Sally and Sam are both 8, they are in Second Grade, they have the same teacher at the same school, they are taught the same lessons, and they are reading the same story from their text book. They are given the same comprehension and word work activities to review and ensure comprehension. The difference is, within the first page of this story Sally has struggled to read over 5 words and Sam has read the first page, and is moving through the story quite fluently. As Sally struggles to get through the first page, the second page, and so on, she has lost the meaning of each page and what the story is about. She has not picked up new vocabulary through context clues, selected key details, or can even explain the story structure.
The distance between Sally and Sam is everywhere, in every classroom, in every grade, in every school! Students are "the same." They are the same age, at the same school with the same teachers and curriculum. They are studying the same standards, yet somewhere and somehow they are not learning at the same pace, or performing at the same academic level.
As teachers we have to have the unwavering commitment to meet students where they are academically and provide instruction that is tailored to them individually. This is done within small groups of about 5 students at a time. The schools provide a software that is designed to meet them with on level academic support. By adding the LeapPad Platinum it will offer additional resources that incorporate adaptive technology, and fun games and lesson with characters that are familiar and age appropriate as another layer of support to meet students where they are and push them with enough rigor to to reduce the distance between them!
About my class
Sally and Sam are both 8, they are in Second Grade, they have the same teacher at the same school, they are taught the same lessons, and they are reading the same story from their text book. They are given the same comprehension and word work activities to review and ensure comprehension. The difference is, within the first page of this story Sally has struggled to read over 5 words and Sam has read the first page, and is moving through the story quite fluently. As Sally struggles to get through the first page, the second page, and so on, she has lost the meaning of each page and what the story is about. She has not picked up new vocabulary through context clues, selected key details, or can even explain the story structure.
The distance between Sally and Sam is everywhere, in every classroom, in every grade, in every school! Students are "the same." They are the same age, at the same school with the same teachers and curriculum. They are studying the same standards, yet somewhere and somehow they are not learning at the same pace, or performing at the same academic level.
As teachers we have to have the unwavering commitment to meet students where they are academically and provide instruction that is tailored to them individually. This is done within small groups of about 5 students at a time. The schools provide a software that is designed to meet them with on level academic support. By adding the LeapPad Platinum it will offer additional resources that incorporate adaptive technology, and fun games and lesson with characters that are familiar and age appropriate as another layer of support to meet students where they are and push them with enough rigor to to reduce the distance between them!
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