Component 3c. Engaging Students in Learning

Component 3e. Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness

Differentiated Math Instruction (4th Grade)

 *A math manipulative that my students created to help them remember the difference between perimeter and area.

Students at any grade level come with varying levels of mathematical skills and development, so it is important to scaffold and differentiate the instruction to meet the needs of all learners. During my Student Teaching placement, I taught two whole math units using the Everyday Mathematics teaching program to the below-level fourth grade math group. During those two units I provided differentiated instruction, which allowed for all the students to access that curriculum that the other math groups were receiving, but tailored the instruction to meet the needs of all my students. The majority of the worksheets and math boxes in the manual were modified ahead of the lessons. I also created several of my own worksheets that extended what the students were learning and that were on their skill level. I incorporated the students' interests into the math lessons to motivate the students to learn as well. A lot of the students in this class were kinesthetic learners, so I created a lot of hands on opportunties for them to find success and to engage them in the lessons. Throughout these two units I saw first hand how differentiated instruction can help all learners find success with the curriculum and build students' confidence with the subject matter.

In the gallery below is a quiz and worksheets that I created while I was teaching the unit on fractions and decimals.