EDUC4721 Differentiation for Diverse Learners

Hannah Moroney #2131713

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Template for Assignment 1: Tiered Lesson
Name & Student Number: Hannah Moroney #2131713
Curriculum (Learning) Area of Lesson: English Literature
Specific Topic of Lesson: Examining and creating literature Narratives.
Year Level/s: 3

Lesson Context (1 paragraph)

Provide any contextual information that will help the examiner make sense of your planning decisions;
e.g., explain the broader unit into which this lesson fits and the broad aim/s of that unit, and explain
where this lesson fits into the unit sequence (Does it come after several introductory lessons? Does it
come towards the end of the unit and enable students to apply their knowledge, understandings and
skills to a particular learning task? etc.).

This unit of work will particularly focus on developing narrative writing skills for year 3 students.
Narrative writing fits into the English subject area and can be linked with strands such as text
organisation and structure, expressing and developing ideas, examining literature, literature and context
and creating texts (ACARA, 2017). This will be achieved through a sequence of lessons that deconstruct
both the structure and key features that a narrative comprises of. Students will be exposed to an array of
texts both prior and during the unit that fit the genre of narratives, and will additionally form
connections between their structure and what a narrative is. Examples may include picture books, short
novels, traditional tales and short stories. Students will learn to replicate the structure of a narrative
including the beginning/orientation, middle/complication and end/resolution.

Throughout the unit students will explore the structure of narratives, the language features and how
descriptive language is utilised to build both characters and setting and identify paragraph structure
used for the text. Students will then learn to plan a desired setting, characters and plot for a narrative
text and to conclude, will create their own imaginative texts based on characters, settings and a plot.

This lesson will be taught towards the beginning of the unit, approximately lesson 3 of 10. Students will
therefore have a brief understanding of what a narrative contains after a pre-assessment and 2
introductory lessons. The pre-assessment conducted will allow students to be grouped based upon their
level of readiness.

Learning Objectives
As appropriate, these should be based on the Australian Curriculum. You can include specific
references to ACARA in parentheses where you have taken an objective verbatim (ACMMG006), or
use language like Adapted from.. if you have made some changes to statements from ACARA, but
been guided by these.

As a result of engaging with the lesson, students will:

understand that (Concepts, principles, big ideas. No more than 1 or 2 for a single lesson. Make sure
your objectives are statements that work in the form, Students will understand that)

Narrative texts tell us a non-fictional story using a creative writing structure and voice. A narrative has
clear character development, explores different settings and has a plot and a resolution.
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know (e.g. facts, vocabulary, dates, be able to (do) (Skills, processes)

information)
That a narrative has a beginning/orientation, a
middle/plot and an ending/resolution.
Students will know that a narrative must
include characters, settings, plot/conflict, a
climax and a conclusion.
Students should be able highlight, recognise and
analyse the key features that are used in a narrative.
Students in tier 3 should also be able to recognise
these features and the appropriate text structure to
continue constructing an ending to the novel.

Essential Questions (1-3 only; these should help students engage with the big ideas or
understandings)

What is a narrative and what does it tell us?

What 3 parts does a narrative comprise of/how is a narrative structured?
What are some examples of narratives?

Pre-assessment of Individual Student Readiness

Describe and refer to appendices as needed. Explain when the pre-assessment would be administered
in relation to the lesson e.g., at the end of the previous lesson; structured observations collected
over the previous week, etc. Remember that this should be a pre-assessment of readiness specifically
related to the tiered lesson, and not a pre-assessment for the whole unit.

Pre-Assessment can be considered the practice of analysing students readiness prior to the
commencement of a unit. It allows educators to gage the knowledge of students on a particular topic or
unit, enabling educators to use it as evidence to plan to best meet the diverse needs of students (Doubet
& Hockett, 2015). All students in the class will listen to the short story of Cinderella. Students will engage
in a class discussion to converse over what type of text they believed it was and what elements the text
contained. Students will then work independently at their desks to complete a worksheet, which
requires them to list the characters, the setting and what happened throughout the beginning, the
middle and the end (refer to appendix 1). From here, the students will be divided into three separate
groups/tiers, which will be determined via their responses from this task to ensure all levels of students
are adhered to.

