10 Must Have Items for Differentiation

DIFFERENTIATION: It is a word we hear all the time in the education world. Special education teachers live, breathe, and preach the importance of differentiation in their classroom. Additionally, general education teachers are constantly being challenged to differentiate the curriculum they are using to meet the needs of ALL of their students. Teachers are left wondering, how do we actually differentiate worksheets and classroom curriculum? What materials are helpful in the differentiation process? I will be sharing some of the differentiation techniques that I use in my moderate to severe classroom over the next couple of weeks. Today, I am sharing some of my favorite items that you can purchase from, yes you guessed it, Amazon! These items will make the differentiation process go smoother and will make it more fun for you and your students! 

1. Crayola Markers:

I use these markers for differentiation and color coding in my classroom DAILY. The tropical set is my favorite because they are so much fun! On a completely separate note, my students will work for the privilege of using these markers at my center. 

2. Paint Dotters:

These are awesome for non-writers. They assist with hand-eye-coordination, attention skills, and even fine motor skills. Many of my students that do not tolerate holding a pencil or crayon, will tolerate holding and using these. 

3. Number and Letter Stamps:
(*can be purchased separately, but it is cheeper to buy together) 

Again, I use these for my non-writers. Instead of using a pencil to answer their math problems, they use these stamps. These are also awesome for math worksheets, spelling worksheets and tests, and for practicing names. 

4. Stamp pads:

You cannot use stamps without a stamp pad. These are my favorite. They are washable and do not dry out! There are lots of different colors that you can purchase. 

5. Finger crayons:

These are good for students with poor fine motor skills. Instead of grasping the crayon they place them on their fingers to color. 

6. Highlighters:

These are a MUST have in my classroom! I like this type of highlighter because it has a chisel tip. I place these at all of the centers in my classroom. These are used for students that can trace letters and numbers, but cannot write independently yet. These are also used for additional visual prompting for cutting. 

7. Adaptive scissors:

These are my favorite adaptive scissors. The spring can be slid into the scissors, making them open easily during use, or the spring can be slid out of the scissors, making them a normal pair of scissors. I make sure I have a set of these at every table in my classroom. 

8. Laminator

Some students benefit from laminated and velcroed pages and activities. This is my favorite laminator. I have two-one for home and one for school. 

9. Lamination sheets

These are my favorite lamination sheets. 

10. Custom Name Stamp

These are amazing for non-writers. My students love being able to stamp their name on their paper. I would suggest asking for $10 from each parent at the beginning of the school year to buy these stamps. Explain that the stamp will go with them to the next class/will be sent home at the end of his/her time with you. I recommend this stamp because it is self-inking, making it super convenient to use.