstrate, what resources, must be used); processes involved in production (planning, goal-setting, time line use, process log, self-evaluation, drafts, etc.); and production requirements for the product (rubric for criteria and levels of quality)
_____provide for formative evaluation and modification of the product
_____provide for summative evaluation by teacher, student, peers and/or others
_____involve and inform parents as appropriate
7. I’ve also thought about
_____instructional strategies like learning contracts, centers, interest groups, compacting, etc. to vary learning options
_____small groups for reteaching and extension activities
_____sampling students to assess understanding, group processes, production needs
_____meaningful tasks for reinforcement, extension, and exploration when students complete required work
Source: Carol Ann Tomlinson, University of Virginia, 1996
