Differentiation is a term that is infused throughout educational literature. Some schools are devoting entire annual professional development plans to shaping differentiated classrooms and schools. Why?

As teachers we have a wide range of student needs and abilities in our classrooms. Meeting this range is not only an ethical responsibility, but according to No Child Left Behind legislation, a legal one as well. Figuring out the best plan for reaching all students to maximize their learning potential is an opportunity for our creative juices to flow. At the same time, we feel overwhelmed by the vast range of student needs, interests, backgrounds, talents, and learning styles. Figuring out how to reach each and every individual student so that all students get the very most out of the classroom experience can be a challenge.

According to Carol Ann Tomlinson (1999), renowned expert on the topic of differentiation, a classroom that is effectively differentiated "feels right to students who learn in different ways and at different rates and who bring to school different talents and interests." She also says that teachers who differentiate feel more connection with students and "approach teaching more as an art than as a mechanical exercise".

The Sourcebooks were written with differentiation in mind. In fact, each grade level Sourcebook provides a wide range of activities for students who are above, at, and below grade level. Each Sourcebook also includes teaching notes on efficient ways to adapt instruction for your most capable spellers and your challenged spellers. With just a few strategies, you can easily differentiate your Sourcebook instruction in a manner that works for you, while ensuring that all students get the appropriate balance of support and challenge necessary for engagement.

Defining the Challenged Speller:

These are students who learn to spell more slowly than others, students for whom English is not their native language, and transfer students who initially lack spelling skills.

There are prerequisites to spelling success. The first requirement is some facility with English. Spelling instruction can commence when students have mastered a basic reading vocabulary, have learned the names of the letters of the alphabet, can write each letter, and understand that these letters make words. If these requirements have not been satisfied, attempting to teach a learner to spell is inappropriate.

Most students can be included in the same instructional program. It is best to match the Sourcebook to the average reading level of your group. However, students who cannot read all or some of the Core Words for the grade level should not be expected to perform fully within the formal spelling program. If these students receive spelling assistance, their instructional level can parallel their reading level. For example, the Level 2 Sourcebook would best accommodate students reading on a second grade level even if they are in another grade. Yet, with minor adaptations in instruction, students who read below this level can be included in nearly every aspect of the program.

Defining the Capable Speller:

Capable spellers will surpass the basic program expectations at their grade level. These students are able to complete skill-building activities successfully, nearly always spell and use all the Priority Words correctly in their everyday writing as well as words beyond their Priority Words, score 100% on word tests without prestudying the words, easily apply skills assessed on the Skill Test, and use a reference to spell topical words correctly.

The tips below – as well as the Sourcebook suggestions for challenging the capable speller – are intended to challenge your strong spellers as they learn alongside their grade-level peers.

The Sourcebook and Differentiation:

Your Sourcebook can serve as a dependable resource to help you aspire to the principles that Tomlinson (1999) sets forth for a differentiated classroom:

Keep these principles in mind as we delve into a unit in the links below.

(For more on differentiation, visit our archives, the January 2006 Appleseed edition, under "what's current.")