Thank you for your responses. I appreciate the ideas.
Daniel, I'm new to this district, so I'm not sure exactly what the
criteria is for determining who goes to Spanish II, and who
remains in Spanish I. You are correct though; it does seem to me
to be a big waste for these students to sit through Spanish I
again. They are good students, but many aren't confident in their
abilities, so they are very open to reviewing the information. At
this point, it appears to me that most would be fine in Spanish
II, and would have been okay with the brief review that students
get the first few days/weeks of school. I teach in NJ, not NY, so
there is no test they need to pass to receive credit. I'll check
with my colleagues to see if they have any information, but it
almost seems as though this is accepted because this is the way
it's been. When it was explained to me when I was hired, I
assumed the students I had in Spanish I would be much weaker students.

On 11/04/09, none wrote:
> Differentiation is certainly a 'hot topic' in many subjects
> for schools and districts across the nation. In our district
> we do not have pull-out sessions for our high achievers, we
> have chosen a more integrated model for the classroom.
>
> May I suggest that you contact your "highly capable"
> or "advanced placement" team at the district level to see
> what conceptual/theoretical type resources they have (one
> that comes to mind is "The Parallel Curriculum").
>
> Differentiation of course does not mean 'more' work for the
> students, and so when a teacher is in process of adapting
> his/her materials for the classroom, it can mean more time in
> preparing the lessons.
>
> There are other resources that with more of the pratical
> applications of differentiation, with examples and outlines
> to use when presenting materials to all learners, in the
> marketplace.
>
> The idea of encouraging the more capable students to create
> their own differentiation is a positive one. Engage them in
> the learning process asking them for imput on how to make
> assignments more relevent to their knowledge and experience.
>
> I shy away from asking for too much mentoring, though it
> sounds like you have an excellent mix to pair weaker
> students/new students with stronger/repeat students, however,
> you will also want to have the stronger/repeat students the
> opportunity to work together to reinforce and advance.
>
> Do look for 'widening' lessons for the stronger/repeat
> students...more oral work, presentations, projects...
>
> maybe this is too vague, however, I hope it gives you some
> ideas to reflect upon.
>
>
> On 11/04/09, JMac wrote:
>> Hi guys,
>>
>> I'm wondering how you differentiate your lessons for
>> students of different ability levels.
>>
>> I teach in a high school where 3/4 of the incoming freshman
>> move into Spanish II, because they mastered Spanish I
>> concepts in middle school. The remaining freshman enroll in
>> Spanish I, even though they have learned most of the
>> material, and are mixed in the class with students that have
>> never had a Spanish class before.
>>
>> I know I need to be differentiating activities for the
>> students who basically reviewing the material the info from
>> those who are learning it from the first time, but am a bit
>> unsure as to how to successfully do that with two such
>> diverse groups.
>>
>> Any suggestions or ideas that have worked for you would be
>> appreciated.

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