Summary Sheet for Assignment 2: Differentiated Learning

Experience
Name & Student Number: Loredana Giangiuliani | 2149305
Curriculum (Learning) Area of Lesson or Learning Task: Science
Specific Topic of Lesson or Learning Task: Atomic Structure/Chemical reactions
Year Level/s: 9/10

Differentiation Choices
Mark the appropriate box/es

1. For this assignment, I have chosen to design a differentiated:

Learning Menu or Agenda
Choice Board
RAFT
Summative Assessment Task for Unit of Work
Lesson with Specific Adjustments for Students with Special Needs
Series of Tasks for Learning Centres or Stations
Learning Task or Lesson with Innovative Use of Technology to Support Differentiation
2. My lesson or learning task is differentiated to address differences in student:
Readiness
Interest
Learning profile preferences

Context

(about 1 paragraph)

Provide any contextual information that will help the examiner make sense of your planning decisions. For example,
summarise the broader unit into which this lesson fits and the broad aim/s of that unit, and explain where this lesson
or learning task fits into the unit sequence (Does it come after several introductory lessons? Does it come towards the
end of the unit and enable students to apply their knowledge, understandings and skills to a particular learning task?
Is it an assignment that will be ongoing over the course of a whole unit? Is it a single lesson or a task/ arrangement
that spans several lessons?).

This activity is intended for a year 10 science class over the course of a single lesson and for a
nights homework. The students have already become acquainted with the periodic table of
elements, as well as how an atoms electron shell structure determines its place in the periodic
table. Thus, the next step for students is to learn how the electron structure of an atom causes it
to react with other atoms. The students by this point understand that atoms are most stable with
a full valence shell (the outer electron shell). Prior to this activity, teacher instruction will detail
how most atoms (except noble gasses) share electrons with other atoms so they both have a
full valence shell. This process is called ionic bonding and is one of the ways in which
chemicals can react. This lesson would stand as a bridging lesson between atomic structure and
chemical reactions, and requires a very in depth understanding of atomic structure but a novice
level of understanding for chemical reactions.
The task I have created is a formative assessment piece that will be conducted over the course
of a lesson. Its purpose is to inform the teacher whether or not atomic structure is fully
understood by the class before a complete transition to chemical reactions.

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Learning Objectives
As appropriate, these should be based on the Australian Curriculum. You can include specific references to ACARA in
parentheses where you have taken an objective verbatim (ACMMG006), or use language like Adapted from.. if you
have made some changes to statements from ACARA, but been guided by these.

Adapted from ACSSU186 explaining how the electronic structure of an atom determines its position in
the periodic table and its properties
The specific atomic property we are investigating in this task is reactivity to other elements. The objective
of this task is for students to demonstrate their understanding of how and why atoms form ionic bonds with
each other. This task will also serve as a conclusion to the atomic structure topic and will form a clean
segue into chemical reactions.

As a result of engaging with the differentiated lesson or task, students will:

understand that (Concepts, principles, big ideas. Make sure your objectives are statements that work in the
form, Students will understand that)

Students will understand that an atoms valence shell structure determines the elements it best
bonds with.
Students will understand that atoms bond to achieve a full valence shell structure.
Students will understand that noble gasses do not react because they already have a full
valence shell.

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

An electron has a negative charge
A proton has a positive charge
An ionic bond is when two atoms are
connected through a sharing of valence
electrons.

Be able to (do) (Skills, processes)

Students will be able to succinctly describe the
process of ionic bonding through a written OR
illustrative exercise.
Students will be able to justify the reason for two
elements being able to bond using their
understanding of atomic structure.

Essential Questions (These should help students engage with the big ideas or understandings)
Name two elements that can form an ionic bond why can they form an ionic bond?
Do you think we can apply the principles of ionic bonding to all elements? Why?

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RAFT
Role

Audience

Format

Topic

A sodium
(Na) atom

Other atoms

Dating profile

Other atoms

Sodium atom

Response to
dating profile

Illustrator

Year 10
students

Comic

You are looking for another atom to

bond with, so you decide to create a
dating profile. Make sure you create
an in depth profile about yourself,
and describe what kind of atom
would be perfect for you to bond
with.
Create a series of responses from
other atoms looking at Sodiums
dating profile. Explain why you
would/wouldnt bond with Sodium
what makes you right/wrong for
each other?
Chronicle the story of two atoms
who meet each other. Do they bond?
Do they not? Why? Dont forget to
flesh out the character of each atom.

One atom

The atom it
wants to bond
with

Love letter

A helium
atom

Other noble
gasses

Motivational
speech

Your choice.

You decide.

Make your own.

Write to the atom of your affections

in order to woo them! Be sure to
explain to your beloved atom why
you are perfect for each other and
why they could not possibly bond
with anyone else but you!
Create an empowering speech about
what it is like to be an independent
noble gas who dont need no cation!
Tell the world how youre complete
without bonding, and why it makes
you better at certain jobs than other
atoms.
If you have an idea that modifies any
of the above formats, roles and
audiences get your idea approved
by Miss G. All forms of creativity
are welcome so long as you can
describe what you have learned in
depth.

