1. Session Agenda
1) Something about you
2) Differentiated Instruction and the Big
Picture.
3) Differentiating instruction by interest
4) Time with your PLC to apply a DI strategy

2. Locate areas # 1-5 in the room.
As you hear the activity, go stand by the number that
best reflects your interest
• Write an editorial to the newspaper
• Email
• Social networking 1= HIGH Interest
2= Interested
• Debate a topic
3= so-so
• Listening to talk radio 4=Not much interest
• Write a journal 5=No interest whatsoever

3. What is your subject area?
1. Math/Science 12% 12% 12% 12% 12% 12% 12% 12%
2. Applied Arts
3. Physical Welfare
4. Global Studies
5. Fine Arts
6. Special Education
7. Language Arts
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4. How much do you know about differentiated
instruction based on interests?
25% 25% 25% 25%
1. I know all about it (and
should be making this
presentation).
2. I need a reminder.
3. I maybe learned about it
once, but …
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5. Remember the KUD from this morning?
KNOW UNDERSTAND DO
-Instructional Understand that Create a lesson or
activity based on students who are reinvent an
student interest. interested in the existing lesson
-Different tools learning process that incorporates
to obtain student likely learn more student interests.
interest and faster. Apply the RAFT
information teaching strategy.

6. Differentiation
is a teacher’s response to learners’ needs
guided by general principles of differentiation, such as
respectful ongoing
tasks assessment
flexible
grouping
Teachers can differentiate
Content Process Product
according to students’
Readiness Interests Learning Profile
through a range of instructional and management strategies

7. Stage Four (S4)
What do we do when Stage One (S1)
students are proficient? What do we want
(Differentiation) students to know and be
Data able to do?
Essential
Collection &
Outcomes S1
Analysis
Summative
Assessment Instruction
LT PLC Cycle
Differentiated Formative
Instruction s3 & s4 Assessment s2
Stage Two (S2)
Stage Three (S3) Data How do we know when
What do we do Collection &
SMART Goals a student has learned?
when students Analysis s2
are not learning?
(Interventions)

8. Strategies for differentiating content
for students
• Readiness Student learning
• Learning Profile
• Interest

9. Three ways to differentiate based
on the student.
• Readiness – The current knowledge, understanding
and skill level a student has related to a particular
sequence of learning.
• Learning Profile – A students preferred mode of
learning.
• Interest – What a student enjoys learning about,
thinking about and doing.

10. Differentiating Instruction by Interest
Why should teachers care what
students are interested in?
Students who are interested in
the learning process likely learn
more and faster.

11. We differentiate for INTEREST when we:
• Provide materials to encourage further
exploration of topics of interest.
• Use student questions and topics to guide
lectures, materials selection, examples,
illustrations
• Encourage students to design and participate
in the design of some tasks
• Vary the topics and activities we use related to
unit content

12. When Should I Differentiate for
Student Interest?
• Differentiate for interest when it makes sense
to do so. Not all aspects of the curriculum are
suited to differentiation for interest.
–Beginning of year
–Beginning of a unit

13. How do I discover their interests?
Individual Interest vs. Content Interest
Tools
Survey
Pie Chart
Ranking

14. Preassessment for interest sample
Questions for a general interest survey
1. My favorite subject last year was… 11. In the summer, I …
2. I think that this year, my favorite subject 12. Where I would most like to go on
will be… vacation…
3. Of all the topics we studied last year in all 13. What I want to be when I grow up…
my subjects, my absolute favorite was… 14. What I want to do after high school…
4. Last year, I really did NOT like learning 15. What I would study at college…
about… 16. The last book I read was…
5. My favorite time of year is…, because… 17. When I have quiet time, I like to think
6. My favorite animal is… about…
7. This is what I usually do after school….. 18. The last movie I saw was…
8. I would like to get better at… 19. When I am with my friends, I like to…
9. I am pretty good at… 20. Instruments I play…
10. I could help you teach about…

15. Differentiating for individual interest
(when it makes sense to do so).
• Softball, running, guitar, football,
Individual Interests wars, music, video games,
• Collect formal/informal data wrestling, basketball, soccer,
traveling, reading, learning about
on students passions, other languages/cultures, lacrosse,
hobbies, activities archery, volunteering, writing,
cooking, organizing, college
• Use an interest survey football, violin, juggling, unicycling,
• http://www.gifted.uconn.ed (hands on), horses, softball,
swimming, fishing, hunting, choir,
u/siegle/CurriculumCompac grammar, photography, piano,
ting/SEC-IMAG/ialsecon.pdf ukulele, board games, technology,
theater, radio, MMA, boxing,
tennis, movies, scrapebooking,
getting people to laugh, hiking,
cheerleading, programming,
frisbee, baseball, golf, snowball,
pole vaulting, drawing, flute,
gymnastics, baking

16. Fill in the pie chart to represent you as a
person.

17. How do I discover their interests?
Individual Interest vs. Content Interest
Tools
Survey
Pie Chart
Ranking

18. Differentiating for interest within a
unit of study.
What Do You Want To Learn About Rome?
These are the topics we will be studying in our unit on Ancient
Rome. We want to know what you want to learn about. Number
your choices from 1-7. Make sure that 1 is your favorite and 7 is
your least favorite.
_____geography
_____government (laws)
_____agriculture (foods they grew)
_____architecture (buildings)
_____music and art
_____religion and sports
_____roles of men, women, and children

20. Now that I know their
interest what do I do with it?

21. KNOW
• President John Kennedy,
Nikita Khruschev, Fidel
Castro, Cold War, Ex
Comm, U2 plane,
UNDERSTAND
• Political leaders’ actions
and decisions can be
driven by a desire to
propagate national
ideologies.
DO
• Use information to write
from a non-personal
perspective.
• Analyze and account for
differing perspectives.

22. From whose perspective are you most interested in
using to learn about the Cuban Missile Crisis?
1. U.S. leaders 25% 25% 25% 25%
2. Soldiers/pilots
3. Soviet & Cuban Leaders
4. Historians
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23. RAFT = is a creative, fun
strategy that encourages
students to
1) assume a role
2) consider their audience,
3) work in a particular format
4) examine a topic from their
chosen perspective
Motivating because it gives
students choice, appeals to their
interests and learning profiles, and
can be adapted to student
readiness levels.

24. Possible RAFT Formats
Role Audience Format Topic
Advertisement
Advice column
Application
Cartoon
Commercial
Editorial Essay
Eulogy
Interview
Resume
Review Skit
Slogan
Yearbook
Debate
Will
Telegram
Pamphlet
News Story
Invitation
Facebook
Tweet

25. On your own- RAFT application
1) Meet with your subject area
2) Pick a current or upcoming lesson
you will be teaching
3) Use the provided RAFT template to
fill in the KUD first
4) Fill in the Role, Audience, Format,
and Topic sections
5) Share and debrief with the group

26. What is your comfort level with DI by interest?
1. Very comfortable 25% 25% 25% 25%
2. Comfortable
3. I have some questions
4. I have only just begun
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