How Do I Differentiate History Lessons Without Creating Three Separate Activities?

One historical destination. Flexible support along the way.

Differentiation does not require three lesson plans. Keep the same historical question, essential knowledge and priority skill for everyone. Adjust the scaffolds, evidence complexity and level of independence.

Begin With the Shared Historical Learning

Before differentiating, identify what should remain common for everyone:

  1. What historical knowledge must every student understand?
  2. Which historical skill is the lesson developing?
  3. What should every student be able to explain?

Example shared outcome

Students will explain why the Kokoda Campaign was significant and evaluate the usefulness of a historical source.

Some students may need vocabulary support, a shorter extract or a writing frame. Others may be ready to compare evidence or qualify their judgement. The historical learning remains consistent.

Use One Historical Question

A shared inquiry question gives the class a common intellectual focus:

  • Which cause of the First World War was most significant?
  • How useful is this source for understanding the Kokoda Campaign?
  • How much did life change during the Industrial Revolution?
  • Why do historians disagree about this event?
  • How significant was the Mabo decision?

The question should connect to a priority skill such as source usefulness, cause and consequence, change and continuity, perspectives or significance. Explore these in the Teaching History Skills Hub.

Differentiate the Support, Not the History

Prepare one central investigation with supports that can be added or removed.

Vocabulary

Provide definitions, visual vocabulary, key names, translations or a short glossary beside the source.

Background Knowledge

Use a contextual paragraph, timeline, map, diagram or concise explanation so students can interpret the evidence.

Reading Access

Chunk the source, define difficult words, add paragraph numbers, provide audio or read the text aloud.

Use Layered Questions

1. Understand

Who created the source? When? What does it show or claim?

2. Connect

What contextual knowledge explains it? Which part of the inquiry can it answer?

3. Evaluate

What are its limitations? How does it compare with another source? What evidence is missing?

Students can use the same source while beginning at the level of questioning appropriate to their current understanding.

Model Before Independent Work

Modelling supports the whole class without lowering the historical demand. For source usefulness, demonstrate how to identify relevant content, connect it to contextual knowledge, consider creator and purpose, explain usefulness, recognise a limitation and form an overall judgement.

Gradual release: teacher model → class example → scaffolded practice → reduced support → independent response.

Use One Task With Optional Scaffolds

The central task might be: How useful is Source A for a historian investigating the Kokoda Campaign?

Optional supports can include a paragraph structure, sentence starters, relevant historical facts, a source-analysis table, a partially completed model, a checklist or a word bank.

Example sentence pathway

Source A is useful because it reveals…

This is supported by…

The source was created by…, which matters because…

However, it cannot reveal…

Overall, the source is… useful for this inquiry because…

Challenge Through Complexity

Extension should deepen the historical thinking rather than increase the quantity of work. Ask students to:

  • Compare another source
  • Challenge an interpretation
  • Examine an exception
  • Identify a missing perspective
  • Evaluate conflicting evidence
  • Explain how one source can be useful for one inquiry but limited for another

Teacher tip: Change the complexity of the thinking, not simply the number of questions.

A Practical One-Lesson Plan

1. Shared hook
Introduce one image, quotation, claim or historical puzzle.
2. Shared knowledge
Teach the essential context, chronology and vocabulary.
3. Shared modelling
Demonstrate the priority historical skill.
4. Shared investigation
All students investigate the same central source or question.
5. Flexible support and challenge
Add scaffolds where needed and deepen the analysis when students are ready.
6. Shared review
Return to the inquiry and compare supported historical judgements.

Classroom example

Differentiating a Kokoda Source-Usefulness Lesson

This example uses the Kokoda Track Source Usefulness Resource.

Historical question

How useful are these sources for investigating the experiences and significance of the Kokoda Campaign?

Shared knowledge and hook

Teach where and when the campaign occurred, its strategic importance, the conditions soldiers faced and the role of Australian and Papuan participants. Display one photograph without its caption and ask what students can infer, what remains uncertain and what knowledge would help interpret it.

Shared modelling and investigation

Model how content, creator, date, purpose and contextual knowledge contribute to usefulness. Students then evaluate the second source in response to the same inquiry.

Flexible support

Offer a timeline, key vocabulary, annotated source details, guiding questions or a paragraph frame where required.

Deeper challenge

Ask students to compare both sources, identify a missing perspective and decide what additional evidence a historian would need.

Final review

Ask: Which source was more useful for this particular inquiry, and why?

This is differentiation without three activities: one question, one body of historical knowledge and one skill—with flexible support, deeper challenge and different levels of independence.