Differentiating Instruction in the Social Studies Teachers today must find multiple ways to reach out to students who span the spectrum of learning readiness, cognitive strengths and weaknesses, linguistic backgrounds, personal interests, and culturally shaped ways of seeing and experiencing the world. Fortunately, social studies classes are the perfect setting for differentiating instruction. Social studies teachers have so much information to convey and yet so many options for teaching it. General Ideas for Differentiating Social Studies Instruction Cover text sequentially. Use PowerPoint™ presentations or overhead transparencies for visual learners when lecturing. Teach key concepts and generalizations unique to each topic or period. Examine various points of view. Use a variety of text, video, and taped material of varying degrees of difficulty. Contrast historical or abstract facts with current events to bring relevancy to students. Offer several options for projects so that each student can express his or her understanding in individual ways. Allow students options for assessment, such as using an exam and an alternative form of assessment to form a whole grade. Specific ideas for helping each student reach his or her full potential, while learning the state or district mandated curriculum, include the following: Incorporate Graphic Organizers All students benefit from organizing material. Graphic organizers are very effective learning tools because they allow students to visualize and categorize information. There are several techniques to use: The teacher creates the graphic organizer and gives it to the students with specific instructions of how to find the material to complete it. To assist the lower achieving students, it may be partially completed. Download any of the following ready-made graphic organizers for your classroom today: Fishbone Organizer, Chain of Events, Bulls-Eye, Compare and Contrast, Expanded Venn Diagram, Affective, and Internet Research. The teacher provides the student with the information and the students create their own graphic organizer. The teacher wants to cover one chapter in a short amount of time. To do this, divide the class into groups of three or four, assign each student in each group a section of the chapter to read. Provide each group with a large piece of construction paper and divide it into three or four sections. After reading, students should create a graphic organizer describing their assigned text. Once complete, they should use it to teach to the other students in their group. This idea works well with social studies survey classes when the textbooks have a considerable amount information on each topic. Develop Gallery Walks This activity allows students to learn at their own pace while physically moving around the room. The teacher posts pictures, art prints, or teacher- or student-created posters around the room. The students should be given an assignment to complete as they walk around the room looking at each object. Using art from different periods of history to demonstrate learning points works well. Analyze Political Cartoons Most topics in social studies can be discussed using political cartoons. The use of political humor or satire to explain perspectives on history or current events can leave a lasting impression on students. There are Web sites where copies of international newspapers are online. Students can use these to critique and analyze current political cartoons from foreign countries. As an alternative to using existing cartoons, teachers can assign a topic such as the stock market crash of 1929, and have students draw their own cartoons to illustrate a perspective. Use Time Lines For students to understand the present, they must learn what has happened in the past. Time lines are an effective method for teaching cause and effect in history. Several different techniques can be used: A simple list of dates and events Foldables, as seen in the Glencoe social studies textbooks Lines that are drawn with marks to indicate different periods of time Illustrated time lines to depict different events in history Teach to Multiple Intelligences In each unit, plan at least one activity using each one of the multiple intelligences as defined by Howard Gardner. When assigning projects, create a list of choices under the subheadings of the eight intelligences. This procedure allows each student to create a product that plays to his or her strengths. For example, while learning causes of the Civil War, one student might write a song, another might create a piece of dialogue between two historical characters, and a third might write a piece of illustrated historical fiction. In all aspects of social studies, the material can be dry and difficult to comprehend. Allowing students to learn by using one of their strong intelligences assists them in understanding and deciphering information on their own. Student-Centered Instruction To have a successful differentiated social studies classroom, it must be student centered. The teacher coordinates time, space, materials, and activities as he or she helps the class achieve their group and individual goals. This article was submitted by Susan Hirsch, Social Studies Chair, East Wake High School in Wendell, North Carolina. She is also a Kenan Fellow at North Carolina State University.