Yes! The flexibility of Essentials lessons and the three levels of application within each lesson in the newer editions make it easy to differentiate and adapt the curriculum for students at a variety of ages and ability levels.
Current editions of Essentials (2015 and later)
The expanded version of Essentials, which we released starting in 2015, is designed to facilitate multi-level instruction.
While the core language concepts in Essentials are applicable to all students, three levels of application within each lesson allow those teaching Essentials to customize instruction and practice for the ages and abilities of different students and to teach different ages together.
Parts of the lesson marked "All" should be completed together, while parts marked for Level A, B, and C provide differentiated spelling words, grammar practice, and vocabulary instruction, so that you can provide practice at an appropriate level of challenge for each student.
A Placement Test in the Essentials 1-7 Teacher's Guide (also available in the Essentials Teacher's Guide Volume 1 for those who ordered between 2015 and the summer of 2018) helps you find the right starting point for each student. You can also find the placement test online here.
Learn about the parts of an Essentials lesson
Learn about the three levels
Original edition of Essentials (2012)
The First Edition of Essentials also has some flexibility for adapting to different levels, though it does not have the three levels of spelling lists and application found in the new editions.
For those using the original Essentials, Part 1 of the lessons can be taught to everyone. Choose to do optional activities together or choose the best ones for each student. Incorporate game from the Logic of English Game Book as needed for additional practice.
In Part 2, dictate and analyze the words from the spelling list. You may want to add in some challenge words that use the same phonograms and spelling rules for older students with a larger vocabulary or students who can already spell many of the words in the main lists. (For complete multi-level spelling lists, spelling practice, and vocabulary instruction, we recommend the newer edition.)
In Part 3, you will practice the reading and spelling skills introduced previously while using them to work on grammar, vocabulary, and basic composition activities. It is fine to skip parts of Part 3 with younger students if they are finding the concepts are too abstract; in this case, we recommend replacing them with additional phonogram and spelling games to help them gain further mastery of the concepts from Parts 1 and 2.