Differentiated instruction is a theory of teaching based on the premise that instructional approaches should vary and be adapted to suit individual and diverse students in classrooms (Tomlinson, 2001 ). However, “every teacher who entered a classroom differentiated their teaching in one way or another.” (Levy, 2008) The teacher can use differentiated instruction in four elements, including content, process, products, and learning environment. Content is what students need to know to learn the material. One way a teacher can differentiate instruction is by using reading groups correctly. A well-formed reading group should be very close to the same reading level. This allows the teacher to provide a book that is easy enough to understand, yet difficult enough to challenge the reader. For example, if a third grade teacher has some students reading at a fifth grade level, the teacher can provide books at their level. Meanwhile, if the same teacher has some students reading at a first-grade level, the teacher can provide first-grade books. If the teacher provides the correct book, students can learn how to write and more vocabulary. Additionally, an appropriate reading group allows students to converse with students at their own level of understanding, allowing for a more beneficial assessment of knowledge. The way a teacher teaches is the process. There are many things a teacher can do to help all students get the most out of the classroom. One of the things a teacher can do is encourage discussion in class. The reason is that it moves students higher in Bloom's taxonomy. Another way a teacher can do this is to value independent reading time. This will help a student because...... middle of paper ......either provide read alouds that talk about that country's culture, or have a guided reading book that does the same thing. A third reason for differentiated instruction is gender differences. Boys and girls in class have different tastes. When a teacher must choose to read aloud, the student should consider having books that are very neutral based on the gender that likes to read the book. However, the teacher should also have books that boys, as well as girls, seem to like a lot. A fourth reason why a teacher needs to use differentiated instruction in the classroom is the different religions that may be present in the classroom. This affects some of the largest schools in the United States. A teacher should have books that build character and talk about many different religions in the classroom. Works Citedscholastic.com