4 Simple Differentiated Reading Tips to Help Your ESL Classroom Run Smoothly

Turn your ESL differentiated reading nightmare into a dream with these easy-to-implement classroom tips!

Differentiated reading sounds like a great plan, doesn’t it? Every student gets exactly what they need, with a text that meets them where they are while providing just enough challenge. Students can all work independently, improving their comprehension skills while learning about the text’s topic. Your students are feeling confident and growing while you have time to actually teach. It’s the absolute dream, right? 

In reality, it doesn’t always look that way, does it? You’re stuck with stacks of papers, trying to figure out how to get the right level to the right student without letting them know what you’re doing. Students end up with the wrong page that’s either too easy or too difficult, and oh, do you hear about it! Then, there are hurt feelings ("I think that page is too hard! Why is he calling it easy?"), chaos all around, kids begging for help, some tears (maybe even yours), and stress with a capital S. Your differentiated reading dream has turned into a nightmare.

What if I told you it didn’t have to be that way? That the dream could really be your reality? 
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I’ve been through the nightmare and found my way out so you don’t have to! So go grab a tasty cup of coffee, a cozy mug of tea, or your favorite snack, and settle in! We’re going through 4 tips and tricks that will make the differentiated reading dream your reality. 

Set Realistic Expectations

I know what you’re thinking: I want to know how to plan differentiated reading instruction; I’m not here for SEL Lessons. And I get it! But the first thing you need to do to get differentiated reading instruction off the ground is to make sure that you and your students have realistic expectations about what’s to come. This is arguably the most important step because it will get students on board while making your life easier! 

For the longest time, I didn’t want my students to know that they had different levels of text. I would do everything I could to hide it from them. I wanted everyone to think that they were getting the same thing in the same way so that nobody felt upset.

It was a stressful act to keep up, and of course, they all found out anyway. On top of that, they were upset with me because I had been essentially lying to them about what was happening. It eroded trust, increased misunderstandings, and just made things miserable. I don’t want that for you! 

Luckily for us, kids of all ages are resilient, understanding, and reasonable. They don’t like it when we try and pull one over on them, but they LOVE being in on what’s happening. Use that to your advantage!

Giving students ownership helps everything run smoother!

As you’re starting differentiated reading in your classroom, be upfront with your students about what’s going to happen. How you tell them depends on your students and your style, but my conversation usually goes a bit like this: ​

“So, we all know that everyone in this classroom always gets what they need to be successful. That’s always my promise to you! We’re going to try changing the stories we read so that they’re what you need, too. I’m going to give you a story at a level that’s good for you today. Some will be easier, and some will be harder, but they’ll challenge everyone the same amount. I want you to be able to do the work mostly by yourself because that means you’ll learn and grow! All of the stories will have the same ideas, so you’re not missing out on anything if you have a different level. If the level is too difficult or too easy for you to enjoy, come let me know. You’re never stuck at the level I give you!” ​

Here are the most important things to touch on when you’re introducing differentiated reading to your students: 
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• Everyone gets what they need, no matter what 
  • Students need to feel confident that they will be learning and their needs will be met 

 

• Every story is essentially the same, so they’re not missing out 
  • ​​Kick out any glimpse of FOMO 

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• You’re not stuck at a level for the entire year, the entire quarter, or even the whole week! 
  • Give students control and a sense of hope! 

If you know the class will need a little extra encouragement to jump on board, I’ll throw in this gem that works every time. 

 “Can I tell you a secret? Promise you won’t tell? Most teachers don’t want you to know this… Did you know that a lot of teachers give students different levels or types of work to meet them where they are? *Gasp* I know, right? Most teachers try and hide it from students because they don’t think students are mature enough to handle it. I think you can handle it, though! Just don’t tell anyone I spilled the teachers’ secret… they’ll be really upset since the other classes can’t handle it.” ​

Works. Every. Time. (and for every age!) 
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The main point of this conversation is to help students understand why they are getting different levels of work before you start, eliminating any difficult reactions down the line. As a bonus, it will help students feel safe and confident knowing that they’re getting exactly what they need and gives those competitive students an extra bit of motivation to move toward the highest level of text!

