This example shows how to differentiate an activity using the universal strategy tier, which supports all students.

Original lesson activity

Display Resource 1 – images of plants used in Lesson 1. Students turn and talk to retrieve vocabulary about parts of a plant.

Universal strategy

To support all students including Evie, pre-teach key vocabulary (seed, root, stem, leaf, flower) using Adjustment resource 2 –visual word bank. Use a prompt such as, ‘Tell me one thing you can see on this plant.’

This example shows how to differentiate an activity using the targeted differentiation adjustment tier, which supports some students.

Original lesson activity

Students observe their plant growing kits and capture and store an image using a digital device. Remind students to name the image they store as ‘Day x’.

Targeted differentiation adjustment

To support some students including Evie, place a step-by-step plant observation task board on the student’s desk. For example:

1. Observe plant
2. Take photo
3. Name image
4. Save image

This example shows how to differentiate an activity using the personalised learning and support adjustment tier, which supports individual students.

Original lesson activity

Display an image of one student’s plant and, if visible, identify the seed, root, stem and leaf.

Personalised learning and support adjustment

Use a simplified labelled plant diagram (seed, stem, leaf) and visual word bank to support Evie’s observation. Support her communication by encouraging pointing, matching or the use of an AAC device.

Speaker

In this video, I'll show you how a New South Wales Department of Education sample Science and Technology lesson can be differentiated to support a diverse range of students. This lesson comes from Stage 1, Unit 1, Lesson 5, where students explore plant growth and the plant life cycle through observations, digital tools, and scientific models.

[Teacher stands to the left of a document that reads ‘Science and Technology Stage 1 – Unit 1’. On the right side of the teacher, sunflowers in a soil patch slowly fade in one by one to represent the plant life cycle.]

We'll look at how the same lesson can be adjusted for three students with different strengths and support needs. Differentiation works best through a multi-tiered approach using strong universal practices as the foundation for targeted differentiation and personalised learning. What this looks like will vary across classrooms.

[Screen shows a diagram with three overlapping circles labelled Universal, Targeted differentiation, and Personalised learning and support. A magnifying glass highlights one student within the Universal level. Three students stand in front of the diagram. The highlighted student is shown on the left, with two other students standing beside them. Screen reads: ‘Universal’, ‘Targeted differentiation’, and ‘Personalised learning and support’.]

Our focus is not changing what is taught, it's adjusting how learning is accessed so all students can participate meaningfully alongside their peers. We'll explore this through a before teaching, during teaching, and after teaching process.

[Screen shows a teacher and student sitting at a table with a potted plant. The teacher holds picture cards labelled ‘Seed’ and ‘Leaf’. The student observes the plant. Above them, a series of images shows a student examining a plant, a plant data tracking sheet, and a simplified plant life cycle diagram. A speech bubble beside the teacher indicates they are speaking. Screen reads: ‘Seed’ and ‘Leaf’.]

The first step is beginning with student profiles. We consider student strengths, needs, interests, personalised learning goals, and support preferences.

[Screen shows Step 1 of the planning process. Screen reads: ‘Step 1. Begin with the learner profiles in mind.’ Five icons represent learner profile areas. Screen reads: ‘Strengths – What the student does well’, ‘Needs – Areas that need support’, ‘Interests – What excites and motivates the student’, ‘Goals – What the student is working towards’, and ‘Support preferences – What helps the student learn best’.]

In this example, we have three students requiring different types of support. Evie is an eight-year-old student with autism and global developmental delay. She uses non-verbal communication such as an augmentative and alternative communication device, or AAC device, and is working at Early Stage 1 outcomes. She benefits from visual supports, predictable routines, and reduced sensory demands.

[Screen shows Step 1 with a learner profile for Evie. Screen reads: ‘Evie’. A panel beside the learner profile lists adjustments to support learning. Screen reads: ‘Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device’, ‘Working at Early Stage 1 outcomes’, and ‘Visual supports’. Images of communication boards and visual cards are shown as examples of visual supports.]

