Inspiring Elementary Learners

"One of the very few professional resources that I could not put down. I recommend this book to every teacher I work with, and I use it every day in my work with teachers and students."
—Diane Fleming, Advanced Placement Coordinator
Sioux City Community Schools, IA

"This is differentiation at its best! This valuable resource provides the tools necessary to meet the wide range of student needs and abilities within a classroom. It will be a timeless resource that all educators will want on their desk."
—Jeannie Donoghue, Professional Development Director
Bureau of Education and Research

Inspire a love for learning through differentiated lessons and activities!

Today's classrooms are more diverse than ever before, with students of many languages, cultures, backgrounds, abilities, and skills all in one room. This accessible resource illustrates how elementary teachers can use differentiated instructional techniques to nurture a love for learning in socially, culturally, and academically diverse learners.

Inspiring Elementary Learners offers step-by-step instructions for creating a learning environment that engages all students, and provides creative strategies that can be easily implemented in the classroom. The authors include lesson examples and assessment rubrics across the core subject areas, showing how to cultivate a community of learners who honor themselves and each other. Based on current educational research on metacognitive strategies, learning styles, constructivist thinking, and choice theory, this handbook helps educators:

• Design lessons to foster students' intrinsic motivation
• Teach for deep understanding while meeting content standards
• Create and implement differentiated strategies

This practical guide provides teachers with the tools they need to reach, teach, and inspire diverse student populations and cultivate an engaging classroom environment.

Research-based and informed by the work of Glasser, Tomlinson, Wolfe, Jensen, Calkins, Atwell, Gardner, Armstrong, Weinbrenner among others, this rich reference offers practical lessons, hands on activities that show teachers, step-by-step, how to connect learning objectives to student's lives in engaging and meaningful ways. The text includes:

• Numerous case studies and student work samples
• Lesson frameworks and planning guides to help teachers develop standards-based differentiated lessons and units
• Sample lessons—low-prep "Lite-n-Lean" activities and more comprehensive "Deep-n-Dynamic" units
• Tips and tools for assessing student learning styles and preferences
• Teacher tips for managing and assessing lessons
• Rubrics