Interest Centers: Pathways to Differentiation 

   

Susan Baum, Ph.D.College of New RochelleNew Rochelle, NY 10805

914-654-5336 or 860-429-8117

subee@snet.net

The Average Child 

I don’t cause teachers trouble.My grades have been ok.

I listen in my classes.And I’m in school everyday.

 My teachers think I’m average.

My parents think so too.Gosh, I wish I didn’t know thatcause there’s lots I’d like to do.

 

I’d like to build a rocket.I’ve got a book that tells you how

or start a stamp collection,Well, there’s no use in starting now.

Cause since I found out I’m average,I’m just smart enough you see

to know there’s nothing specialI should expect of me.

I’m part of the majoritythat hump part of the bell

who spends his life unnoticedin an average kind of hell.

There is no greater challenge in education than addressing academic diversity in today’s complex classroom.

Why Interest Centers Enrich the curriculum Opportunity to apply skills in

authentic ways Invite in-depth inquiry and

explorations Provide opportunities to go beyond

the curriculum Allow for differentiation

Elements of Differentiation Acknowledgement of individual

differences Expect all children to grasp concepts at

some level Challenging curriculum Clear articulation of curricular goals as

they align to standards or outcomes Multi levels of understanding (concrete

to abstract)

Differentiation Points Varying levels of complexity/tiering Open-ended Multiple entry points Varying exit points Interest related Variety of resources Choice

Topics, topics, topics

Your interest Students’ interests Curriculum unit

What’s in my centerVideo and DVDS The national Pastime:

A history of Major league Baseball

2000 Subway series Rookie of the Year

Music The Baseball ballads Baseball songs,

Sports heroes

Artifacts Baseball cards Uniform, glove, baseballs Model of stadium Print Materials Sports Illustrated Baseball digest On the Mound with Greg

Maddox ( Matt Christopher books on baseball, can also be found on tape)

TASK CARD 1 Baseball uniforms

have evolved throughout the years. Using Graphic Organizer#1 to compare and contrast baseball uniforms of 2004 to those of the 1920s. Refer to Baseball Uniforms of the 20th Century in the center.

TASK CARD 2 Give both positive

and negative opinions of modern and old fashioned uniforms. Based on the trend over the past 20 years, design a new and updated baseball uniform for your favorite team.

Be a baseball statistician www.sports.yahoo www.baseball.co

m www.baseballame

rica.com.today.

Baseball is a competitive sport in which statistical information is crucial to comparing team and player status. Track the scores of two rival teams over a one week period using the New York Times or the following internet sites: Create graphs to represent the data

 

In Beijing, one of the most impressive things is the opera. The opera started a long time ago during the Ming Dynasty. The stories in the Beijing Opera are based on novels, myths, and legends. The people who perform these stories start practicing from an early age. The performers practice acrobatics as they start miming to the music of the opera. A tradition that is considered an art is the make-up and costumes. The colors used in both the masks and costumes represent different character traits, such as greed, charity, kindness, and of course evil. By knowing the color symbol relationships and some of the main characters, most everyone is able to watch a performance and understand the basic plot and charters. Can you?

 

Challenge: Watch this video clip of the Chinese Beijing Opera looking at the performers and their actions, some characters are good, others are not. When finished, pick a friend you know well and can describe in detail their traits and behaviors. Using the silk pieces, clay masks, and paints provided, create your own Beijing Opera Character using the traditional colors that represent your friend. You will find support materials describing which colors represent which characters, and a wide variety of costumes.

    

  

RICE PADDIES? THE PLOW? FIREWORKS ? WALL PAPER

All these major inventions were discovered and developed in China hundreds, if not thousands of years before any European ever created these inventions, plus a whole lot more. Historically, the climate and terrain of China made life difficult to live, this compounded with many natural disasters required that if people were to live in this land the would need to work closely together. While working closely together had some major difficulties, in also had its rewards. Chinese people learned to work together to build dikes, canals, rice paddies and major irrigation projects that required millions of people all working together for the common good of society. People watched each other closely and ensured that each individual did there part. Families kept tight reigns on each other and worked to make their lives easier. This cooperation led to many advancements and inventions

Challenge: So which major inventions were most important? Which inventions created greater growth and for the society? Reading through the suggested packet with this card. Search through many of the inventions and pick your top 15. Then using the Timeliner program in the computer lab and laptops, create your own Timeline of Chinese inventions. Send a copy of your timeline to a family member somewhere else in the world and with it write a short letter explaining what you’ve learned. I will also need a copy of your time line, so send one to my email address at darryls@isb.ac.th.

Steps to Center Development Choose the topic Web possibilities Select ideas most

interesting for your purposes

Collect artifacts and authentic materials for display

Develop task cards

Think of display ideas

Choose locations Teach students

how to use the center

Understanding

Aesthetic

GraphNarrative

Experiential

Entry Points

UnderstandingsFacts & Skills

Assessment

Mural

Speech

Elements of a Task Card Entry point . Get kids excited about the

center through a question or interesting fact. You need to provide some background information that will lead inspire them to explore the topics.

Direct them to something in the center where they can begin their inquiry.

Exit Point: Provide a challenge and some ideas for a product as a means to address the challenge.

Am I Ready? Attractive? Does it

have drawing power? Are the materials

authentic and varied? Are materials and

tasks connected? Do tasks invite

differentiation? Do I have an

implementation plan?