Jin is a student with autism. He uses spoken communication and is highly interested in science. He's working at Stage 1 outcomes but benefits from explicit instruction, structure, and support with flexible thinking.

[Screen shows Step 1 with a learner profile for Jin. Screen reads: ‘Jin’. A panel beside the learner profile lists adjustments to support learning. Screen reads: ‘Working at Stage 1 outcomes’, ‘Explicit teaching’, ‘Predictable routines’, and ‘Structured language supports’. Images of a visual schedule and structured language resources are shown as examples of structured language supports.]

Amani is a student with a moderate intellectual disability. She's working towards access content points and benefits from concrete learning experiences, repetition, and scaffolded support.

[Screen shows Step 1 with a learner profile for Amani. Screen reads: ‘Amani’. A panel beside the learner profile lists adjustments to support learning. Screen reads: ‘Working at access content points’, ‘Working towards Early Stage 1 outcomes’, and ‘Visual supports’. Images of visual resources and a visual lesson schedule are shown as examples of visual supports.]

These student profiles become the foundation for every adjustment we make.

[Screen shows Step 1 with learner profiles for Evie, Jin and Amani. Screen reads: ‘Know the learner before adjusting the lesson’.]

Next, we identify the syllabus outcomes, learning intentions, and success criteria for the lesson. We can determine the relevant outcomes that align with each student's functional learning level.

The class is working towards Stage 1 Science and Technology outcomes. Some students may be working directly towards Stage 1 outcomes, like Jin, while others may require personalised pathways aligned to content access points, like Amani. For most students in the class, the learning intention remains, ‘I am learning that plants change as they grow.’

[Screen shows Step 2. Screen reads: ‘Identify syllabus outcomes and LISC’. A laptop displays the K–6 Science and Technology syllabus with curriculum outcomes and access content points linked to the lesson. Screen reads: ‘ST1-SCI-01 measures and describes changes in living materials, movement, Earth and the sky’, ‘ST1-PQU-01 poses questions based on observations and information to investigate cause and effect’, ‘ST1-DAT-01 collects, represents and uses data to identify patterns and relationships’, ‘STE-SCI-01 identifies and describes characteristics of living things, properties of materials, and movement’, ‘STE-PQU-01 poses questions based on observations to collect data’, and ‘Access Content Points identify parts of plants’.]

However, for Evie and Amani, the learning intention changes because they are working at or towards Early Stage 1 outcomes. Their learning intention is, ‘I am learning that plants have different parts, and the parts change as they grow.’

[Screen shows Step 2. Screen reads: ‘Identify syllabus outcomes and LISC’. A laptop displays the lesson plan with syllabus outcomes, a learning intention and success criteria. A panel highlights the learning intention, success criteria and a personalised learning intention. Screen reads: ‘Learning intentions’, ‘Success criteria’, and ‘Personalised learning intention: I am learning that plants have different parts and parts change as they grow’.]

Personalised success criteria ensures students are participating in the same lesson with learning goals that are achievable, meaningful, and connected to their current level of learning.

[Screen shows Step 2. Screen reads: ‘Same learning. Flexible pathways.’ Three students participate in the same lesson using different supports. A diagram beside them shows increasing levels of support across Universal, Targeted differentiation, and Personalised learning and support.]

Next, we scan through the lesson and ask, ‘Where might students need support or adjustments to access or show their learning?’ We identify supports across three levels; universal strategies that benefit everyone, targeted differentiation that supports groups of students, and personalised learning and support for individual students.

[Screen shows Step 3. Screen reads: ‘Review lesson and identify adjustments’. A lesson plan is displayed beside a group of learner profiles. A diagram highlights three levels of support. Screen reads: ‘Universal’, ‘Targeted differentiation’, and ‘Personalised learning and support’. Selected learner profiles are shown within the targeted differentiation and personalised learning and support levels to indicate where adjustments are needed.]

Examples can include universal strategies such as visual schedules, pre-teaching vocabulary, explicit instructions, and extra processing time that support most students.

