Differentiating Instruction With Menus

by Laurie E. Westphal

The Differentiating Instruction With Menus series offers teachers exciting tools to challenge and reach both gifted and advanced students in the classroom. Whether these students need enrichment, choice in independent practice, or even additional academic options resulting from curriculum compacting, these books provide teachers a complete ready-to-use resource. Each book includes a rubric that can assess different types of products, free choice proposal forms to encourage independent study, specific guidelines for each of the products included in the menus to save the teacher time, and challenging menus to meet the needs of these diverse higher level learners.

Differentiating Instruction With Language Arts (Grades K-2) contains attractive reproducible menus, based on the levels of Bloom's revised taxonomy, that students can use as a guide when making decisions about which products they will develop after they study a major concept or unit. Topics addressed include book genres, mechanics, and literature. The products included on the menu are carefully selected from various learning styles to build students' excitement and so that teachers can more accurately assess the depth of what has been learned. Using creative and challenging choices found in Three-Shape Menus, Tic-Tac-Toe Menus, Meal Menus, Give Me Five Menus, 2-5-8 Menus, and List Menus, students will look forward to sharing their newfound knowledge throughout the year!

Grades K-2

152 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2010

About the author

I learned science, as well as most other subjects, in the same manner as other students—through the use of chapter reading and questions, and copying notes. I made the decision NOT to teach that way when I went into the classroom. My first job, 5/6 Grade Science in Monterrey, Mexico, I was given the freedom to develop engaging, product-based lessons and activities, which encouraged choice, the kind of teaching I missed as a student.

I continued this method of teaching science for 14 years, both overseas (after Mexico, I went to Porto Alegre Brasil), and in the U.S. I currently work as an independent gifted education and science consultant. I currently reside in Houston, TX and I have made it my goal to share my vision for real-world, product-based lessons that help all students become critical thinkers and effective problem solvers. Stop the drill and kill and plug and chugs!!