Differentiated Instruction: One Lesson, Three Levels, One Plan

Differentiated instruction is the phrase that makes teachers in my training sessions look at the floor. They know they should do it. They have been told to do it in every observation feedback form. And they have been shown examples that need three worksheets, three sets of instructions and a teacher with three bodies. So they do it on paper for the observed lesson and not on Tuesday.

This post is about differentiated instruction that survives Tuesday: one lesson, one plan, three ways through it. It includes a differentiated lesson plan template, five differentiation strategies that fit on a page, and a Grade 7 example.

What differentiated instruction is, in plain words

Differentiation means every student works toward the same objective with the support or the stretch they need to reach it. It is not three objectives. It is not a different topic for the "low" group. It is not a separate plan for each level.

Three things can change for a student: the support they get, the task they do, and the evidence they produce. The objective stays the same. If you change the objective, you are not differentiating, you are teaching a different lesson in the same room.

Why three plans never work

Three plans triple the writing and halve the teaching. The teacher spends the lesson managing materials instead of listening to students. Worse, the groups become fixed. A student who was "low" in September is still "low" in March because the plan was written for three labels, not for who understood today.

The alternative is one plan with three entry points, decided by what students show you, not by a label. The formative check at the start of the lesson tells you who takes which path today.

A differentiated lesson plan template on one page

The only part that is three columns wide is the main task. Everything else is written once. This is the same shape as the seven-part lesson plan template, with the class part doing more work.

Five differentiation strategies that fit on one page

1. Same task, different support. The task is the same for everyone. The support column has a word bank, a worked example, a sentence frame or a partly completed version. Students take the support if the starter showed they need it.
2. Same task, different depth. Three questions in the core version. The stretch version adds "and explain why" or "find a second method". The support version removes the hardest step but keeps the objective.
3. Tiered success criteria. "I can compare two fractions. I can compare three and order them. I can explain the order in writing." Every student knows which line is next.
4. Flexible groups, decided today. Groups come from the starter, not from last term's test. Say it out loud: "If you got the starter right, start at question 4."
5. Choice of evidence. Explain in writing, by diagram, or by talking it through with the teacher. Same objective, different route to showing it.

Pick two of these for a lesson. All five at once is the three-plans problem again.

Worked example: Grade 7 science, density

Objective: Predict whether an object floats using its density and explain the prediction.

Starter: "An object has a density of 0.8 g/cm³. Float or sink? Why?" Answers on paper, teacher reads while walking.

Main task (one sheet, three columns):

• Support: A table with density given for six objects and the number line marked at 1 g/cm³. Students circle float or sink and complete the frame "It floats because its density is ___ than water".
• Core: Six objects with mass and volume given. Students calculate density, predict, and write one sentence per object.
• Stretch: The same six objects, then: "Object D is hollow. Would your prediction change? Explain." And: "Which object would float in oil (density 0.9)?"

Exit ticket: Two objects with density given, predict and explain. A third question: "A 200 g object has a volume of 250 cm³. Will it float?"

The teacher who taught this version said the biggest change was not the sheet. It was that six students who started on support moved to core after the first three items, because the column was next to them, not in a different pile on the teacher's desk.

Mistakes to avoid

• Labelling the columns high, middle and low. Call them support, core and stretch, and let students choose with guidance.
• Giving the stretch group more of the same. Ten more questions is not a stretch. A harder question is.
• Differentiating the objective. If one group is "learning to colour the diagram", the lesson has two objectives and one of them is not science.
• Fixed groups for the term. The whole point is that today's evidence decides today's path.

How TeachBuddy AI helps

Differentiation starts with the class, so in TeachBuddy AI it starts with the classroom profile: groups, needs, language, what they already know, written once. The lesson plan generator reads the profile and builds the main task with support, core and stretch for those groups, from the textbook pages or scheme of work you point to. Objectives are suggested and you edit them. The AI drafts, the teacher decides.

From the plan, the worksheet generator makes the three-column sheet with an answer key, and the image tools can adapt a diagram for students with special educational needs. After the lesson, the two-minute reflection asks who moved paths, and any update to the class description waits for your approval.

Frequently asked questions

What is a simple differentiated lesson plan template?

The normal seven-part plan with one change: the main task has three columns, support, core and stretch, for the same objective. The class description at the top explains who is likely to start where.

What are the most useful differentiation strategies?

Same task with different support, same task with different depth, tiered success criteria, flexible groups decided by today's starter, and a choice of how to show evidence. Use two per lesson.

How do I differentiate for a large class?

Put the three versions on one sheet so students move between them without the teacher handing out new paper. Use the starter to sort the room and sit with the support group first.

Want a plan that builds the three columns from your own class description? Create a free TeachBuddy AI account and describe the class you actually have.