Keep Themes & Main Ideas the Same ​

Alright, now on to the practical parts of making your life easier while creating differentiated reading lesson plans. So many times, I’ve been handed leveled texts, and there’s an entirely different story for each level in my class. Some students are reading Snow White, while others are reading a nonfiction story about some Civil War General, and another group is reading about the importance of eating healthy. You’ve been there, right? It is CHAOS. And I’m here to say...no more! ​

Consistent content in your differentiated reading instruction makes everything easier, from planning to class conversations!

Whenever possible, keep the topic, main storyline, themes, main ideas, significant details, etc., the same! Changing the difficulty level but keeping the content the same helps because… 

• You can pre-teach vocabulary, give needed background knowledge, and share an introduction to the entire class at once 
• Students can discuss the stories in mixed-level groups 
• Moving forward, students will have shared experiences and knowledge when you refer back to a lesson 
• If you’re doing small groups using the texts, you can plan once and just change the difficulty of your lesson instead of planning out completely separate lessons
• Let’s be real...it’s just easier to keep track of who’s read what when they’re all on the same story!

Plan Your Organization Strategy ​

Once the kids are on board, I really think the most challenging part of differentiated reading instruction is keeping track of all those papers! Especially when you have multiple class periods and multiple levels within each period...it can get to be a lot! Here are some of the ways I’ve found that work to tame the paper monster! 

Tips for Prepping Papers: 

• Once I have a feel for my students and how things are working, I prep as far in advance as possible! That’s the beauty of having set, repetitive routines...you just know how things are going to run! I love finding a time when the copier isn’t being used and just printing #allthethings. This can lead to a mess, though! Here’s what I do…
  1. Print out the 3 levels of a text I know I’ll need and make copies of each. I tend to make about 5 extra copies because I don’t know about you, but it’s inevitable I’ll get new students all the time, or a student already in my class will switch levels! I like to have extra copies just in case. I can always use them for scratch paper or save them for next year. 
  2. I use a small paperclip to clip together the pages from each level. I’ll clip in a sticky note saying how many copies there are of that level. 
  3. Then, I use a big paper clip or a binder clip to keep all three levels together. I’ll put a sticky note with the date I’m planning on using the lesson, and sometimes I’ll put the number of copies of each level on there too. 
  4. I take the whole stack and put it in a tub in my room. I love using those Sterilite Drawer Organizers because I can just throw it in, and it hides the mess! I try and put them in order, so the stack of papers I’ll use next is on top. 
  5. I use the same text for a week (click here to read about that!), so the Friday before, I’ll take a quick peek in my drawer and make sure I have enough copies of each level. It just takes a few seconds!

With a few sticky notes and paper clips, organizing your differentiated reading papers will be a breeze!

Tips for Passing Out Papers: 

• If your students know their level: 
  • Call groups up by level and have them line up. Hand each of them a paper. 
  • Put the papers out on a table (making it clear which stack is which level, either with labels or just telling them!) and have students grab their level. You could have them do this during a transition or when they first come into class! This way is my favorite! 
• If your students don’t know their level (yet!)… 
  • Make a label for each stack of papers saying which students get that level (print or sticky notes!) Call them up one by one and give them the right paper. 
• If you’re having students work in leveled groups or stations… 
  • Clip the papers together with a paperclip and use a sticky note (or another labeling system) to label the stack with the group’s name. Place the stacks in a bin (or just on the table!) at the location of that station, or in a set place your students can find it. If your groups don’t have names, you could also label it with the rotation number (rotation 1, rotation 2, etc.) or the time that the rotation will happen (11:15-11:30, etc.) 
• If you’re working really far in advance or have an awesome aide/ volunteer… 
  • Put the papers into student binders ahead of time, so all they have to do is grab their binder when it’s time to work! I don’t suggest this unless you have the time to work about a month in advance or you have an incredible aide or volunteer to do it for you! It works beautifully during class, but it’s tedious work upfront! 
• If you have technology... 
  • Assign on Google Classroom to make your life easier! Just put a check by each kid that gets the same level, assign the text, and boom! Done.

