Effective lessons can be created by considering the different factors that can affect the learning of each child and the class as a whole. Planning a lesson is a rigorous process led by the teacher, during which he analyzes the children and their ability level, depending on the subject, in order to deliver lessons that can provide a valuable educational experience for all. When introducing a topic for the first time, the teacher should first highlight the children's prior knowledge and then build on their existing knowledge using scaffolding, relating to Principle 4. Scaffolding “ consists essentially in the fact that the adult “controls” those elements of the task which are initially beyond the capacity of the learner” (Wood, Bruner and Ross 1976: 90). Teachers provide a temporary structure of support, scaffolding, by breaking the topic down into simple steps that children need to understand, in order to “help learners develop new understandings, new concepts and new skills” (Hammond and Gibbons 2001: 8). . The scaffold can then be removed when children no longer need the appropriate guidance to understand the topic. Scaffolding was used effectively in my own teaching, where the subject was non-fiction texts and the aim was for children to write a biography. We studied an e-book about the life of Neil Armstrong and identified the specific characteristics of a non-fiction biography. After reviewing the grammar, structure and key aspects of the text, the final task was to write a biography of a fictional character. The children explored the qualities an astronaut needs, which ended with a lively debate over which fictional candidate should go on a secret mission to Mars. They voted and decided on a fighter p...... middle of paper ...... e aware of their ability, when given the opportunity to accomplish the same undifferentiated task, the students the lowest performers performed as well as the highest performers. and wrote an imaginative biography, while the label disappeared when sitting at tables of mixed skills. Context often means that learners can become “disillusioned and demotivated by the limits placed on their success within their ensembles”. However, in a mixed-ability context, the possibilities for success are endless, as children are not limited by their group (Boaler 1997: 592). . Children in "low ability groups" are often aware of the low expectations adults have of them and the distribution of children creates distance between ability groups, while cooperative learning allows children with different abilities to work together effectively, and I witnessed this during the lesson. (Sapon-Shevin 2005).