[Screen shows Step 3. A diagram highlights the Universal level of support for the class. Examples of universal adjustments are displayed around the diagram. Screen reads: ‘Visual schedules’, ‘Teacher modelling’, ‘Word bank’, and ‘Timer – 15 minutes’.]

Targeted differentiation could include picture cards, observation task boards, and simplified life cycle visuals for some students.

[Screen shows Step 3. A diagram highlights the Targeted differentiation level of support for selected learners. Examples of targeted adjustments are displayed around the diagram. Screen reads: ‘Picture cards’, ‘Task board’, and ‘3 Step Plant life cycle’.]

And personalised learning and support for few students. For Evie, we use a AAC device, simplified diagrams, and sensory adjustments. For Jin, we provide sentence stems, worked examples, and colour-coded resources. For Amani, we use first-then boards and highly structured transitions. The goal is to create multiple ways for students to access the same lesson.

[Screen shows Step 3. A diagram highlights the Personalised learning and support level for selected learners. Individual adjustments are displayed for Evie, Jin and Amani. Screen reads: ‘Evie’, ‘Jin’, and ‘Amani’. Images show examples of personalised supports, including an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device, visual supports, a visual lesson schedule, and structured language resources.]

Before teaching begins, we prepare the resources students need to access the learning. Some resources are used across the whole class, such as visual schedules and word banks.

[Screen shows Step 4. Screen reads: ‘Create or adapt resources’. A computer screen displays plant life cycle resources. Screen reads: ‘Plant life cycle resources’, ‘Visual lesson schedule’, and ‘Visual word bank’.]

Others support multiple students, including task boards, picture cards, and question prompts. And some resources are personalised, such as an AAC device, first-then boards, colour-coded diagrams, or worked examples.

[Screen shows Step 4. Screen reads: ‘Create or adapt resources’. A teacher work desk displays plant life cycle resources being prepared before the lesson. Screen reads: ‘Prepare supports before learning begins’. Images show examples of a visual lesson schedule, visual word bank, communication cards, simplified lesson plan, colour-coded diagram, and visual supports.]

During teaching, we use explicit instruction alongside differentiation, adjustments, and supports. Students engage with the same lesson activities but access them differently. For example, when reviewing vocabulary, some students may respond verbally, others may point to picture cards, others may use an AAC device. During planned observations, some students may independently follow the process. Others may use observation task boards, worked examples, sentence stems, or visual prompts.

[Screen shows Step 5. Screen reads: ‘Use explicit teaching and personalised adjustments’. A teacher leads a whole-class discussion about plants while students participate using a range of learning supports. A display screen shows the lesson focus, a visual lesson schedule and a diagram of a flowering plant. A speech bubble shows the teacher asking, ‘What plant part is this?’ Students respond using visual resources and communication supports. Screen reads: ‘Lesson part 1 – Look at plants’.]

The support changes, the learning remains connected.

[Screen shows Step 5. Screen reads: ‘Use explicit teaching and personalised adjustments’. A teacher supports students participating in the same learning activity using different learning supports. Screen reads: ‘Inclusive practice means flexible support for equal access to learning’.]

Even with thoughtful planning and well-designed adjustments, we continue to respond to students' needs as the lesson unfolds. Responsive teaching means using the information we gather through ongoing checks for understanding to make immediate, purposeful decisions that keep learning accessible for every student.

[Screen shows Step 6. Screen reads: ‘Be responsive and adapt in real time’. A teacher observes students during the lesson and adjusts support in response to individual learning needs. Learner profiles for Evie, Jin and Amani are connected to the teacher. Screen reads: ‘Observe’, ‘Adjust’, and ‘Respond’.]

As we monitor students' responses, we may adjust sensory load in the moment; for example, lowering the volume of a video, offering headphones, or replaying a short section to support comprehension. Offer immediate corrective feedback that helps students refine their understanding and move forward. Adapt the lesson sequence by reteaching a step, modelling again, or differentiating the task for an individual, a flexible group, or the whole class. These real-time decisions ensure the lesson remains flexible, supportive, and meaningful.

