Differentiation Made Fun!

I am here to share how I am differentiating in my classroom! I came up with this idea with the intention of only using it in one subject/content area… because it is virtually impossible to differentiate the exact same way all day long. My class is quite diverse in reading and math. The groups for these subject areas are also very different. However, I felt I needed to better accommodate my young readers. The pictures below show you the little squares I created, printed and laminated for each kiddo. Each student is assigned a winter animal! When doing a whole-group read, I often tell each group to complete a different task. I may say, "Penguins- highlight all of the words that start with the /s/ sound. Polar bears- highlight all words "shapes" (repeating word in text). Seals- highlight all bold words and underline the definitions." Get your own copy of these little guys here.

Moving ON! In math, my students are learning how to compare two two-digit numbers using greater than, less than, and equal to symbols. We say, "Mr. Alligator is hungry for lunch. Find the bigger number and munch, munch, munch!" Here are some web resources worth sharing!
ABCYa Game
Fruit Shoot Game
Top Marks
Math Is Fun

Click on either image below to snag these worksheets for FREE! (:

Well… my list is long… and I mean all lists. My grocery list, my shopping list, and my teacher to do list! However, my Winter Themed Math Stations packet was one thing I was able to knock off my list! There are 7 math stations aligned to first grade CCSS. Click the preview below to take you to the TPT page.

This packet includes 7 math stations:

Missing Mitten {CCSS.1.OA.D8}

Tens and Trees {CCSS.1.NBT.B.2c}

"Snowmany" 10s {CCSS.1.NBT.C.5}

Chilly Heights {CCSS.1.MD.A.2}

Freezing Fact Families {CCSS.1.OA.B.3, CCSS.1.OA.B.4}

Cold Hard Truth {CCSS.1.OA.D.7}

Freeze and Add! {CCSS.1.OA.C.6}

I recently created Arctic Animals Nonfiction Close Reading Bundle too! Click the picture preview to take you to my TPT store!

This 132 page bundle includes:

Close reading information

Information on how I use close reading in my classroom

Close reading anchors

Differentiated Lexiled passages {12 arctic animals}

Differentiated anticipation guides {for each arctic animal}

Text response sheets