Differentiating Instruction With Menus Grades 3-5: Language Arts [Paperback]

Laurie Westphal (Author)

Book Description

Series: Differentiating Instruction with Menus | Publication Date: June 1, 2007

Differentiating Instruction With Menus Grades 3–5 offers teachers everything they need to create a student-centered learning environment based on choice. Addressing the four main subject areas (language arts, math, science, and social studies) and the major concepts taught within these areas, these books provide a number of different types of menus that elementary-aged students can use to select exciting products that they will develop so teachers can assess what has been learned—instead of using a traditional worksheet format.

Each book contains attractive reproducible menus, each based on the levels of Bloom's revised taxonomy, for students to use to guide them in making decisions as to which products they will develop after studying a major concept or unit. Using creative and challenging choices found in Tic-Tac-Toe Menus, List Menus, 2-5-8 Menus, Baseball Menus, and Game Show Menus, students will look forward to sharing their newfound knowledge throughout the year. Also included are specific guidelines for products, rubrics for assessing student products, and teacher introduction pages for each menu.

This book includes menus that teach students about language arts genres, mechanics, and novels.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

These books are full of product based menus meant to accompany various units of study, however, the higher level product activities found on the menus can be selected and used whole group, or provided as options after a compacting preassessment. Think of these books as a jumping off point to meet whatever needs you may have!  I absolutely love the flexibility of menus! 

   

I wrote this book with the hope that it would make menus more accessible to everyone; create a "household name," if you will. Menus are so flexible and useful; once they are implemented, teachers begin to look for other uses for them.  It is not that teachers or curriculum writers can not create these menus themselves, but since there just isn't always enough time, these books are designed to be ready to use. 

    

Menus are appropriate for all grade levels and areas of instruction. If you try a menu of your own design, or one from my books and it isn't everything you hoped it would be - please contact me! I would be happy to brainstorm improvements with you. Drop me an e-mail and we will figure it out!

About the Author

Laurie Westphal experienced academic concepts in the same manner as other students--through the use of chapter reading and questions, and copying notes. After questioning this practice, she decided to break the mold when she entered the classroom as a teacher. She was given the freedom to develop engaging, product-based lessons and activities, which encouraged choice, the kind of teaching she missed as a student.
   
She used this method of teaching science for 14 years, both overseas and in the U.S., as well as presented staff development and worked in gifted education. She currently works as an independent gifted education and science consultant, sharing her message as a staff developer and nationwide speaker on menus and differentiation. 

  

She currently resides in Houston, TX and has made it her goal to share her vision for real-world, product-based lessons that help all students become critical thinkers and effective problem solvers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 125 pages
• Publisher: Prufrock Press, Inc. (June 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593632258
• ISBN-13: 978-1593632250
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 10.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #161,650 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ahhh, some people have no problem talking on and on about themselves - I myself am a much better asker of questions. I make a great cocktail attendee as I can dodge and parry the multiple "polite" personal questions and come back with probing questions that make people feel I am truly interested in their various exploits. In a way, I guess I am, but more importantly, I am more interested in just not blathering about myself.

That being said - here is the short but sweet about me. I was raised in a small town in Northern Michigan called Roscommon (Go Bucks!) - small enough that if you goggle it you will get lots of pages on our sister city in Ireland rather than us. We had only one stop light for years in our county and it was a big deal when there was another one added. My graduating class had 104, and our top ten were all girls - it was a huge scandal that the newspaper ran our picture with the by-line "No Dumb Blondes Here!" (All but one were blonde by the way!) They had to print a retraction and everything!

College: I had the option of going to U of M or Grand Valley State. I had scholarships to both and went to tour both. U of M was huge forest of concrete with smog filled air as the campus buses took you from place to place. Grand Valley had forests of trees with multiple ravines running through the campus (ask any Laker they will tell you about Ravine Romping!) as well as smaller classes. I opted for GVSU. I went to major in Spanish with a minor in elementary education, but after my freshman Chemistry teacher had such an impact on me; he convinced me to also major in Chemistry. So, I did. I tell people my majors: Spanish and Chemistry and most just look perplexed and shake their head. I had entered college as a sophomore with all the AP, dual credits and placement tests so it didn't add any time to my years there.

My first job was teaching 5th and 6th grade science in Monterrey, Mexico. I told my mom in 10th grade that I was going to teach in Mexico and I made it happen right out of the gate; I was impressed with myself too. :)

After three years, I went to teach grades 4 -10 grade science and math (oh and art - people who know me find this riotously funny!) in Porto Alegre, Brasil.

After two years, the school was downsizing (going to K - 3 only) so I ended up coming back to teach in Texas (Michigan had just cut their property taxes to support education and people were being laid off big time!). I taught 8th grade advanced science for 8 years and a year of 6th grade science. Did lots of leadership jobs that no one else wanted (but sound really good on a resume) and eventually moved up as a master teacher in GT office for the district. That is where I found my true calling - working with teachers, helping them design activities and units for their students. I still worked with students weekly, I started a tutoring business when I bought my home so I still worked with students even though I was out of the classroom (and still do!) I worked in the GT office for 2 and half years before finally moving out on my own.

Now I travel the US doing presentations and working with teachers to help them better understand and meet the needs of their students.

I guess I am a better blatherer than I thought. :) I now live in Houston, Texas with my two Scottish terriers: Bri-Anna and Chadwick. I seem to be always working on a book of some kind and will have 5 more coming out in 2010. I have ideas for some to follow in 2011, but is getting ahead of myself! :)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good buy, August 24, 2010

By 

Alice Coleman (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Differentiating Instruction With Menus Grades 3-5: Language Arts (Paperback)

I love that this book gives such good lessons. Perfect for those of us trying to get a handle on differentiating in the classroom.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great teacher resource..., March 9, 2011

By 

Anna McCall (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Differentiating Instruction With Menus Grades 3-5: Language Arts (Paperback)

I am a special education teacher and am constantly looking for developmentally appropriate rubrics and lesson ideas for my students, most of whom have a low frustration tolerance when it comes to schoolwork. This book was very helpful and gives many hands-on projects for students to do. It also presents things in a menu format so that students have a choice. The books menus at the end are specific to a particular book, but they can easily be adapted. I highly recommend!