Table of Contents

Tiered lesson (differentiated by readiness & Anchors). P.2

Appendices

Appendix1 ................................................................ Pre-Assessment

Appendix 2 .................................................. Tier 1 Purple Cars activity
Appendix 3 ............................................. Tier 2 Red Dinosaurs activity
Appendix 4 ................................................. Tier 3 Green Frogs activity
Appendix 5a & b ...................................................... Minibeasts activity
Appendix 6a & b .................................................... Superheros activity
Appendix 7a & b ................................................ Under the Sea activity
Appendix 8 .................................................... Summative Assessment

EDUC4720/1 2012_Jane Jarvis_Tiering format adapted from Tomlinson (1999)

Differentiated Lesson (Differentiated by Readiness & Interest)

Name & Student Number:

Ellen Barr 2104121

Lesson Topic:

Adjectives

Curriculum Area:

English

Year Level:

Year 1

Explanation and justification of these differentiation strategies:

I chose to differentiate this lesson by;

Readiness using a tiering strategy

Interest based anchor activities.

I chose a tiered lesson as a differentiation strategy as it addresses a particular standard,

key concept, and generalisation, but allows several pathways for students to arrive at an
understanding of these components based on their readiness. A lesson tiered by
readiness level implies that the teacher has a good understanding of the students ability
levels with respect to the lesson and has designed the tiers to meet those needs
(Tomlinson, 1999).The activity I chose to tier guess the object was tiered to address
different levels of current student readiness in relation to the lesson objective. This will ensure that
each student works at an appropriate level of challenge to enable learning (Tomlinson, 1999). I used
The Equaliser to modify the different activities as students worked through the continuum from
Concrete Abstract.

I chose a differentiated instruction strategy called Anchors for my second strategy.

Anchors can offer enrichment and deeper meaning to students learning. I decided to
make these interest based as research by Cordova and Lepper (1996) showed that
providing students with choices in learning activities increased students' achievement,
engagement, perceived competence, and levels of aspiration. Students can choose from
the themes of Under the sea, Superheros or Minibeasts as I observed that students had
an interest in these areas.

Research shows that excellent teachers rely on a variety of instructional strategies rather
than relying exclusively on one method (Langer, 2004).

EDUC4720/1 2012_Jane Jarvis_Tiering format adapted from Tomlinson (1999)

Assessment:
Assessment will take place through a variety of methods.
Pre-Assessment: (Appendix 1) A pre-assessment will be conducted prior to this lesson
to discover the students levels of readiness for this task. The teacher will work one on
one with each student showing them a set of flashcards and instructing them to choose
one picture/object to describe. The teacher will record on a tally sheet how many
adjectives they were able to think of and comment on their overall quality of response.
Formative Assessment: The teacher while working with the 3 groups will be able to
observe the students level of participation. She will be able to see any students who are
struggling with the task and either she or the SSO will be able to coach them through
their difficulties.

Summative Assessment : (Appendix 8)

At the end of the lesson the teacher will distribute a worksheet asking the class to circle
the adjectives/describing words. It is a quick easy assessment task which will inform the
teacher how well the class understood the concept of adjectives and describing words.

EDUC4720/1 2012_Jane Jarvis_Tiering format adapted from Tomlinson (1999)

Brief description (2-4 sentences) of the broader unit into which this lesson fits, and
where it fits into that unit:
This lesson will fit into the Language strand of the Year 1 English curriculum under the
sub-strand of Expressing and Developing ideas. This lesson will combine the topics of
grammar and oral language.
Prior to this lesson students will have just completed an author study on Julia Donaldson
and will have been subjected to the multitude of adjectives which she is famous for in her
picture books.
In their previous English lesson, students will have learned about nouns. They will move
on to learn about verbs in the lesson directly after this.

Learning Objectives * adapted from ACARA

As a result of engaging with the lesson, students will:
Understand that (Concepts, principles, big ideas)
- Adjectives are used to describe nouns (ACELA1452).

Know (e.g. facts, vocabulary, dates,

information)
- That an adjective is a describing word
which describes a noun
- Some examples of adjectives - tall, fat,
green etc.
- That adjectives are added to statements
to make them more informative.

Be able to (do) (Skills, processes)

Tier 1 Describe a concrete object using
adjectives.
Tier 2 - Describe an object from a picture
using adjectives.
Tier 3 Describe an object or place from
its name using adjectives.

Essential Questions
Why do we use adjectives/describing words?
Where do we use adjectives/describing words?
Are there any situations where we dont use them?