Lesson Plan
Lesson Sequence Explanatory notes

** Students to be seated on the floor in front
of the smart board where the groups will be
displayed visually. The teacher will read out
each of these groups one by one, beginning
with tier 3 which may be titled for example
group C. Students in tier 3 require the least
amount of instruction, hence them being
dismissed to complete their task first. Note
(Why have you made the decisions you have in your
planning? How are aspects of your lesson designed to
cater for readiness differences? You can include brief
notes here and then a fuller explanation in a
paragraph at the end of your assignment.)
It is explored by Jane Jarvis (2015) that
contemporary teachers are expected to take
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students in tier 1, require more hands on responsibility for the full range of leaners (P.156). This
learning and further instruction. A teacher can be closely linked with a students level of
directed pedagogical approach would need to readiness, which can be determined by their current
be utilised for students in this group. Provide knowledge and understanding, which varies between
examples on the smart board for these different lessons and skills (Doubet & Hockett, 2015).
students. For educators to respond to their students broad
levels of readiness, it is essential to construct different
Tier #1 - tasks at varying levels of complexity. Differentiating for
Students that are placed in tier 1 will read the varying students readiness is requisite to effective
short story of Jack and the Beanstalk, printed teaching and to maximise a students potential
on A4 white paper. From here students will (Tomlinson, 2004). This is evident throughout the three
utilise an allocated coloured/key code to tiers utilised for this lesson.
highlight, circle and underline the key features
of a narrative (see appendix 2). For example, the students allocated in tier 1, who have
the lowest level of readiness, will be identifying the key
For example students will use a yellow narrative features by highlighting and circling the
highlighter to underline the characters used in different aspects including the characters, settings, the
the text, they will use green to highlight the plot and the resolution. This may be also presented
problem/the plot, blue to circle the resolution using different wording/phrasing, such as who is the
and pink to highlight the settings used in the book talking about, what other people are involved
text. (characters), where do you think they are (setting),
what is the problem in the book (plot) and how is it
Students within this group may require more solved (resolution).
of a teacher-directed pedagogy. Students in
this group will be sitting together in small Tier 2 will be building on from this basic knowledge by
groups on the floor to collaborate and share beginning to explore the varying aspects that a
ideas with each other and the teacher. narrative consists of. They will be exploring what
happens in the story, naming and describing the
Tier #2 will complete an A3 sized mind map, characters and where and when the story occurred.
which requires them to analyse the elements They will then be using correct sentence structure to
of a story (appendix 3). This includes them describe the problem in the story and how it was
describing what happened in the story in full resolved.
sentenced, who the characters were, the story
title and author, the setting of where/when it Tier 3 will additionally be reading a more complex
occurred, the problem and the solution. narrative passage, which concludes before the
ending/resolution. The students will then be required
Students within this group should be able to to create their own, unique ending to the story using
work independently as they make sense of correct grammar and punctuation.
what happened during the narrative to reflect
what happened, what the problem was and
what the solution was on their A3 mind-map.

Tier #3 will be required to consider the

characters, settings and plot line evident in the
beginning and middle of the story to create
their own ending/solution to the story.
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Students in this group will be reminded about
utilising descriptive language, full sentences,
correct grammar and punctuation. Tier 3
should be able to work independently as they
channel their creative ability to construct their
own ending to the story.

Lesson Closure/ Check for Understanding

How will you know whether students have achieved your lesson objectives?

It will be apparent as to whether students have adhered to the lesson objectives through each of the
desired activities. Students should both know and understand that a narrative is a creative, non-fictional
story, which contains a beginning, middle and an end. Additionally they should understand that it
includes characters, settings, a plot and a resolution. This will be achieved through students analysis/re-
construction of narratives. Students in both tier 1 and 2 will be handing up their worksheets which
allows educators to see what knowledge was replicated and applied to each of their task sheets, which
will hopefully correspond with the KUDs for the lesson. Tier 1 should be able to recognise the key
features a narrative contains and tier 2 should be able to use both dot points and full sentences to
respond to the questions on their task sheet. Students in tier 3 will be handing up their workbooks
where they responded and created a unique ending to the story. This will enable the teacher to analyse
whether or not correct sentence structure, grammar and punctuation was utilised and how descriptive
the language utilised was. This assists to create further challenge for future lessons, particularly for these
students.

To conclude the lesson, students will also be completing an activity card (see appendix 4) which requires
them to write what a narrative is, what three parts a narrative has and additionally provide three
examples of narratives. This ensures that their knowledge of narratives is transferable not only to the
text they have studied by shows they can apply their knowledge to other books or short stories.

Explanation:

Provide 1-2 paragraphs expanding on your lesson plan notes to clearly explain how your lesson is an
example of a tiered lesson designed to address differences in student readiness, and what aspect/s of
readiness you are aiming to address. This explanation should demonstrate your understanding of
differentiation by readiness, supported by the topic readings and materials. If you are already familiar
with the students in your class (if you will teach this lesson during your professional experience
placement) and some of the readiness-based differences they are likely to bring to this task, this is also
the place where you can explain what you know about your students and how your lesson is
specifically designed to address some of these needs.

Jane Jarvis (2016) explores tiering as a learning strategy that assists to cater for the diverse levels of
learners. This can be achieved by altering lessons or assessments to suit students levels of readiness.
These tiers are altered at varying levels of complexity to provide optimal challenge to all students,
whereby they can engage with the content in meaningful ways (Hattie & Yates, 2014). The core intention
of exploring narratives and narrative structure is to foster students creative thinking and ability to tell
stories. This lesson therefore demonstrates various characteristics of a tiered lesson plan, as it is
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centralised upon recognising the key features of narratives. Correspondingly, I have altered the way in
which each of the different tiered groups will respond to narratives. Each will gradually become more
complex, whilst bearing in mind that the varying levels of tasks should assess the same learning goals
(Doubet & Hockett, 2015). This aims to coincide with the students levels of readiness, which can be
conducted through the pre-test determining the students level of knowledge regarding narratives.

