Science

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Differentiated instruction through the lens of science

Considerations for effective science instruction for all students require planning to differentiate for the content, process, and product that science lessons and units of study entail. To identify opportunities to differentiate learning experiences, science teachers utilize the 5-E instructional model, the most widely articulated approach to science instruction.

Students come to our classrooms with prior knowledge and experiences. Through their own participation in active learning, students extend this knowledge, challenge their assumptions and conceptions, and build meaning out of their experiences. The 5-E instructional model is used to help frame the sequence and organization of lessons and units of study. It can inform the many instructional decisions a science teacher makes in teaching to meet student needs. The model consists of five stages: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate. These stages have specific functions that contribute to students' construction of a better understanding of scientific and technological knowledge, attitudes, and skills.

What does differentiation look like in a science classroom?

When teachers consider differentiating instruction to meet the needs of all students, the aim is essentially to analyze the potential for differentiation in each phase of the 5-E instructional model.

Stage of 5 E	Summary of Stage	Differentiation Strategies
ENGAGE	This stage initiates the learning task and is designed to make connections between past and present learning experiences. The teacher designs the Engage stage to create interest, generate curiosity, raise questions and problems, and elicit student prior/current knowledge about the science concept or standards.	Front load vocabulary Concept mapping Think, pair, share Leveled questions Access prior knowledge
EXPLORE	This stage provides the student with a common basis of experiences within which current concepts, processes, and skills are identified and developed. The teacher designs activities that encourage students to think creatively within the limits of the activity; to propose preliminary predictions and hypotheses; to "puzzle" through problems; and to try alternatives to solve a problem.	Structured inquiry, guided inquiry, and open inquiry Write, tell, or illustrate story of content or investigation Sequence information Depict comparisons through drawings and analogies Use realia or simulations Repeat trials and investigations
EXPLAIN	In this stage, students have opportunities to demonstrate or explain their conceptual understanding, process skills, or behaviors. Students question each other's explanations as well as interact with the teacher, who directs student attention to specific aspects of the Engage and Explore experiences. The Explain stage provides a way of ordering and giving common language to the exploratory experience.	Data display Variety of student grouping Investigation cartoons Foldables Diagram and label Description of data results
ELABORATE	The teacher provides activities that challenge and extend the students' conceptual understanding and skills. Through new experiences, the students apply their learning to different experiences in order to develop deeper understanding, more information, and necessary skills.	Apply content understanding in a different system or setting Develop interview questions Develop model of concept or system Initiate next investigation on same concept
EVALUATE	While evaluation of learning goals is done throughout the 5-E model, the Evaluate stage provides a distinct opportunity to encourage students to assess their understanding and abilities. This stage also provides opportunities for teachers to evaluate student progress and look for evidence that students have changed or deepened their thinking.	Peer teaching Scientific poster Summarize main idea in writing or graphics Develop a study guide

Sample lessons

Life Science: Circulatory and Respiratory Systems - Grade 5
In this lesson on the relationship between the circulatory and respiratory systems, differentiation occurs at three levels: content, process, and product according to identified groups.

Biology: Population Size and Food Foraging - Grade 10
Data collection activities and evaluative performance tasks are differentiated for different groups.

Standards resources

California Department of Education California Content Standards
http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/index.asp (outside link)

California Department of Education Curriculum Frameworks
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/allfwks.asp (outside link)

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