SMART Goal Activities, Tips, and Reflections

Depending on each child’s different readiness levels, there can be many ways to differentiate one lesson
or activity.

In class activity Way to differentiate

 Have students create this experiment with assigned parts for each
teammate.
Small tube experiment with  Distribute “jobs” based on readiness levels; have multiple readiness levels
olive oil, food coloring, and in one group.
Alka-Seltzer tablets  Be sure to use plastic tubes instead of glass.
 Take interest surveys before the lesson to find out what students might
be more interested in and group based upon those.
 Allow students to choose their preferred style of notetaking.
 Help and model each style of notetaking and give options.
 Have students try each method of notetaking with an open-mind. Then
Note-taking have them try a friend’s preferred method and weigh the benefits for
themselves.
 Highlight each students’ strengths by providing a method that would help
each student become a successful learner.
 Go outside—allow students to experience hands-on learning and not just
by reading about it.
 Find out each child’s interests and group them accordingly.
 Focus in on students interests and make a big deal about the lessons that
involve those interests.
Ag in the classroom  Have manipulatives and representations for each of the aspects of
agriculture you would not be able to simulate.
 Have simulations of real-life occurrences.
 Have the class design their own farm and see how it is impacted with each
day.
 Allow students to be grouped based on their interests.
 Allow students to have some say in what they want to learn.
 Go outside and show them exactly what they are learning about.
 Take field trips.
Population Biology  Hands-on lessons with representations and manipulatives are most
meaningful.
 Bring things in their lives into the lessons.
 Do experiments based on what is going around them in the environment.
 Allow students who desire to touch and feel the balloons.
 Allow students to work in groups.
 Allow students to choose their manipulatives other than balloons
Phases of matter lesson with (interests).
balloons  Have them each design their own experiments and apply some type of
force test each phase.
 Set up groups and assign jobs based on readiness levels.
 Equipment trays might need to be adapted to make it harder for those with visual impairments
to knock items over.
 Allowing for successful collaboration with your team of teachers makes for more meaningful
lessons.
 Assess students often on their performance tasks or projects, orally, through tests, or informal
assessments.
 Design intentional lessons. Make sure they have meaning and are there for a purpose. Check that
each of the main ideas are being implemented and all needs are accommodated.
 A child’s prior knowledge and experiences are built upon with each new concept.
 Design actual real life jobs for students instead of making up names for things. The real-life parts
of learning are what gives students great ideas.
 An open, accepting classroom environment is necessary to make all students feel comfortable
and want to learn.
 Administrative support for inclusion will be an essential part to an inclusive classroom.
 Appropriate curriculum (supporting a hands-on approach to science learning)—don’t just give
the students more or less work, apply it to his or her individual need.
 Teaching skills specific to need areas can be helpful, especially with extra support.
 Be explicit about what you want students to know and do in each lesson and model what you
want to see (language, behaviors, techniques) in the lab.
 Post expected lab behavior on a poster or chart that is clear for all to see- (emphasizing safety
guidelines). Draw students’ attention to this information every time they work in the lab.
 Organize your lab around “big questions” that all students can answer in some way.
 Be sure to create very clear step-by-step directions for the lab. If needed, provide a checklist or
even an illustrated checklist of steps.
 Instead of pairing students alphabetically or randomly, think about individual needs to determine
best partnerships. You might also give students a questionnaire to find out not who they want to
work with but who they think they can work effectively with. Get suggestions from them but
make the final decisions based on your observations. Some learners might have difficulty working
with new or unfamiliar people. You may want to pair these students with a familiar peer.
 Give different students different roles based on their strengths.
 If reading the supporting materials will be a challenge for one or more learners, consider
simplifying the directions, highlighting key words, or adding icons, tables, or photos to the text.
 If you work with students who struggle with the writing requirements of labs, allow all or some
to use portable word processors or to speak observations and findings into a tape recorder or
digital voice recorder.
 Look for a range of materials that diverse learners can access to understand the key concepts or
ideas being explored in the lab.
 Provide more durable materials, if needed. Plastic beakers might be a better choice than glass
ones for some learners, for instance.
 When necessary, incorporate adapted materials that help students with sensory differences
(talking thermometers, laboratory glassware with raised numbers).
 Use technology as a support for diverse learners.
 Allow students to report their findings in a variety of ways. They might choose from writing a
description, drawing a diagram, or explaining findings to a peer.
https://www.paulakluth.com/readings/differentiating-instruction/20-ways-to-adapt-the-science-lab/
I really liked some of the ideas this site gave for supporting diverse learners. Some ideas are embedded
in the above list.

Self-Reflection

Throughout the course, I worked to find some differentiations for each activity we did in class or I
taught. My original plan seemed doable and I was able to work on it after each different activity in class.
Originally, though, I anticipated that I would just simply add some different ideas for activities to do in
the classroom. Once I began doing some research, I found so many great ideas or tips that seemed to
work for everyday in a diverse classroom. I worked towards making differentiated versions of each
lesson and then ended up making tips as a whole to use as a reference in the future. Some of these tips
might apply to specific readiness levels and interests while others can apply to each student as an
individual to make any lesson better. I am satisfied with the production of my SMART goal and I
especially enjoyed designing my e-portfolio.

I decided to add on to my e-portfolio that was made for another class last year. I made a tab
titled “Differentiation” because that was my main focus for this SMART goal. To me, differentiation in
the classroom is usually an aspect of teaching that makes me hit the brakes. In order to have a
successfully differentiated classroom and lesson, it takes so much time and effort into planning. I wanted
to get a head start into thinking about how I will differentiate my future classroom, especially when it
comes to the subject of science. This tab holds my entire SMART goal from the planning to the product.
Each aspect is written out and pieced together to reach my goal. I determined the answers to some
questions that helped me decide I wanted to make differentiation my focus. Below the questions and
answers are some links to resources that helped me along the way. There are also links to Ag in the
Classroom and Population Biology, two main activities that I focused on. Lastly is this document with the
activities and explanations as well as some of those ideas for differentiation. My efforts meet my goal
because I now have a basis of ideas for differentiating lessons in the future. To me, most of the ideas I
found, I can apply to almost any lesson I teach. That to me is the most important end goal. I have
learned that it is difficult to differentiate overall, not knowing who I am differentiating for. Unless I think
about a certain readiness level or disability, I have a difficult time coming up with detailed differentiated
lessons. My goal will be helpful when I am writing lessons and get stuck. My list can refresh my memory
of what thoughtful differentiation should be like. I have also learned that there are numerous things I
can do to make my teaching better to allow students to be better learners.