It's 9:47 p.m. Tomorrow you're discussing Chapter 10 of The Giver with a class whose students read at four different grade levels.
Currently, you only have 1 lesson plan and set of discussion questions that you know won’t suffice for the 4 grade-levels you need to accommodate.
If that's tonight, this post is for you.
The Problem With “One Set of Questions”
A single list of comprehension questions for a whole-class novel almost always fails somebody:
-
Too literal, and your advanced readers check out by question three.
-
Too abstract, and your students who need scaffolding can't get a foothold in the text at all.
-
Written once and reused every period, and you're not actually differentiating — you're just hoping the discussion sorts itself out.
Tiering is much more difficult when the whole class reads the same book.
How to Create Tiered Comprehension Questions for a Required Novel
Instead of writing three versions of a question set from scratch, or skipping the differentiation and hoping for the best, here’s how to create scaffolding and tiered comprehension questions using Colleague AI.
Step 1: Choose “Text Scaffolding” and Provide the Required Context
The AI Assistant Claire will likely ask you for:
- the current reading level of your target audience, and how it compares to their grade level? (For example, are they 6th graders reading at a 4th grade level?)
- specific areas of reading or comprehension where your students need more support? (Such as vocabulary, making inferences, understanding text structure, or staying engaged with complex topics?)
- the text that needs scaffolding, or details about its themes, complexity, and intended learning outcomes? (You can paste the text directly, share a link, or describe what you're working with.)
In our case, it’s The Giver, Chapter 10.
Provide information about how many students are reading at which levels, as well as the goal of the lesson or class period and what you want to achieve. If there are applicable standards, include these as well.
Step 2: Specify You Want Tiered Comprehension Questions
In your prompt as you’re talking with Claire, provide instructions that you want tiered comprehension questions.
Step 3: Review the Generated Materials
Review and edit before it goes anywhere near students. The teacher makes the call on what stays, what gets cut, and what gets reworded for a specific kid.
