For the Pre-ASsessment for Differentiation Unit, we were given the activity to create an assessment that helps us identify which students might already know the content and which students might not. My class is about to start a watercolor unit, the students have learned about watercolor in the past, but it has been some time.  To identify the different levels the students are at I have created a Pre-Assessment linked here: Socrative Watercolor Pre-Assessment. The goal of the assessment is for assessing how much prior knowledge the student has on the different watercolor techniques that will be used in the unit. The student will be asked to identify different techniques through short answer questions. I thought that short answers might be best for this assessment so that students would not guess through the process of elimination.  There are a couple of multiple choice questions in there, but the majority is on short answer question. Because the students have not yet taken the assessment in my class yet, Teach Now has given me some ideas on how the results might be. We will assume that 5 of the students answered most, including the pre-assessment correctly. That 12 of the students with some knowledge in their score but need to develop higher order thinking. And that 5 students have limited knowledge of the topic.

LucidChart- Pre-Assessment, Watercolor
(here is a link to the Flowchart for better viewing) 

Now that I know who needs a little more help I will divide the group into 3 categories Zone A, B, C. Each of these zones will have differentiated instruction that hopefully will meet the student where they need it most. Zone A will be the group of students who have a limited understanding of the different techniques of watercolor. This group will be meeting at a specified table where I can give a step by step tutorial that uses the gradual release method. I am hoping that this will give the students the foundations they need to learn the material while giving them a sense of owning their own learning. Zone B  have some understanding of the different techniques used in watercolor, but they would benefit with a refresher course. They don't need as much supervision at their table. They will meet at a specific table set up with the "CHALLENGE" to show what they remember while giving the students a chance to get their feet wet. The challenge will be giving students a chance to use all the basic skills to create a little booklet with quotes or inspirational thoughts. Zone C will be where the students have demonstrated their knowledge of the basic techniques and might like the chance to go a little deeper. Because I can't be in two places at once, I will have a computer set up with a menu of new and wacky techniques for students to choose from. Each one of the menu options will be a video of me giving a step by step guide on how to create new techniques.These are techniques that are not technically covered in the curriculum but are a chance for students to do some self-directed learning. Students will be given freedom to select how they would like to showcase what new techniques they have learned by the end of the unit. My hope is with this group, to have them sit with students from other levels later when they work on their final project. I would then ask the students to do peer-instruction to help foster an atmosphere of learning. 

I am interested in trying it out this week in class to see how much my students remember from previous years before teaching the unit.