[Screen shows Step 6. Screen reads: ‘Be responsive and adapt in real time’. A teacher monitors students as they participate in the lesson. A display screen shows an animation of a plant growing from a seed. The teacher provides different learning supports while students continue the learning activity. Screen reads: ‘Observe’, ‘Adjust’, and ‘Respond’.]

Evidence collection also needs to be differentiated. Evidence might include a verbal explanation, matching activities, a photograph of a growing plant, or observational notes. Students should have multiple ways to demonstrate understanding.

[Screen shows Step 7. Screen reads: ‘Multiple ways to show understanding’. A computer screen displays evidence of learning for Lesson 5 – plant life cycle. Screen reads: ‘Evidence of learning: a verbal explanation, matching activities, a photograph of a growing plant, and observational notes’. Learner profiles for Evie, Jin and Amani are shown to indicate that students can demonstrate their learning in different ways.]

After the lesson, we collate and record the students' learning data. We bring together work samples and observations to build a clear picture of student learning and inform future teaching. We record what students completed independently and where support was required. This information helps us evaluate progress and identify next steps.

[Screen shows Step 8. Screen reads: ‘Collect’, ‘Record’, and ‘Plan next steps’. A computer screen displays a student learning data table with columns for independent learning, learning with support, and next steps. Learner profiles for Evie, Jin and Amani are shown to indicate that student learning is recorded to inform future teaching. Screen reads: ‘Student learning data’.]

Next, we share key information with SLSOs and other support staff. To do this, we reflect on what worked well, which adjustments supported engagement and learning, where did students require additional support, and which strategies should continue into future lessons.

[Screen shows Step 9. Screen reads: ‘Share information with teaching and support staff’. Teaching and support staff discuss student learning and lesson adjustments. A display board shows reflection questions. Screen reads: ‘What worked well?’, ‘Which adjustments supported engagement and learning?’, ‘Where did students require additional support?’, and ‘Which strategies should continue into future lessons?’.]

For example, this might include identifying whether visual schedules and sensory supports helped Evie remain engaged throughout transitions. When support staff understand what has been successful and how students access learning best, they can ensure students experience connected and meaningful learning opportunities.

[Screen shows Step 9. Teaching and support staff discuss learner profiles for Evie, Jin and Amani. A message highlights the importance of a shared approach to supporting learners. Screen reads: ‘Consistency creates better support’.]

Finally, we reflect on the lesson and adapt future learning experiences. For Evie, this might mean increasing independence or gradually introducing more complex scientific models.

[Screen shows Step 9. Teaching and support staff discuss learner profiles for Evie, Jin and Amani. A message highlights the importance of a shared approach to supporting learners. Screen reads: ‘Consistency creates better support’.]

Differentiation is an ongoing process of planning, teaching, reflecting, and responding.

[Screen shows Step 10. Students participate in the lesson using different learning supports while the teacher provides guidance. A teaching and learning cycle is displayed above the group. Screen reads: ‘Plan’, ‘Teach’, ‘Reflect’, and ‘Adapt’.]

By following these steps, we can make Department Sample Lessons accessible, meaningful, and engaging for diverse students. Differentiation is not about lowering expectations. It is about removing barriers so students can access learning, participate meaningfully, and demonstrate success in different ways.

[Screen shows a lesson plan beside learner profiles for Evie, Jin and Amani. Three messages summarise the purpose of lesson adjustments. Screen reads: ‘Remove barriers’, ‘Support learning’, and ‘Increase participation’.]

Every student, every lesson, every day.

[Screen shows learner profiles for Evie, Jin and Amani. A closing message reinforces that inclusive teaching supports all learners. Screen reads: ‘Every Student. Every Lesson. Every Day’.]

[Screen shows the NSW Government logo on a white background. Screen reads: ‘© State of New South Wales (Department of Education) 2026’.]

[End of transcript]