Interest

Draw on students' passions or curiosities

Differentiating by interest tugs at the heartstrings of all students, regardless of their levels of readiness or their learning profiles.

When differentiating by interest, teachers craft activities that permit students to further explore their own interests and develop new ones. Tasks promote curiosity, and in turn, learning becomes more appealing.

Four inquiry-driven, instructional strategies that offer students a chance to work with excitement and enthusiasm are RAFT, WebQuest, Jigsaw, and I-Search.

Here are some examples of each strategy and how you might apply them at a specific grade level:

Strategy	RAFT	WebQuest	Jigsaw	I-Search
Grade	2	3	4	5
(Primary) Content Area	Language Arts	Math	Science	Social Studies
Curriculum Connections	Art Technology	Social Studies Technology	Language Arts Technology	Language Arts Technology
Lesson	Chalk Box Kid	Multiplication + Cryptography	Volcanoes	Early Explorers
Tech Links	The Chalk Box Kid Links and Puzzle Writing Friendly Letters	Build the Code WebQuest Multiplication Flashcards Break the Code at the CIA	Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Plate Tectonics Jigsaw Volcano World Stromboli	Explorer sites Explorer sites
Tech Skills/ Tools	MS Paint Word	Puzzle Maker Cryptogram	Publisher/ Word PowerPoint Web research	Publisher/Word Paint Web research
Student Assessment	Rubric: completed RAFT, graphic organizer, and completed product	Rubric: completed WebQuest	Rubric: research notes, completed product, cooperative group, effective team member	Rubric: research, writing, and technology components
Student Product	Personal letter Original art	Cryptogram	Educational Game or Brochure	Miss Kellogg's Class
Supporting Materials	RAFT strategy and graphic organizer Desert Unit RAFT example Student copies of Chalk Box Kid	Build the Code WebQuest (paper copies) Scrap paper	Brochure template Game Board template or pre-teach the skills	Bookmark template

For more information about each strategy, check out these links:

	RAFT = Role, Audience, Format, Topic at http://web.grps.k12.mi.us/academics/5E/raft.html
	WebQuest at http://webquest.sdsu.edu/materials.htm
	Jigsaw Groups at http://www.jigsaw.org/overview.htm
	I-Search at http://www2.edc.org/FSC/MIH/i-search.html

Last updated:05/03/2008