© Shell Education
#50264—Comprehension That Works
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Differentiation Songs & Dances
Danny has written three songs (one with accompanying dance
movements) that have been a huge hit with students and teachers
alike. Try teaching these songs to emphasize the importance of
differentiating instruction.
The Differentiation Diddy
(to the tune of “Do Wah Diddy Diddy,” lyrics by Danny Brassell © copyright 2007)
There I was just about to teach my class,
Singin’, “Do what I say. I’m the teacher. Yes, indeed.”
Then my students looked at me en mass,
Askin’, “Do what you say? Are you kiddin’? We can’t
read.”
They looked stressed (looked stressed),
They looked bored (looked bored),
They looked stressed. They looked bored…
They were not a happy hoard.
I had kids of all sizes. They were different, every one,
Singin’, “Do you want to teach a standard or me?”
They asked, “Why is school always work and no fun?”
Sing this: “That is not the way that school has to be!”
I said, “Yes!” (said yes)
“You’re all right” (all right)
I said, “Yes! You’re all right”
Now our future’s lookin’ bright.
Our class is now happy, and we learn a lot more.
’Cause we each are different, and we learn differently.
When others critique us, we just shut our door.
And we play. And we sing. And we think critically. Yeah!
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#50264—Comprehension That Works
© Shell Education
have just read. The TW connection becomes the basis for furthering
the meaningful interaction with the text as students discuss their
analyses with other classmates or write about their analyses in
summary or essay form.
Compare and Contrast
TS, TT, and TW connections are all forms of compare and
contrast that are helpful in moving students to deeper levels of
comprehension, well beyond literal comprehension. There are other
forms of compare and contrast. Indeed, teachers often use compare
and contrast as a teaching tool. How often have you used the word
like to explain something to your students? Teachers will often teach
something new by describing how th