Tomlinson, C. A., & Strickland, C. A. (2005). Differentiation in Practice: A Resource Guide for Differentiating Curriculum.

Tomlinson, C. A., & Strickland, C. A. (2005). Differentiation in practice. A resource guide for differentiating curriculum. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (370 pp., $31.95 paper, ISBN 1-4166-0050-7).

This book builds on a series of ASCD publications that focuses on principles and strategies for differentiating instruction and actual differentiated curriculum for grades K to 9 by presenting curricular units for Grades 9 to 12. The curriculum units in this book were developed by secondary teachers with experience in differentiating instruction. The authors intend that the book be used as a tool for teachers' learning. They emphasize that the units be used to stimulate thoughtful curricular planning in local contexts; each should be considered as a model for planning across grades-not as a "cookbook" solution to teaching a particular subject to a particular grade. The units were chosen for their coherence, focused instruction, flexibility, and ability to engage students.

The introduction lays out the intent and design of the book. It is followed by a short primer on differentiation that includes frameworks for differentiating content, process, products, affect, and learning environments. Guiding principles and framing questions provide a strong foundation for the units that follow. The inclusion of affect is critical; students' engagement, sense of belonging, and success as learners are integral to the philosophy of education underpinning the book. Each of the nine differentiated units of study includes a unit overview, detailed lesson plans with teacher commentary, teacher reflection on the unit, ideas for involving students in their learning, and supporting documents such as worksheets, templates, checklists, and assessment rubrics. Each is tied to academic standards that are intentionally generic and serve as one of the tools to link the ideas in each unit to the needs of students in particular learning communities. An extended glossary and a list of resources conclude the book.

The authors' objectives in writing this book are fulfilled well. Each author has successful teaching experience, relevant academic background, and strong connections to the teaching community. They are both well regarded for their work on differentiated instruction. Their collaborative approach in creating this book with teachers resulted in a collection of units that brings the principles of differentiation to life and emphasizes the importance of analysis and reflection in teaching and learning. There is an important emphasis on teacher as learner.

The curricular units include four on English and Humanities, one on U. S. History, one on Visual Arts, two on Mathematics, and one on Science. The emphasis on the arts and humanities is welcome. These subjects often are viewed by schools as difficult to differentiate. On the other hand, Mathematics and Science, perceived as more linear and thus easier to differentiate, can suffer from rapid coverage that neglects the meaning of the disciplines. The ideas presented in this book form a significant foundation for creative and thoughtful approaches to engage all learners in making meaning of the curriculum.

The book makes the important connection between principles and practice. It is clearly written, logically organized, and user-friendly. Preservice and experienced teachers alike would benefit from its clarity and its principled approach to engagement with the curriculum. There may be a temptation to simply jump into the units and skip the primer on differentiation. This would be a big mistake. This book is unique in its thoughtful connections of theory and practice; foundational knowledge is essential to the learning tools in this book.

The approach to differentiation outlined by Tomlinson and Strickland is important for meeting the needs of gifted learners. While the authors are explicit in their exclusion of units that 'dazzle the imagination' (they focused on solid, foundational units that would provide a comfortable amount of challenge for teachers), the units provide enough scope and flexibility that creative teachers could take them into the imaginative realm. Similarly, gifted learners would likely be inspired to 'take off' with many of the assignments. The units presented offer the critical combination of structure, knowledge of criteria for excellence, and scope that is essential to supporting gifted learners.

Marion Porath is a professor at The University of British Columbia with interests in the development and education of gifted learners. E-mail: [e-mail]