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RUBRIC
Understandin
g of atomic
structure

Understandin
g of ionic
bonding

Creativity

Excellent
Explains why the atom
is structured the way it
is, and is able to form
logical connections
between its valence
shell structure and its
position on the periodic
table.
Is able to explain ionic
bonding (or inability to
form an ionic bond) in
terms of how the
valence shell structure
changes for both atoms
while bonding.
The product of the
exercise demonstrated
great creativity. It
transcended simple
classroom instruction
whilst describing the
chemical principles
with integrity.

Satisfactory
Identifies the atoms
place on the periodic
table, its chemical
symbol and valence
shell structure.

Needs Improvement
Did not include an
explanation of the
chosen atoms
structure.

Identifies why the

chosen atom can
bond/not bond with
other atoms and
explains this in terms of
ionic charge.

Does not include

description of why
two atoms can/cannot
bond.

Project was creative in

nature, but this came at
the expense of accurate
descriptions of the
content.
OR
Project accurately
described the chemical
principles but this
compromised the
creative depiction of
these principles.

Did not attempt to

creatively describe
the chemical
principles.

Comments:

Explanation:
Provide 1-3 paragraphs to clearly explain how your assignment is an example of a differentiated lesson or learning
task designed to address student differences and what specific aspect/s of student diversity you are aiming to
address. This explanation should demonstrate your understanding of the principles and application of differentiation,
supported by the topic readings and materials.

The purpose of this assessment piece is to determine the maximum amount of understanding
students have of the atomic structure topic and how much understanding they have going into
the chemical reactions topic. This is why I have decided to differentiate the task based on
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learning profiles I wanted the students to be able to select the way they felt they could best
represent the knowledge and understanding they had (Jarvis, 2016; Sousa & Tomlinson, 2011;
Tomlinson, 2003). Some students prefer to express their ideas through an auditory presentation
(Sousa & Tomlinson, 2011), which is represented through the empowering speech option.
There are three writing options available, each with a different style. The first involves setting up
a profile (which may also involve graphic elements), the second involves multiple pieces of
dialogue and the third is a longer, more formal piece of text. Not only does this appeal to
students who prefer to express their ideas through writing, but offers them multiple modes of
writing which creates further opportunities to diversify the assessment (Sousa & Tomlinson,
2011). For students who prefer to represent their ideas visually, there is the option to write a
comic. I have also left the opportunity for students to create their own task (with the approval of
the teacher) so students who feel that their learning preferences were not catered for by the
RAFT activities were able to express their understanding of the content. The create your own
activity option also allows for students to bring elements of their own culture and interests to the
activity that the teacher may not have considered (Sousa & Tomlinson, 2011).
I did not want to create activities that were strictly visual or written. As suggested by Sousa &
Tomlinson (2011), students are capable of learning in more than one way. This extends beyond
the mode in which students represented their ideas. I purposefully made two of the RAFT
options related to each other (the dating profile and responses) for students who felt they
learned best working with others. Students with this learning preference would be able to link the
creative responses in their own work with the creative responses in their peers work. Students
who selected the comic option may create a comic related to one their peer decided to create.
The benefit of designing the activities in this way is that students can enjoy the activity in a
collaborative environment but are still producing their own piece of work, which is a more
valuable piece of formative assessment than a collaborative piece (Wiggins & McTighe, 2011).
The activities are also designed to appeal to certain gendered differences noted by Sousa &
Tomlinson (2011). The love letter option would require emotive language which is more likely to
suit the learning preferences of girls, whereas the motivational speech option has competitive
undertones which would appeal more to the boys learning preferences (Sousa & Tomlinson,
2011).
The first step to creating the RAFT was to form mindful goals for this assessment piece, and
using these goals to design my activity around (Tomlinson, 2014). I have been mindful when
creating the activities that they all measure the same knowledge and understanding, despite
being represented differently (Wiggins & McTighe, 2011). This is important to consider when
creating a differentiated assessment, such as the RAFT as it is easy to add activities for the
sake of diversity that do not necessarily match your lesson goals (Jarvis, 2016). I have created a
rubric with which I can assess each activity against and provide feedback for students. The
feedback from this assessment piece can help students to identify areas in which they may be
struggling prior to a summative assessment piece. It is also intended to be used to create
readiness groups for the next lesson on bonding (Doubet & Hockett, 2015).

References
Doubet, K. J. & Hockett, J. A. (2015). Differentiating according to student readiness.
Chapter 7 in Differentiation in middle and high school: Strategies to engage all
learners (pp. 173-206). Alexandria, Virginia; ASCD.

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Jarvis, J. (September, 2016). Differentiating by Interest and Learning Profile [lecture].

Adelaide, South Australia: Flinders University.
Sousa, D. A. & Tomlinson, C. A. (2011). Differentiating in response to student learning
profile. Chapter 7 in Differentiation and the brain: How neuroscience supports the
learner-friendly classroom (pp. 137-163). Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press Inc.
Tomlinson, C. A. (2003). Deciding to teach them all. Educational Leadership, 61(2), pp.
6-11.
Tomlinson, C. A. (2014). Good curriculum as a basis for differentiation. Chapter 5 in The
differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners (2nd ed., pp. 6079). Alexandria, Virginia; ASCD.
Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2011). Essential questions and understandings. In G.
Wiggins, & J. McTighe, The Understanding by Design guide to creating highquality units (pp. 70-88). Alexandria, Virginia; ASCD.

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