Transformation Tuesday: Menus- 20-50-80 Menu

Today’s math menu is called a 20-50-80 menu (as termed in the book Differentiating Instruction with Menus) because the tasks are assigned a 20-point, 50-point, or 80-point value. A sample 20-50-80 menu is shown in the image below. 

This image illustrates the actual 20-50-80 menu.

This image illustrates the product guidelines and requirements.

How to Use It

For this menu, students choose two activities to complete from the list totaling 100 points. The menu includes two 20-point tasks, four 50-point tasks, and two 80-point tasks. Because of its structure, students must choose one 20-point task and one 80-point task or two 50-point tasks. 

Advantages

This menu seems must appropriate for a short period of time. Because the choices are focused on just one unit of study, students may be able to complete it during one school week if they are given dedicated time periods to complete it. 

In addition, because of its structure, students are forced to complete one 20-point task and one 80-point task or two 50-point tasks. This provides you with the opportunity to navigate which activities students complete. For example, in the menu above, all of the 20-point activities are coordinate plane tasks; however, the 80-point activities are graphing tasks. You’ll also notice that there is one required 50-point activity. This ensures that students complete at least one coordinate plane and one graphing task.  

Disadvantages

This menu is not as complex as the others and may be limited in the differentiation options and tasks available to students. Because of its structure, unlike the other menus, students will complete, at most, one higher-level thinking activity. Additionally, this menu does not offer a free-choice option.