Teaching Plan for Differentiating in Social Studies

Teaching Plan for Differentiating in Social Studies

I spoke just today with a science teacher about how to differentiate in science and how to move away from the “lesson, lesson, lesson, multiple choice test” pattern. From this conversation, I noted some key ideas that could be used in other subjects as well, in this case Social Studies. With so many learning styles, abilities, and personalities that come with each new class, it is important to make sure your teaching plan is set up in a way that can reach every student in the class. Below you will find by teaching plan outlined for the content area of social studies.

Pre-Test:

I used to think it was strange to pretest in this area, but you can never assume that you will have a classroom full of students who know nothing about the material. Some may surprise you, and know a great deal! Pre-testing in this subject, can simply be done in a KWL Chart either individually or as a larger group discussion. Students can discuss/write what they already know about the content and what they would like to know and follow it up at the end of the lesson with what they learned. This is a great way to see which areas need to be more heavily discussed than others, or if you need to have a separate assignment for those that demonstrate mastery of the standard.

Lesson:

During the lesson portion in social studies, it can be easy to just have students read the textbook to themselves. The problem with that, is that while independent reading is beneficial for some, it does not benefit ALL. I would provide an opportunity for students to “choose their own lesson” (Similar to the chose your own ending books). I would create teaching stations around the room:

1. Individual reading/Note taking or drawing (Intrapersonal, Linguistic, and Spatial Learners)
1. Students can sit/stand alone to read content and write and draw what they learn
2. The Listening/Recording Center (Musical, Interpersonal, and Bodily-Kinesthetic Learners)
1. Students can use the audio textbook to learn content and record themselves or their peers talking or acting out what they learned
3. The Research Station (Mathematical/Logical Learners)
1. Students can read content and ask follow up questions and research new information
4. The Mini-Lecture Station
1. Students meet in a small group to read with the teacher or Instructional Aide and to discuss/write/draw what they learn (ELL, Special Needs)

Closure:

To close the lesson, students should be given an opportunity to share what they have learned either through discussion, acting out their skit, or posting written work or drawings for others to see. A closing discussion where students can share difficulties, successes, and what they learned would be a great progress monitoring tool.

Testing:

When it comes to testing, this can be in various forms. Rather than a multiple choice test on the content, giving students an opportunity to write what they have learned, or share verbally will give the teacher a better understanding of their true knowledge. A rubric would need to be used.