CHOICE BOARDS

Presented By Jessica Huffman

W h a t i s a Ch o i c e B o a r d a n d w hy i s i t i mp o r t a n t ?
Choice boards give students the power to decide how they are going to demonstrate
and practice material that is being
taught to them. This strategy is a
Scan the QR codes for templates and
form of differentiated instruction (University). The
examples.
teacher presents the class with a variety of activities, then
each individual student picks what they do. This is a
great classroom strategy because it does allow students to
have some control and choice in their learning (Cassidy,
2012). Choice boards are a great asset to classrooms
because student accommodations can be easily included.

H o w t o ma k e a C h o i c e B o a r d
Choice boards, like students, come in a variety of different forms and styles.
Menu

Tic-Tac-Toe

Classic

Just like in a restaurant,

students are given a menu
with different categories. They
are to order (complete) a certain
number of the activities. One
way to organize this, is to give
each activity a price and then
the students have to complete
so many activities to equal a
particular dollar amount.
Another way would be to have
students order one main dish
from the create part of the menu
and one from the remember
part of the menu (Cassotta,
2013).

Using a tic-tac-toe board. Put an

activity in each of the nine places.
Students must complete three
activities that connect in a way that
would win a classic tic-tac-toe
game (Teach Like a Pirate: More
Presentational Hooks, 2013).

Students are given a grid or even

just a simple list. In each cell of
the grid have a different activity.
Students are given a certain
amount of time (for example a
week or the length of a unit) to
complete the activities.
Students can choose the order in
which they do the activities, but
all activities must be completed
within the given amount of time.

When to use it

Choice boards are a great way to assign homework

to students. This way students can plan their
evenings and choose the activities based on their
afterschool lives.
Choice boards are also great time burners. When
students finish assignments early they can choose an
activity to work on while the rest of the class
finishes. This helps to eliminate the Im done, now
what do I do? question.

P o s s i b l e A c c o mmo d a t i o n s

Use pictures to help describe the activities for those

students who struggle with reading (Choice
Boards).

The entire concept of choice boards is

recommended for students with autism (Choice
Boards).

The different type of Blooms Taxonomy questions

can be altered based on the student (Choice
Boards, Literacy).
References

Ashleigh. (2011, November 5). V eteran's Day Choice Board. Retrieved from Ashleigh's Education Journey: http://www.ashleigh-educationjourney.com/2011/11/
veterans-day-choice-board.html
Cassidy. (2012, July 11). How to Use Choice Boards to Differentiate Learning. Retrieved from The Art of Education: http://www.theartofed.com/2012/07/11/howto-use-choice-boards-to-differentiate-learning/
Cassotta, A. (2013). School. Retrieved from Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/134545107590833386/
Choice Boards. (n.d.). Retrieved from Geneva Centre for Autism: http://www.autism.net/services/services-for-youth-and-adults/pdp/visuals-for-adults/1935-choiceboards.html
Choice Boards. (n.d.). Retrieved from Literacy: http://literacyacrossdisciplines.cmswiki.wikispaces.net/Choice+ Boards
Choice Boards/ Learning Menus. (2014). Retrieved from Jordan School District Curriculum and Staff Development : http://gandt.jordandistrict.org/teachers/mtss/
differentiation-menus/
Choice Boards/Menus. (n.d.). Retrieved from Google Images: https://www.google.com/search?
site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=643&q=choice+boards%2F+menus&oq=choice+boards%
2F+menus&gs_l=img.3...894.5158.0.5291.20.11.0.9.3.0.116.923.10j1.11.0....0...1ac.1.58.img..7.13.921.hri8kk4z8cM
Teach Like a Pirate: More Presentational Hooks! (2013, March 11). Retrieved from Math Coach's Corner: http://mathcoachscorner.blogspot.com/2013/03/teachlike-pirate-more-presentational.html
University, C. T. (n.d.). Differentiation with Choice Boards and Menus. Retrieved from http://www.keansburg.k12.nj.us/cms/lib02/NJ01001933/Centricity/
Domain/163/Choice-boards-menus-presentation.pdf