How to Differentiate a Lesson Plan: A Practical Guide for Teachers

Differentiation is one of those terms that gets used so often it starts to lose meaning. At its core, differentiation means planning one lesson that includes intentional variation — in how students access content, how they practice, or how they show what they know.

It does not mean writing three separate lesson plans. It does not mean letting advanced students teach themselves. And it definitely does not mean lowering expectations for any group of students.

The goal is to keep every student working toward the same objective while adjusting the support, complexity, or format of the work so each student can actually get there.

The most common differentiation mistake is starting with an activity and then trying to make it work for everyone. Instead, start with the objective. What should every student know or be able to do by the end of the lesson?

Once the objective is clear, ask: What barriers might prevent some students from reaching this objective? Those barriers tell you where to differentiate.

For example, if the objective is 'Students will analyze the author's use of figurative language,' the barriers might include vocabulary gaps, reading fluency, or unfamiliarity with figurative language terms. Each barrier suggests a specific scaffold.

Tiered tasks: Same objective, different levels of complexity. All students analyze figurative language, but one group works with a highlighted passage while another works with the raw text.

Flexible grouping: Change groups based on the task, not a fixed label. A student who struggles with reading might excel in a discussion group. Rotate groupings so students aren't tracked.

Choice boards: Give students 2–3 ways to demonstrate understanding. One student writes a paragraph, another creates an annotated diagram, another records a verbal explanation. Same objective, different products.

Good scaffolds make the task accessible without reducing its rigor. A sentence starter isn't a crutch — it's a launchpad. A graphic organizer isn't doing the thinking for the student — it's organizing the thinking so the student can go deeper.

Effective scaffolds include: vocabulary previews, graphic organizers, sentence frames, worked examples, visual models, and strategic partner pairing.

The key is to plan when you'll remove the scaffold. If every student always gets the sentence starter, it's not scaffolding — it's a permanent modification. True scaffolds are temporary supports that build toward independence.

LessonCraft surfaces differentiation suggestions alongside each activity in your lesson plan. When you build a plan, you'll see scaffold options, extension prompts, and ELL support ideas right where you need them.

This means you don't have to think about differentiation as a separate planning step. It's built into the flow of the lesson, visible and actionable.