Differentiated Instructional Strategies for Science, Grades K-8

Science learning has not always kept pace with demands for improvement in reading and math test scores, but adaptable thinking and learning in science are essential competencies for learners who will need to keep up with accelerating demands in high school, college, and the workplace for technological knowledge and skills. Using the accessible and proven instructional strategies introduced in Differentiated Instructional Strategies: One Size Doesn't Fit All (Corwin, 2002), authors Gayle Gregory and Elizabeth Hammerman provide an expanded approach to creating science classrooms where learners thrive and succeed. Topics include: - Encouraging inquiry, trust, and relaxed alertness for learners - Creating hands-on performance tasks and rubrics applicable to real life settings - Using data to assess learner knowledge and achievement gaps against grade-level standards -Continuous assessment before, during, and after learning - Methods for engaging emerging learners, developing learners, and fluent learners at all stages of development - Ready-to-use strategies for inquiry-based learning, inexpensive hands-on learning, problem-based learning, cooperative learning, focus and sponge activities, graphic organizers, choice boards, and more - Management and pacing strategies for the differentiated science classroom. A generous collection of templates, planners, checklists, rubrics, and graphic organizers will be included in the text. Standards-based sample lessons will be offered for grades K-8.