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Differentiation TechniqueChange, Then Explain!

Read The Overview: Synthesize: Make A Change, Explain The Effect

I love the term "Synthesize" from the classic Bloom's Taxonomy, but it can be hard to know exactly what it looks like. My favorite "Synthesize Recipe" is to ask students to make a change to existing content and then explain the effects of that change to me.

Specific Examples of “Change, Then Explain!”

Remix the Song “Help!”

Remix the Song “Help!”

Students took the classic song, Help!, and rewrote it to be about their collective summers.

Upgrading A Research Report

Upgrading A Research Report

So many "research reports" are really just "regurgitation re-writes." Here's one way to take a research report to a much more interesting level.

Graphic Organizers Are Not Final Products

Graphic Organizers Are Not Final Products

Ending with a Venn Diagram is like comparing two vacation spots… but never actually going on the vacation!

Going Beyond “Identify a Story’s Problem”

Going Beyond “Identify a Story’s Problem”

My students were stuck telling me a story's problem and solution. Let's get thinking!

Don’t Just Paraphrase A Poem!

Don’t Just Paraphrase A Poem!

What if, instead, we re-wrote the poem in the style of a different poet?

Rewriting a Sentence With Different Coordinating Conjunctions

Rewriting a Sentence With Different Coordinating Conjunctions

The first unit in our writing program was always teaching the coordinating conjunctions. It always felt goofy teaching this to 6th graders - especially a gifted magnet class. I mean... do they really not know the difference between "and" and "but"?

Don’t Jump Straight to “Create”!

When we jump from "this kid likes board games" straight to "I'll have them create a new board game", we leave out important steps in the creative process and set kids up for disappointment (and end up with a lot of unfinished projects). Here's how to scaffold a truly creative task.

From Silent Reading To Creating Art

I've been continuing the idea to explore classic music during silent reaing, and incorporated Gustav Holsts' "The Planets." My students, who have an affinity for memorizing gods and goddesses, took a special interest in this idea. I figured, let's see how far their interests will take us?

Uplevel Grammar By Examining (And Then Creating) Another Language

After creating an above-level grammar group, I was left with the problem of creating a challenging grammar assignment. Inspired by a friend's self-created language, I encouraged my students to examine the rules of other languages. Some interesting rules they discussed included...