Activities for the Differentiated Classroom: Science, Grades 6–8

Classroom-ready science activities to help all middle school students learn!

In today's highly diverse classrooms, differentiated instruction enables teachers to plan strategically so they can meet the individual needs of all their students. Now this unique resource makes the challenge of reaching all learners easier by providing teachers with a wide array of practical activities for the differentiated middle school science classroom—all based on the strategies presented in the best-selling Differentiated Instructional Strategies, Second Edition.

Correlated to national academic standards, the activities in this book are ideal for supplementing differentiated lessons on energy exchange, force and motion, simple machines, the periodic table, planets and stars, biomes, body systems, DNA, genetics, and much more. These ready-to-use tasks can be immediately incorporated into lesson plans, and each activity features objectives, materials lists, helpful tips on conducting the activity, and reproducibles.

Teachers can adjust learning based on individual students' knowledge, skills, experience, preferences, and needs by using tested, research-based strategies such as:

1. Choice boards
2. Cubing
3. Graphic organizers
4. Centers
5. Problem-based learning
6. Cooperative learning

With this valuable resource, teachers can instruct students according to their readiness and ability levels. By putting the authors' proven strategies into practice, educators are sure to make a positive difference in student achievement!

About The Author:
Gayle H. Gregory consults throughout Europe, Asia, North and South America, and Australia with teachers, administrators, and staff developers in the areas of differentiated instruction, emotional intelligence, brain-compatible learning, block scheduling, and instructional and assessment practices. She also works with educators in the areas of cooperative group learning, presentation skills, coaching and mentoring, renewal of secondary schools, and facilitating large-scale change. A member of both the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and the National Staff Development Council, Gregory has recently written Differentiated Instructional Strategies in Practice, Second Edition: Training, Implementation, and Supervision (Corwin Press, December 2007) and her bestsellers include Differentiating Instruction With Style: Aligning Teacher and Learner Intelligences for Maximum Achievement (Corwin Press, 2005).