Although students will be separated into their tiered groups, students in both tier 2 and tier 3 will be
required to work independently, as these students should be competent in completing the desired
activities. Students in tier 2 and 3, should be able to make sense of key narrative features and start to
analyse each of these through their desired tasks. Some students placed in tier 3 demonstrate an
incredible ability to read, write and comprehend and therefore will be provided with the challenge to
construct their own ending of the story that links with the beginning and middle of the story.

As some students in tier 1 suffer from Autism and lack social interaction, working in a group manner will
assist to teach and reinforce rules and social skills, including taking it in turns (Autism Spectrum Australia,
2017). This additionally draws in and underpins Vygotskys theoretical framework, whereby social
interaction plays a fundamental role in the development of cognition (Vygotsky, 1930). It also allows for
the educator to provide simple and explicit instructions to the students, that struggle to comprehend
instruction and create meaning through text. In this lesson, the teacher will predominately focus on
getting tier 1 started to recognise the different aspects of a narrative by highlighting, circling and
underlining the key features of the first paragraph. The educator will then question and challenge the
students in tier 2 and 3 by fostering them to utilise correct grammar and punctuation, and include
adjectives to make their sentences more descriptive.

Catering for the readiness of students is essential to maximise each individual students or group of
students learning potential. Catering for readiness can be paired with pedagogical approaches and
appropriate tasks that are responsive to the intellectual strengths and personal interests of students.
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Rubric for assessment:

- Teachers to tick or highlight under each of the desired faces, which correspond with what the students
know, understand and can do.

At the
commence of
this lesson..

Students know:
A narrative has a
beginning,
middle and an
end.

A narrative
includes settings,
characters, a plot
and a resolution.

Students
understand:
Narrative texts
tell us a non-
fictional story

Explores
different settings
and character
development.

Students can/do:

Highlight,
recognise and
analyse the key
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features that are
used in a
narrative.
Create their own
ending to a text
(applicable to
tier #3 only).

References

Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (2017). Year 3 Curriculum. Retrieved from:
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Browse?a=E&a=M&a=S&a=H&a=G&a=ENB&a=CNC&a=da&a=d
r&a=ma&a=mu&a=va&a=DI&a=DE&a=HPE&y=3#page=2

Autism Specturm. (2017). Primary years 5-12. Retrieved from: https://www.autismspectrum.org.au

Doubet, Kristina & Hockett, Jessica A 2015, 'Differentiating according to student readiness', in Doubet,
Kristina & Hockett, Jessica A, Differentiation in middle and high school: strategies to engage all
learners, ASCD, Alexandria, Virginia, pp. 173-206.

Hattie, John & Yates, Gregory 2014, 'Analysing your students style of learning', in Hattie, John & Yates,
Gregory, Visible learning and the science of how we learn, Routledge, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon , pp.
176-186.

Jarvis, Jane M 2014, 'Supporting diverse gifted students', in Hyde, Merv, Carpenter, Lorelei Rita &
Conway, Robert NF (eds.), Diversity, inclusion and engagement, 2nd edn, Oxford University Press, South
Melbourne, Vic., pp. 297-315.

Jarvis, Jane 2015, 'Inclusive classrooms and differentiation', in Weatherby-Fell, Noelene (ed.), Learning
to teach in the secondary school, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 154-172.

Tomlinson, Carol Ann 2004, 'The how to's of planning lessons differentiated by readiness', in Tomlinson,
Carol A, How to differentiate instruction in mixed-ability classrooms, 2nd edn, Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria, Va, pp. 45-51.

Vygotsky, L. (1930). Social development theory. WWW document] URL http://www. tip. psychology.
org/vygotsky. html [11/05/01].

Checklist of assignment components:

Completed lesson context explanation
Completed clear learning objectives and essential questions for the lesson
Complete, step-by-step lesson description, with brief notes explaining how the lesson represents
an example of a tiered lesson to address readiness
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Explanatory 1-2 paragraphs clearly linking your lesson planning decisions to the topic content
(and citing sources as appropriate)
Supplementary materials (e.g., copies of directions, handouts, etc. provided to students)
Copy and/or description of pre-assessment task used to assign individual students to
appropriate tiers
Evaluation/ assessment criteria (e.g., rubric or checklist used to guide evaluation of student
work)
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Appendix #1 Cinderella task sheet.

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Appendix #2 Tier 1 narrative story.

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Appendix #3 Mind map for tier 2 to complete.

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Appendix 4 Exit card

EXIT CARD -
What is a narrative? Circle your answer

A) A recount
B) A procedural text
C) A story
D) An informative text

What three parts does a narrative have?

1.
2.
3.

Can you think of any other examples of narratives?