EDUC4720/1 2012_Jane Jarvis_Tiering format adapted from Tomlinson (1999)

Lesson Title: Unpack your Adjectives!

Tiering Strategy
By analysing the responses of the pre-assessment, the teacher will know students
current level of readiness in relation to this lesson. The class will then be divided into 3
tiers. There will be 6 students in Tier 1, 14 students in Tier 2 and 4 students in Tier 3.
In this first lesson, the students will be assigned within the following tiering structures:

Tier 1 - The Green Frogs (below grade readiness) Students were not able to use
any adjectives to describe an object from the flashcards.

Tier 2 - The Red Dinosaurs (at grade readiness) Students were able to use 1-2
adjectives to describe an object from the flashcards.

Tier 3 - The Purple Cars (above grade readiness) Students were able to use 2+
adjectives to describe an object from the flashcards.

The teacher will have the support of an Student Support Office (SSO) and the Year 5
Buddy Class to come in to assist with the anchor activities at the end of the lesson.

Time
15
mins

Lesson Plan
Lesson Sequence

Explain that adjectives are words that we use

to describe a person, a place or a thing e.g.
tasty, happy, fat, tall, red etc. Say that
adjectives make statements more interesting
as they give more details.

Explanatory notes
Resources
-IWB
-Whiteboard
-Basket with apples, pears,
strawberries, plums,
bananas and oranges
Pop sticks with each
students name on it for
picking pairs.
-YouTube Clip http://www.schooltube.com/vi
deo/964198d6a8d99911f4dc
/School-House-RockUnpack-Your-AdjectivesGrammar-Rock
-Ipad
-Brown paper bags filled with
tiered activity

Guided Discovery
Tell that class that I have a basket of fruit but
the fruits are feeling very sad. Explain that their
task is to come up with exciting words about
each piece of fruit by describing them and this
will cheer them up.

Help any students who are

struggling with describing the
images by asking questions
such as
What colour is it?

Introduction
Whole class instruction with students sitting on
the mat.
Everyone to close their eyes and teacher to
say There was a cat. Ask them to open their
eyes and keep that image of the cat for later.
Explain to class that today we are going to
learn about adjectives.
Play Unpack your Adjectives on You Tube

15
mins

EDUC4720/1 2012_Jane Jarvis_Tiering format adapted from Tomlinson (1999)

Pass the fruit bowl around and allow each child

to pick a piece of fruit.
On the IWB have 4 columns written with 4
headings and a question under each.
COLOUR - What colour is it?
SMELL - What does it smell like?
FEEL - What does it feel like?
TASTE What does it taste like

Is it large or small?
What would it feel like?
Ignore any words that are not
adjectives

Give the class a few minutes to come up with

an adjective to describe their fruit.
Go around the circle and ask each child to
create a sentence using at least one adjective
to describe the fruit.
Begin by saying This is a delicious juicy pear.
After each sentence ask the class to identify
the adjective/s that were used.
Teacher to write the adjectives on the IWB
under its corresponding heading. Leave the list
of adjectives on the IWB for students to refer
back to during their activity.
15mins

Tiered Activity
Teacher will instruct the students to check their
desk and see which group they are in.
Green Frogs (Tier 1)
Teacher will tell the group to gather around
her. She will pair each group member up using
pop sticks. She will give each student a brown
paper bag and explain the task. She will tell
them that she will predominately be working
with them and able to help them if they get
stuck. She will instruct them to get their chair
and position them back to back in the middle of
the classroom. She will tell them to begin the
activity with the SSO and she will be over to
join them when she has given instructions to
the other groups. She will remind them that
once they finish this activity they must select
another activity from the Anchor activity
station.
Red Dinosaurs (Tier 2)
Teacher will tell the group to gather around
her. She will pair each group member up using

EDUC4720/1 2012_Jane Jarvis_Tiering format adapted from Tomlinson (1999)

If the students get stuck

encourage them to feel,
smell or taste their fruit to
encourage thinking.
Continue until all students
have had the opportunity to
describe a piece of fruit using
an adjective.
While the guided discovery is
whole class directed, the
independent tasks are
tiered to address different
levels of current student
readiness in relation to the
lesson objectives. This will
ensure that each student
works at an appropriate level
of challenge to enable
learning (Tomlinson, 2004).
Put a group name on each
childs desk so they know
what group they are in.
The teacher has an
instruction sheet
(Appendices 2, 3 & 4) and
brown paper bags made in
advance with all the
equipment the groups need
to complete the activity.
Brown Paper Bags to
contain:

popsticks. She will give each student a brown

paper bag and each group an instruction sheet
and explain the task. She will remind them that
if they come up with any difficulties during the
activity that the ESO will be predominately
working with them. She will ask if they have
any questions. She will send them off to the
right side of the classroom and tell them to
remember to bring a chair each and position
the chairs back to back so they cant see each
other. She will remind them that once they
finish this activity they must select another
activity from the Anchor activity station.

