Each year, educators support students with diverse backgrounds and learning styles in classrooms across the county. Customizing literacy instruction to meet these needs is essential for creating an inclusive and effective learning environment and boosting academic success.

Learn the importance of adapting your instruction to meet the needs of your students, plus five techniques to increase achievement. 

The Importance of Flexibility in Literacy Instruction

Students come to school with various cultural and linguistic backgrounds, learning styles, perspectives, experiences, and background knowledge. Adapting literacy instruction to these needs can greatly improve student engagement and learning.

Differentiated instruction is a method of teaching that involves adjusting content, process, product, and learning environment. The goal of differentiated instruction is improved student performance and more equity in the classroom (Tomlinson, 2014).

5 Techniques for Differentiated Literacy Instruction

1. Differentiated Instruction

• Adapt lessons to address different learning levels and styles. For instance, provide texts at varying reading levels and offer multiple ways for students to engage with the content such as audio, visual, and printed materials.
  
  
• Differentiated instruction helps meet students' specific learning needs, leading to better comprehension and retention (Hall, 2002).

2. Culturally Responsive Teaching

• Materials that reflect the cultural backgrounds and experiences of your students can increase engagement and comprehension.
  
  
• Practical Tip: Encourage students to share about their cultures, experiences, and backgrounds.

3. Technology

• Use educational technology as a way to create engaging and personalized learning experiences. Digital tools can offer adaptive learning paths, instant feedback, and access to resources.

4. Collaborative Learning Activities

• Encourage learning and social skills through group activities, discussions, and projects. 
  
  
• Practical tip: Literature circles are effective for increasing engagement and excitement around a book, while deepening comprehension skills. 
  
  
  

5. Frequent Assessment and Feedback

• Assess student progress regularly through formal and informal methods and adapt instructional strategies as needed. Feedback should be constructive and tailored to individual learning goals.
  
  

Support Diverse Learners with Multisensory Learning

Multisensory learning involves using two or more senses at the same time to teach content. This can include visual, auditory, kinesthetic (movement), and tactile (touch) learning activities.

The goal is to provide multiple ways for students to access and process information, supporting individual learning styles and needs.

Our blog post,8 Strategies for Multisensory Learning, explores the benefits of multisensory learning and practical tips for using it in the classroom.

Enhance Literacy Instruction with Just Right Reader Decodable Books

Developed with leading literacy experts, our Classroom Libraries and Take-Everywhere Decodable Packs  are the perfect supplement to structured phonics instruction.

Our Science of Reading Decodables feature:

• An extensive library of 750+ titles in English and Spanish
• Engaging and relatable stories with diverse characters and vibrant illustrations that motivate students to keep reading
• Research-based, rigorous phonics scope and sequence that aligns to all phonics programs and curriculums 
• QR codes that link to memorable video lessons in English and Spanish
• PersonalizedTake-Everywhere Decodable Packs that extend phonics practice from school into homes