Tiered Task design for the Australian Curriculum

Differentiation through ‘tiered’ task design

An example task

Taken from an example in the Year 6 Science portfolio

Background information:Students studied a unit of work on electrical energy. Students had explored construction of electrical circuits.

The teacher had discussed safety precautions with the class. The low voltage light bulbs and batteries used in this investigation were safe to touch and cannot draw large currents or reach hazardous temperatures. The glass bulbs were relatively strong but had to be handled with care to avoid breakage.

Task: Design and create an electrical switch

Students will be asked to:• design an electrical switch that is both safe and able

to be switched on and off repeatedly• represent their design in a diagram• build the electrical switch• test the success of their electrical switch• reflect on the design of their electrical switch and

make recommendations for improvement• communicate the findings in a report.

http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/

Scroll down to the achievement standard description

Step 1- Copy and paste the appropriate year level /s achievement standard form the Australian Curriculum web site at: www.australiancurriculum.edu.au and highlight the aspects the task will focus on.For example:

By the end of Year 6, students compare and classify different types of observable changes to materials. They analyse requirements for the transfer of electricity and describe how energy can be transformed from one form to another to generate electricity. They explain how natural events cause rapid change to the Earth’s surface. They describe and predict the effect of environmental changes on individual living things. Students explain how scientific knowledge is used in decision making and identify contributions to the development of science by people from a range of cultures.Students follow procedures to develop investigable questions and design investigations into simple cause-and-effect relationships. They identify variables to be changed and measured and describe potential safety risks when planning methods. They collect, organise and interpret their data, identifying where improvements to their methods or research could improve the data. They describe and analyse relationships in data using graphic representations and construct multi-modal texts to communicate ideas, methods and findings.

Step 2: Copy and paste sections of the content descriptions that relate to the task.

Step 2: Copy and paste sections of the content descriptions that relate to the task.

For exampleScience understanding Science as human endeavor Science inquiry skills

Electrical circuits provide a means of transferring and transforming electricity (ACSSU097)

Science involves testing predictions by gathering data and using evidence to develop explanations of events and phenomena (ACSHE098)

Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to solve problems that directly affect peoples’ lives (ACSHE100)

With guidance, pose questions to clarify practical problems or inform a scientific investigation, and predict what the findings of an investigation might be (ACSIS232) Use equipment and materials safely, identifying potential risks (ACSIS105)

Compare data with predictions and use as evidence in developing explanations (ACSIS221)

Suggest improvements to the methods used to investigate a question or solve a problem (ACSIS108)

Communicate ideas, explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts(ACSIS110)

Step 3: Identify learning goals from the achievement standards and content descriptions.Note Use the ‘Content description code’ that links to the elaborations for possible examples

Know Understand Be able to Do

Your turn … think about some learning goals you might use

Step 3: Identify learning goals from the achievement standards and content descriptions.Examples:

Know Understand Be able to Do

1. Know what an electrical circuit is

2. An electrical current needs a continuous path to flow around

3. A switch can be used to complete or break an electrical circuit

1. Understand that electricity can be transferred and transformed.

2. Understand that there are safety aspects when working with electricity.

1. Be able to build an electrical circuit safely

2. Design a switch that will interrupt the flow of electricity easily

3. Be able to describe how to build an electrical circuit safely

4. Evaluate how well their switch functions

Step 4 : Determine your usual starting point: jot down what you would typically do for for this task

Students will be asked to design and make their own electrical switch. They will:1. design an electrical switch that is both safe and able to be switched on and

off repeatedly

2. represent their design in a diagram

3. build the electrical switch

4. test the success of their electrical switch

5. reflect on the design of their electrical switch and make recommendations for improvement

6. communicate the findings in a report.

Step 5: Write a differentiated task and explore resources that could be used to support it

E.g. ScootleThink about your gifted & highly able students- design a task aligned to your learning goals that:

extends the depth or breadth

makes it more complex, abstract or open-ended

requires high order thinking skills

supports independent learning

Explore ways to scaffold the task for students at or near the standard so they can be successful with the task and aligned to learning goals. Examples include providing:

diagrams or graphic organisers

support for key vocabulary

learning objects that support exploration

Identify ways to further scaffold the task for students working below the standard and ensure the task is still aligned to learning goals. Examples include:

give task orally or break into steps or dot points

check for understanding diagrams or graphic

organisers support for key

vocabulary learning objects that

support exploration

Scootle – well worth a first look

• www.scootle.edu.au• Log in with your DoE email

address• If you have forgotten your Scootle

password, they will email it to you immediately: click here

• If you have never registered ask your school Scootle admin person to email you a registration link for your school

Find by the Australian Curriculum

Filter by year level/s

Note: remember to click on the green button!Apply filter

Expand relevant headings and click the link to View elaborations and matching resources

If too many results, refine the search by your topic

Choose the resource/s to meet your needs

Some resources are organised into convenient collections

Making it accessible to students: Convert/add to a learning path

Edit the learning path as needed

Either give your students the PIN Number, ORSend your students the link; email, class Favorites

list, or link on the school intranet

Use the resources to differentiateExample of the thinking behind the design of the 3 tiers of the task:

Gifted & highly able Near the standard Working below the standard

Create the switch as outlined above, answer some questions then explore all the learning objects on the learning path to increase their breadth and depth of knowledge. Capture evidence of their learning by using the snipping tool.

Use the Wiring: simple circuit learning object independently, focusing on the symbolic representation as a pre-cursor to completing the task.

Teacher-led group on the interactive whiteboard explore the Wiring: simple circuit learning object. Focus on the language, need for battery as source of power, need for a complete circuit to allow the flow of electricity

Key vocabprovided

Task broken down to simple steps

Extra support for those who need it

Extending the basic knowledge and understanding and providing engaging opportunities to apply their learning.

More supportSimple taskCore content

More independenceGreater complexityDepth of knowledge

Step 6: Assess your plan - some possible reflections

Check that each version of the task leads students to increased competency related to the achievement standards

Check that each version of the task is respectful to the student for whom it is designed

Ensure you are familiar with how the task will work for students e.g. complete learning object/s yourself, know what can happen with Science experiments

Make certain you have clear directions for each version of the task

Decide how you will get students into groups efficiently Will you tell the students the task is differentiated?