Purple Cars laminated

word cards
Red Dinosaurs laminated
picture cards with words on
them
Green Frogs laminated
cards with words on them
and also the actual physical
manipulatives

Purple Cars (Tier 3)

Teacher will tell the group to gather around
her. She will pair each group member up using
pop sticks. She will give each student a brown
paper bag and each group an instruction sheet
and explain the task. She will remind them that
if they come up with any difficulties during the
activity to ask the SSO before asking her for
assistance as she will be predominately with
the Green Frogs. She will ask if they have any
questions. She will send them off to the left
side of the classroom and tell them to
remember to bring a chair each and position
the chairs back to back so they cant see each
other. She will remind them that once they
finish this activity they must select another
activity from the Anchor activity station.

15
mins

Anchor Activities
When students have finished their tiered
activity they will go to the Anchor Activity
Station and select a task to work on
independently.
There will be a poster displayed with
everyones name written on it. Their name will
have either a red, blue or green, sticker next to
it. They must select their activity from the tray
with the corresponding colour.
Conclusion
Students to come back together. Teacher to
remind them to think of the sentence from the
beginning of the lesson - There was a cat.
Teacher to repeat the sentence this time
saying. There was a cat that nobody liked. He

EDUC4720/1 2012_Jane Jarvis_Tiering format adapted from Tomlinson (1999)

There is a list next to the

Anchor Activity Station with
all students names on it and
a blue, red or green sticker
attached with Velcro next to
the name. The student must
choose an anchor activity
from a tray of the
corresponding colour and sit
back down in their seat to
complete it.

Red trays will have

Minibeasts activities in it.
Blue trays will have
Superheros activities in it.

was very fat with thick black fur and a white

spot on the top of his head and a ginger bushy Green trays will have Under
tail. He had purple eyes and very sharp teeth.
the Sea activities in it.
Ask the students if their image of the cat has
changed. Why? What did I do differently this
time? Use their answers to reinforce the
importance of adjectives.

Lesson Closure/ Check for Understanding

Give each student the Circle the Adjectives worksheet (Appendix 8) and explain that
their task is to circle the words that they now recognise as adjectives or describing
words. Explain that there are some words on the sheet that are not adjectives so if they
are stuck refer to the list of adjectives on the IWB.
The essential question will guide the discussion as the teacher needs to see evidence
that the essential understandings have been understood.
Why do we use adjectives/describing words?
Where do we use adjectives/describing words?
Are there any situations where we dont use them?

Checklist of assignment components:

Complete, step-by-step lesson description, with notes explaining how the lesson represents an
example of a tiered lesson to address various readiness levels
Supplementary materials (e.g., copies of directions, handouts, etc. provided to students)
Copy and/or description of preassessment task used to assign individual students to appropriate
tiers
Evaluation/ assessment criteria (e.g., rubric or checklist used to guide evaluation of student work)

References
Cordova, D. I. & Lepper, M. R. (1996). The implementation of cooperative learning in an
elementary physical education program. Journal of Educational Psychology, , 88(4), 715730.
Langer, J. A. (2004). Getting to excellent: How to create better schools. New York:
College Press.
Tomlinson, C. A. (1999). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all
learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

EDUC4720/1 2012_Jane Jarvis_Tiering format adapted from Tomlinson (1999)

Pre - Assessment

Describe 1 of these objects using as many describing

words as you can

Which are you more interested in?

Minibeasts
Under the Sea
Superheros

Pre - Assessment

Pre-assessment observations
Student

1
2
3
4
5
6
7 (etc.)

How many adjectives did they use

(tally)

///
0
/
/
0
//
////

Assigned Tier

3
1
2
2
1
2
3

Tiered Activities

The Purple Cars

1. Assign students a partner to work with and give each student a
brown paper bag.
2. Tell them that they must describe the objects or places written
on their cards using adjectives or describing words.
3. Instruct them that they must use as many adjectives as they
can to describe each object or place to their partner.
4. When their partner has guessed them all it is time to swap over.
5. The students must place their chairs back to back so they
cannot see each other.

