Module 4E: Adapt (Level) Materials for High School Needs

Pedagogical (9-12 Educators)

ISTE Educator Standards: 2.5.a (Accommodate Learner Differences)

Core Takeaways:

• • Altering Scaffolds, Not Academic Rigor: In secondary settings, differentiation preserves high curricular expectations by adjusting entry points, guided sentence frames, and cognitive scaffolds rather than reducing content standards.

  • High-Interest Secondary Contexts: Anchor advanced concepts in engaging, authentic scenarios (such as modeling a rollercoaster path or athletic projectile motion) so all students participate in shared whole-class discussions regardless of their assigned tier.

  • Friction Removal & Integer Calibration: Iteratively instruct Gemini to calibrate complex, awkward decimals into clean integer coefficients and rational roots so students focus on higher-level algebraic concepts (e.g., Rational Root Theorem, polynomial division) rather than getting bogged down in arithmetic.

  • Instant Student Handouts & Workspaces: Direct Gemini to structure differentiated tasks into clean multi-column tables formatted for one-click transfer to Google Docs and printable classroom handouts.

Demo Prompt: Rollercoaster Polynomial Modeling check-for-understanding for Algebra 2: 

• Level 1 (Emerging): Analyzing key features (vertex, intercepts, domain) of a quadratic first drop with sentence frames.

• Level 2 (On-Level): Constructing a piecewise polynomial function for smooth hill/loop transitions.

• Level 3 (Challenge): Applying polynomial division and the Rational Root Theorem for clearance and velocity constraints.

  • Demo Prompt Follow Up: "Rewrite the polynomial $h(x)$ so that it has integer coefficients and clean, rational roots. Also, ensure the decimals in the other levels are rounded to the nearest whole number to keep the focus on the algebraic concepts rather than arithmetic."

Practice Template:  Copy/Paste Template into Gemini and [Swap out Bracket Terms]

• Generate three different versions of a real-world math story problem about [Topic, example: modeling the projectile motion of a soccer kick] for my [Grade Level, example: Algebra 1] class.

  • Level 1 (Emerging): Focus on [Skill 1, example: identifying the vertex and y-intercept of a quadratic function]. Include step-by-step sentence frames or hints to structure their thinking.

  • Level 2 (On-Level): Focus on [Skill 2, example: writing a quadratic equation in vertex form and solving for x-intercepts].

  • Level 3 (Challenge): Focus on [Skill 3, example: interpreting domain restrictions and optimizing the function to find maximum height].

  • Keep the core theme consistent across all levels to support whole-class discussion, but adjust the mathematical complexity and scaffolding to fit each tier.

    • Follow-up / Iteration: "Format these three levels into a 4-column table with the headers: 'Level', 'Skatepark Scenario', 'Target Equation / Proportion', and 'Student Workspace'. Below the table, include a brief teacher answer key with step-by-step solutions."

GES Badge / Quiz URL: goo.gle/ges4 and Linked on slide 17

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