I'm a big believer in differentiating assignments. I assign dry analytical writing and half the class is miserable. I assign creative, artistic assignments and half the class is miserable. I assign film, photography, museum exhibits, plays... some love it, some hate it. So what I aim for is to find a balance so that students must try some of what they are unfamiliar with, but can have a chance to truly engage their own gifts and passions. Creating assignments with menus, tic-tac-toes, and different graded levels of work has always generated great results for me. After my first year of grading each project with ten different types of rubrics, I also realized I can create a flexible rubric to help me grade these varied projects. What a lifesaver!
If you've never encountered differentiation, it's worth looking into. I've found it revitalizing for me and for my students to let them engage their best selves.
