Differentiated Morning Work

I have uploaded my first product!!!

For my first product on Teachers Pay Teachers, I am sharing my differentiated morning work. Get it HERE!!! I utilize this every single day with my students. At the beginning of the year, we had to prompt all students through every answer. By the end of the year, most of them were completing the work completely independently, without even having to look at the board for reference.

There are 3 levels included in this product:

For my students that independently (or with minimal prompting) generate their own ideas, I use pages 3 and 4 of the download (printed 2 sided). The students are expected to follow along on the SMARTBoard (I will get to that later) and circle the correct answer. Next, they should write the correct answer on the lines below. Some of my students require highlighter prompting or some other similar type of prompt. I try to encourage the students to use their paper as a model when writing, but some benefit from a white board model that is closer to them and larger (especially if their hand covers up whatever they are trying to copy when they are writing). On the back, the students generate their own ideas (sometimes with help from teachers) and draw a picture of either of the described activities in the box.

Pages 5 and 6 are a little more simplified. There is no difference on the front between this level and the previous level, but the back provides choices. I like to utilize this sheet for students who have a hard time generating their own ideas. I also use it for students that tend to become noncompliant while completing worksheets because it is easier to build momentum with choices rather than an open ended question.

Page 7 and 8 are the most simplified version of this morning work. I only utilized this page for 2 students for about 3 weeks at the beginning of the year. I really wanted to work on handwriting and made the appropriate modifications on the other sheet to make that possible (highlighter prompts, covering up extra space, pencil adaptations, etc.). However, this sheet is great for students that are working simply on the skill of copying from a model with the circles on the front. The back does allow for some handwriting practice, but using large lines to accommodate for fine motor difficulties.

Earlier, I mentioned a SMARTBoard Notebook that I use during morning work. It is still under review right now, but I will add the link here once it is ready. We start each day with a question. Sometimes it is a yes or no question and other times it is a different question with 2 options. Sometimes there is a correct answer, but most of the times I like to allow my students to express themselves and make their own choices.The students take turns coming up and moving their name to whichever response they choose. I like having them come up because it gets them moving a little bit and also allows me a second to give them a little more of a personalized greeting. Next, we go through various slides that include most things you would think of in a typical morning meeting (the day of the week, the month, the weather, etc.). At the end, there is a slide that looks exactly like page 7 of the product referred to above. At this time, we pass out their individualized morning work sheets. We go through this slide all together and the students follow along on their own pages. At the end of the year, many of my students were able to complete the entire sheet before it was up on the board, which is AMAZING! That means they are retaining the information from throughout the activity and attending to what we are talking about.

After we do the front together, they do the back on their own. The teachers walk around to help any students that need it. Students are expected to raise their hand when they are finished so that a teacher can check their work. This is a skill I really like to work on because as my students become more independent, having their work checked will become more relevant.

If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, please reach out to me! I would love to hear your thoughts!