All teachers believe in differentiation, and most teachers believe in the daily warm-up, or “do now.”
However, rarely are these two pedagogical ideas married in the NWC modules, however, they are. We believe the first few moments of instruction are critical – as they set the tone for the rest of the period. The expectations should be greater than a “business minute” of getting a pencil and paper out; middle school students should be engaged, bell to bell, with high-leverage, high-stakes learning.
In every module, NWC integrates the Differentiated Do Now, or DDN. The idea is that, upon entering a classroom, there is a short, differentiated menu of activities that supports all students. So, gone are the days students come in and simply answer a one-size-fits-all question. Now, there are three options (Academic, Scholar, and Challenger) that embrace the same skill or standard to ensure a meaningful opening classroom activity.