Some examples:
Student 1: My favourite food is yellow. It can be sweet or salty. I eat
it when I go to the cinema. It comes in a red and white bag.
Student 2: Is it popcorn?
Student 1: Yes!
Student 1: This is an animal. It is pink and smelly. We eat this animal.
It tastes yummy. This animal makes an oink oink noise.
Student 2: A pig?
Student 1: Yes!

Bag 1 will contain the following words laminated:

Popcorn
The beach
A Rainbow
Popcorn
A snake
A Rainbow

The beach

A snake

Tiered Activities

Bag 2 will contain the following words laminated:

A diamond ring
Gum Boots
A computer
The Ocean

A diamond ring

Gum Boots

A computer

The ocean

Tiered Activities

The Red Dinosaurs

1. Assign students a partner to work with and give each student a
brown paper bag.
2. Tell them that they must describe the objects written on their
cards using adjectives. Remind them to use the pictures as a
hint.
3. Instruct them that they must use as many adjectives as they
can to describe each object or place to their partner.
4. When their partner has guessed them all it is time to swap over.
5. The students must place their chairs back to back so they
cannot see each other.
Some examples:
Student 1: This is an insect. It is black and has 8 legs. There are
lots of different types of these insects. I am scared of them.
Student 2: Is it a spider?
Student 1: Yes!
Student 1: This is a fruit. It is large and orange. Its yummy.
Student 2: Is it an orange?
Student 1: Yes!

Tiered Activities

Bag 1

Fish

Apple

Bag 2

Pool

Lego

Balloon

Spider

Fork

Lollipop

Tiered Activities

The Green Frogs

1. Assign students a partner to work with and give each student a
brown paper bag.
2. Tell them that they must describe the objects that are in their
bag (this group will have the physical objects). They will also
have the name of the objects written on cards.
3. Instruct them that they must use as many adjectives as they
can to describe each object or place to their partner.
4. When their partner has guessed them all it is time to swap over.
5. The students must place their chairs back to back so they
cannot see each other.
Some examples:
Student 1: You use this to write. It is long and thin. It can be sharp
or blunt.
Student 2: Is it a pencil?
Student 1: Yes!
Student 1: You use this to stick things together. It comes in a blue
tube. It is sticky.
Student 2: Is it glue?
Student 1: Yes!

Bag 1 will contain:

A lead pencil
A dice
A key

A pencil

A dice

A key

Tiered Activities

Bag 2 will contain:

Scissors
An envelope
Glue
Scissors

An envelope

Glue

Tiered Activities

Task 1 Cut out the sequence cards by cutting around

the dotted lines. Place the cards in order to re-tell the
story from start to finish. Remember to use lots of adjectives to
improve the story. Paste those in your Writing Book and write
the adjectives next to the pictures.

Tiered Activities

Task 2 Use as many adjectives as you can to describe the

Minibeasts below. Use the boxes provided.

Red, small, cute,

shiny, pretty etc.

Tiered Activities

TASK 1 Describe your favourite superhero using as many

adjectives as you can. Try and make sentences.

Draw your favourite Superhero

Tiered Activities

TASK 2

If I were a Superhero I would be

Describe, using lots of adjectives how you would LOOK,

SMELL and ACT
Example: I would be very fat and mean. I would have sharp
green teeth and purple eyes.

Draw yourself using your power.

Tiered Activities

Task 1

Listen to the story of the Rainbow Fish on the Ipad with your
earphones.
Access the link on
http://www.storylineonline.net/rainbowfish/fullscreen_yt.html.
Now write 3 sentences about the Rainbow Fish using as many
adjectives as you can think of.
Example: The rainbow fish is glittery.

Draw the Rainbow Fish

Tiered Activities

Task 2

Colour the adjectives yellow in following sentences. (There

may be more than one per sentence)
Example: What a pretty shell.

The octopus was very naughty.

The sweet little fish is very cute.
The crab crawled in the wet sand.
The shark looked very scary.

The pretty mermaid is very

kind.
I wish I was a slimy jellyfish.
Starfishs shells are quite
rough.

Create some sentences below

using the following adjectives
Long

Fast

Hairy

Scary

Tall
Funny

Fast
Pretty

Summative Assessment

Draw a circle around the words which

are adjectives
Hungry
Big
Cat
Table
Small
Greedy
Food
Talk
Alone
Pencil
Long
Pretty
Green
Self-Assessment