Stations: A High-prep Differentiation Strategy
Eileen Chao, Houston ‘02
Background: I teach 3 classes of 6th grade; one class is an ESL class (1st year in all-English classes). As a Research teacher, I expose them to various sources of information, but many students have difficulty in understanding the main ideas of these texts. If they cannot understand these texts, it is even more difficult to piece these sources of information together to form a project or paper.
OBJECTIVE: Analyze various forms of text;
ELAW 6.11C: support responses by referring to text (Reading Comprehension)
Differentiation Strategy: Stations for reading comprehension
What to differentiate: Different ways of reading for the main idea
How to differentiate: Implement 4 different stations:
· 1-on-1 small group instruction/discussion (for extremely low students)
· Read aloud station
· Independent work station
· Listening/note-taking station
Each station will be approximately 30 minutes. On Monday and Wednesday, each group will complete 2 stations. On Friday, each group will complete 1 station.
Who to differentiate: After analyzing in-class work and tests, I separated the class into 4 groups that will rotate on a schedule. Most Group 1 students are students enrolled in Reading tutorials after school and need small group attention.
Each of the stations have been activities we have done as a whole class, so the instructions will be familiar to them.
OVERVIEW OF STATIONS
Station #1: 1-on-1 small group instruction/discussion (Discussion group)
For 30 minutes, these students will work with me on either a passage or (in the long run) a piece of literature that we can analyze. My goal for this station is to help students come to love reading and to discuss text after we have read together.
Station #2: Read aloud station (How smooth are you at reading?)
For 30 minutes, these students will take turns reading a passage aloud – each student will take a paragraph. The goal of this station is to work on fluency and to hear the passage aloud. Students may not “give away” words and will encourage each other to figure out the words on there own. After each paragraph, students will work together to highlight significant words (see Highlighting Strategies) and to paraphrase the main idea of each question. There will be a set of questions to answer individually at the end of the session.
Station #3: Independent Work Station (Choose your source!)
For 30 minutes, each student will choose a different piece of text (i.e. A Time for Kids article, an encyclopedia article, an Internet article, etc) and will work quietly and independent to read the article. As they are reading, they will form a graphic organizer of the 5 W’s, and will answer questions on the passage at the end. If time permits, students will also write a “review” on what they thought about the article.
Station #4: Listening/note-taking station (Listen up!)
For 30 minutes, students will practice listening and taking notes.
For listening to passages: Students will listen to a passage 4 times.
1st time – pure listening, no movement/note taking
2nd time – listen and take notes at the same time
3rd time – listen and take notes at the same time
4th time – listen and check notes for accuracy/missing information
After they are finished, they will answer a series of questions to test comprehension.
For listening to songs (fill in the blanks with lyrics), students will listen to the song 3 times:
1st time – pure listening, no movement/note taking
2nd time – listen and fill in blanks
3rd time – listen and check for accuracy
After they are finished with the song, they will write a review of what the song was about and how it could relate to their lives.
Example of Station 4 - songs
"The Great Beyond"
I've watched the stars fall ______from your ____
All the sights that I have seen
I can't believe that I believed I wished
That you could ______
There's a new planet in the solar system
There is nothing up my ______
I'm pushing an ______up the stairs
I'm tossing up punch lines that were never there
Over my shoulder a piano falls
Crashing to the ______
In all this talk of ______
Talk is fine
But I don't want to stay around
Why can't we pantomime, just close our eyes
And sleep sweet ______
Me and you with wings on our feet
I'm pushing an ______up the stairs
I'm tossing up punch lines that were never there
Over my shoulder a piano falls
Crashing to the ______
I'm breaking through
I'm bending ______
I'm keeping flowers in full bloom
I'm looking for answers from the ______
I want the hummingbirds, the dancing bears
Sweetest dreams of you
I Look into the ______
I Look into the ______
I'm pushing an ______up the stairs
I'm tossing up punch lines that were never there
Over my shoulder a piano falls
Crashing to the ______
I'm breaking through
I'm bending ______
I'm keeping ______in full bloom
I'm looking for answers from the ______
I'm breaking through
I'm bending ______
I'm keeping ______in full bloom
I'm looking for answers from the great
Answers from the great, answers
I'm breaking through
I'm bending ______
I'm keeping ______in full bloom
I'm looking for answers from the ______
I'm breaking through
I'm bending ______
I'm keeping ______in full bloom
I'm looking for answers from the great
Answers from the great, answers
I'm breaking through
I'm bending ______
I'm keeping ______in full bloom
I'm looking for answers from the ______
Reflection Questions: Please answer each in 1 complete sentence
What is the tone of this song? (i.e. happy, mad, confused, sad). What clues make you think that the song has that tone?
What do you think REM is trying to say in this song? (In one sentence, what is the main idea of the song?)
What is the author looking for “from the great beyond?”
What is the “great beyond”? What does the expression mean?
What did you think about the song? (Your own opinion!)