Encouraging Independence ​

If we’re being honest, your differentiated reading instruction will only work if your students can be independent. When students have different levels of texts and questions, they have to be able to work on their own because there’s just no way one teacher will have enough time to help everyone through. 
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The good news is, the whole point of differentiated reading is that every student will be given something they can do on their own!

The key to effective differentiated reading instruction is encouraging independence from your learners!

 Before we get too deep into these tips, I just want to throw something out there. I've been told SO OFTEN by all sorts of people that English Language Learners aren’t able to work independently. I don’t know why this is a thing, but if it’s something you’ve been told, ignore it. Honestly, ESL students have to figure out so much for themselves all the time that they’re probably the most capable of being independent out of all our students! 

Now that that’s taken care of, here’s some tips for keeping your students working independently so you can have time to actually teach! 

Set Clear Expectations 

• Back to those expectations again! Let students know that they are expected to work independently, without teacher help. 
• If you’re ok with students working together, tell them! If you’re not ok with it, tell them that too! Doing completely independent work and getting help from classmates are both awesome skills that have their value. Let students know what you expect. (P.S. This can change! I like to have students work together for most of the year, and then close to testing, have them problem solve on their own. You do you!)

Let Them See the Time! 

• Find as many ways as possible to show students the time they have to work on their assignment. It’s great for time management skills and holding students responsible for finishing in time, but it also makes things a bit less overwhelming! Seeing how much time is left turns “OMG, this is so hard, and I have to work on it FOREVER” into “OMG, this is so hard, but I only have to do it for 5 more minutes.” 
  • Put up the time that the rotation/ work time will end 
  • AND share a timer on the board! Youtube has great ones for free! Just search “15-minute timer” or however long you need! Visuals like this are especially helpful for pre-literacy and emergent learners in your class. A little trauma-sensitive teaching tip for you -- scroll to the end of the video and listen to the sound it makes when time is up before you share it with the class! SO many of them have a bomb sound or sirens… not what you want! 

Give Them the Tools for Success 

• Some of our students just aren’t up to reading independently yet, and that’s ok. When I create resources, I add in an audio recording of me reading the text and questions aloud. That way, students can follow along with the text while listening and have it read to them as many times as they need… without ever needing to call the teacher over. To do this… 
  • If students can work on individual laptops/ tablets, great. If not, set students up with one to share. Before I had one-to-one technology, I would set the audio up on my laptop at the station my students would work at and then show them how to click play. (The laptop always faced me so I could see what they were doing, and we very clearly went over the expectation that they only press play and pause, nothing else!) 
  • Share the audio recording with your students. You can share it on Google Drive or embed it in a Google Slide by clicking “Insert → Audio” (Hint: it will need to be in your Google Drive first!) 
• Make sure students have all the materials they need, from the right level paper to pencils, highlighters, or whatever else you expect them to use! 
• If you’re doing differentiated reading in groups, do whatever you can to make sure the students can work well together! Sometimes this means doing mixed-level groups. It’s worth it! (I promise!)

Make sure there is no reason why your students can't get right to work on their differentiated reading assignments!

Pump Them Up! 

• Confident students are independent workers. Remind them that they have the level that works for them, the skills they need to be successful, and the tools they need to complete their work! 
• Praise, praise, praise all the good that comes out of work time! 

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Give Space for Concerns 

• Sometimes, things just don’t work out for a particular group of students. Encourage your students to share any challenges they’re facing, and work with them to fix them! Your students will be able to tell you what’s not working. Maybe where they’re sitting has a poor internet connection, or maybe the highlighter is smearing the ink on their page. Being open to fixing the little problems as they arise will prevent them from becoming big problems!

Practice Makes Perfect ​

Differentiated reading is just one of those things that has a lot of moving parts! Sure, it requires paper management, but it also requires trust and independence from your students, which can be difficult to build up sometimes. Don’t give up! Make a note of what’s working, what’s not, and celebrate the little victories along the way. With persistence and repetition, it will only take a few weeks (at the most!) before your class is humming along and running itself. Students will be learning rigorous material independently, routines will be smooth, and you’ll have time to work with students and improve learning outcomes. You got this! The differentiated reading dream is within reach… you just gotta take the first step! 

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