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All learners differ in terms of their readiness (background knowledge, skill levels, and experiences), learner profiles (culture, gender, learning styles), and their interests and talents. Enhancing students’ learning requires that these differences are acknowledged, addressed, and embraced. For differentiation to be effective, it needs to be anchored by “big ideas,” essential knowledge and skills established around content standards. Options for students should be given for the process, as well as their products and performances. All of these aspects can be addressed for students in stages two and three of the Understanding by Design (UbD) model for planning curriculum (McTighe, 2006). In stage one of the UbD model, the desired results for the curriculum are identified. The enduring understandings are established based on content standards. The goals that are decided upon in stage one should not be changed or modified for diverse learners. However, it is important at the onset of planning to begin thinking about the range of students’ background knowledge, readiness levels, interests, and learning styles. Activities and assessments will be planned in stages two and three that enable diverse learners to end the unit with the same enduring understandings as their peers (McTighe, 2006). In stage two of the UbD model curriculum teams consider what the evidence of learning will be. How will students demonstrate that they have achieved the desired results and met the content standards? Teachers will collect evidence of learning based on the goals set in stage one. In this stage some differentiation of the assessments may be needed to meet individual students’ needs. Curriculum teams should work to plan a variety of authentic assessments so that students are allowed to demonstrate their learning and proficiency through varied products and performances tailored to students’ individual learning styles, interests, and ability levels. Our team included a variety of authentic assessments that could reach students with a variety of learning styles, readiness levels, and interests. We created projects that ranged from creating a news broadcast, participating in a debate, to creating posters that would be held at a political rally. There are many more options included in our UbD that are designed to excite and engage learners as well as give them a connection to real-world events. Rubrics should be created and used as evidence of student understanding. Rubrics can be modified to coincide with the goals of students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) to meet their individual learning needs. At this stage teams should also consider to what degree students will be provided with support or scaffolding as they work on each task. Teams should consider learners at different stages of development, students in special education, students from differing cultural and linguistic backgrounds, as well as students in ESL programs. It may also be appropriate for teachers to allow modification in performance tasks to meet these students’ needs as long as the same enduring understandings can be demonstrated. Such as, allowing a student to give an oral, rather than a written report, allowing a student in an ESL program to complete a written activity in their native language, tiering a writing prompt, or giving struggling students the opportunity to take quizzes again later in the unit to demonstrate further mastery of basic concepts. Opportunities for students to assess their own learning should also be built into the curriculum plan. When stage two of the UbD model is designed correctly, all students will have the ability to demonstrate their understandings in a way that is tailored to their individual interests and learning needs (McTighe, 2006). In stage three curriculum teams determine the instructional strategies and learning experiences that will be needed for all students to achieve the desired results in stage one through the assessment evidence collected in stage two. Teams should begin by planning a diagnostic, or pre-assessment so that teachers will have evidence of students’ background knowledge, identify misconceptions, and determine students’ interests and learning style preferences. Pre-tests, students surveys, skills check, and what do I know, want to know, and what have I learned (K-W-L) charts can be used to guide differentiated instruction. Our UbD team included a K-W-L chart and personal belief inventory as a way for teachers to begin tailoring instruction to students’ needs. The next step is to plan a way of hooking the students and holding their interest throughout the unit. Teams need to consider how to hook students with differing cultural and linguist backgrounds, who may not have the same background knowledge as their peers. Setting up situations for these students to engage with the material on a personal level, rather than just absorb it in an abstract way is critical (Moran, Kornhaber, & Gardner, 2006). During stage three designers should consider in which ways lessons, activities, resources, and assessments can be tailored to students with differences in background knowledge and experiences, interests, skill levels, and learning styles without compromising the unit goals or content standards. Our UbD team chose to use a video clip of the Emmett Till trial as a way of hooking students’ interests. The video will have an emotional effect on many learners and learning is enhanced when students are invested emotionally as well as cognitively. Learners at different stages of development as well as students in special education should be provided a variety of reading materials at their individual reading levels. Our UbD plan calls for teachers to include a variety of fiction and nonfiction reading materials on the civil rights movement at a wide range of reading levels in their classroom libraries. Students from differing cultural and linguistic backgrounds as well as ESL students may need additional scaffolding, pre-teaching of vocabulary, and additional visual cues and audio-visuals incorporated into lessons. Teachers should use flexible groupings and varied teaching methods and strategies to present information, as well as provide targeted instruction to different readiness levels. Students can be provided opportunities to propose interest-based activities and independent studies as a way to demonstrate their understanding of the material. Student choice should be incorporated into learning activities whenever possible. In stage three of the UbD model, teachers differentiate instruction based on students’ individual needs gathered through pre-tests, formative assessments, and student self-assessments. Instruction should be tailored along the way to help students be successful on the performance tasks in stage two as well as gain the enduring understandings set upon in stage one (McTighe, 2006). By following the UbD model, curriculum teams can insure that the needs of diverse learners will be met without compromising the content standards and enduring understandings. When multiple authentic assessments and activities are planned for units, diverse learners have the opportunity to show their learning in a way that is tailored to their individual learning styles and needs. By taking the time to plan differentiated instruction for diverse learners, curriculum teams will be providing all students with instruction and assessments that are focused on students’ individual interests as well as learning styles and needs, and as a result, improve curriculum development and instructional design for their schools. McTighe, J. (2006). // Connecting content and kids: integrating understanding by design // // and differentiated instruction. // Retrieved from: [] Morgan, S., Kornhaber, M., & Gardner, H. (2006). Orchestrating multiple intelligences. // Educational leadership //, 22-27.
 * Diverse Learners **