A 20 point activity, or you can choose a different point value, gives students the opportunity to choose which problems they complete to total atleast to 20 points. A 20 point activity automatically allows for differentiation and extension built into the problems and point values. Students who are struggling with a topic begin with the small point value problems and still the ability to reach 20 points without completing the challenge problems. Other students who need to deepen their understanding of a topic can begin at the mid range point values and work towards the challenge problems. All students are working problems from the same topic/learning target yet at varying levels of mastery.
To create a 20 point activity, begin with a learning target you would like students to practice. The below activity is on linear transformations and students are practicing transformations to deepen their understanding. Choose a set of problems that range in level of difficulty. You will see the one and two point problems are more recall of information than application. I would include no more than 4 one or two point problems since students need to total to 20 points. As the problems increase in value the depth of knowledge should increase as well.
Once you have completed the activity with point values, verify the differing levels of problems and how students can reach 20 points. A student that needs to begin on the one point problems should reach 20 points without having to complete the entire activity. Same goes for a student who begins at the mid range problems. They should reach twenty points in approximately the same number of problems as other students.
You may need to suggest to students where to begin on the worksheet and expectations of completion. Some students will ask to complete the entire activity for extra credit, and well that is up to you. You could also turn a twenty point activity into a digital resource using google slides or google docs. If you decide to use google slides you can turn the twenty point activity into a choice board and have students work through problems by point values.
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