Use Diffit to Create Leveled Readings

What This Does

Diffit automatically generates leveled versions of any text — or creates a reading from scratch on any topic — at your chosen reading level, complete with vocabulary support and comprehension questions. No more manual rewriting.

Before You Start

• Go to diffit.me (free — no account required for basic use)
• Have your source text ready (you can paste a URL, paste raw text, or just describe the topic)

Steps

1. Open Diffit and choose your input method

Go to diffit.me → You'll see three options: "Topic" (creates new content), "Text" (levels existing content), or "URL" (pulls from a webpage). For differentiation, use "Text" if you have a handout, or "Topic" if you're starting from scratch.

2. Set your target reading level

After entering your text or topic, select the target Lexile level or grade level from the dropdown. You can run it multiple times at different levels — Diffit doesn't limit how many versions you create.

3. Generate and review

Click Generate. Within 30 seconds, you'll get: a leveled reading passage, a vocabulary box with key terms defined at appropriate level, and 5-8 comprehension questions. Review the passage to confirm accuracy — Diffit occasionally simplifies too aggressively on lower-level settings.

4. Download or print

Click "Download as PDF" or copy the content into Google Docs. Print or share via Google Classroom as a PDF.

5. Repeat for additional levels

Go back, enter the same text or topic, and set a different reading level. Repeat for each differentiation tier you need.

Real Example

Scenario: Your 6th grade class is starting a unit on the American Revolution. You have 6 students reading at 3rd grade level, 15 at grade level, and 4 reading 2 years above grade level.

What you do: Enter the topic "American Revolution causes and key events" → Run it at Lexile 600 (3rd grade), 900 (6th grade), and 1100 (8th grade) → Download all three versions → Each version has comprehension questions; the lower levels have simpler vocabulary boxes.

What you get: Three ready-to-print readings on the same topic with built-in questions. Students engage with the same content discussion in class but with accessible text.

Tips

• For content-area classes (science, social studies), use the URL input to pull directly from a student-friendly website like Newsela or Wikipedia — Diffit handles the leveling from there
• The built-in comprehension questions save significant prep time; edit 1-2 to align exactly with your discussion focus
• Diffit also generates vocabulary activity options (matching, fill-in-the-blank) — click "Add vocabulary activity" for a free printable

Tool interfaces change — if a button has moved, look for similar text leveling options on the Diffit homepage.