Here’s Why We Love Choice Boards (and Why Your Students Will Too)

By Lauren Salisbury
April 28, 2020

You may already use choice boards in your class. If not, you’re in for a treat!

What Are Choice Boards?
Our choice boards are graphic organizers comprising nine squares, with each square containing a different activity centered around a single Scope story, article, or poem. After reading, students can choose their own task(s) from the menu of offerings. 

Why We Love Them

  • They’re student-centered. Choice boards are designed with students’ varied needs, interests, and readiness in mind. The tasks offer students opportunities for reflection and self-expression through art, music, and writing, and aim to connect them with you, classmates, and family members—without excessive screen time.
  • Theyre easy to manage. They have lean instructions, use one text, and can be completed without a computer or the internet. You can share the PDF in an email or directly to your LMS, as a resource for a single lesson or a week-long menu of self-directed at-home activities
  • Theyre easily adaptable. Have students choose one activity, or complete three to make Tic-Tac-Toe. Change an activity slightly, or replace it completely with a research option (see our lesson plans for research project ideas). If you’re at a 1:1 school, you could integrate digital tools into some of the tasks’ products. The possibilities are endless. (I always enjoyed putting a “Free Choice” square in the center, allowing students to create an activity of their own with my approval.)
  • They’re joyful and creative. We hope a great story and the power of choice will engage, motivate, and delight students during this tough time.

Where to Find Them

You can find choice boards under “Actitives” in the resources tab of certain stories, articles, and poems. 

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