Choice boards are used widely by many teachers across different grades to empower students with choice and to take ownership of their learning. There are a ton of great options for using choice boards in your upper elementary classroom. Read on for ideas on how you can give them a try!

Why Use Choice Boards

Using choices boards allows students to have more control over their learning, through the power of choice. This means more student engagement, too! It’s a way of including a variety of activities for students to choose from which allows you to reach multiple students’ interests. There are also a ton of options for using them in your classroom like choice boards within one subject, boards that span across multiple subjects, must do may do choice boards, etc.

Expectations

How you expect students to complete the choice board is up to you and may change depending on your purpose. You may ask that students complete all tasks on the board or to choose a certain amount like completing 3 out of 6 tasks. 

Within One Subject

Choice boards can be used within one subject or across multiple subjects. An E.L.A. or Math board can be used throughout the course of a specific unit. The board itself could include a variety of activities and opportunities to practice concepts within that unit. 

Alternatively, you could use choice boards as spiral review within one subject by including choices across units that you’ve previously taught. Students could work through the choices when they finish early or as part of rotations. Click here for more on how to do rotations in your upper elementary classroom.

Consider trying choice boards as part of your review before the end of a unit. You can include tasks that go over important concepts from the entire unit.

Across Subjects

Try a choice board that spans across multiple subjects! That means you have practice activities from a variety of subjects for students to work through. This makes for a great option for morning work, early finishers, a must do may do work block, or during class rotations. 

Must Do May Do Choice Boards

Must do and may do choice boards work a bit differently. For this, you would provide your students with two boards. One would be their must dos which are the things they have to complete. Then, they can choose activities from the may do board. The activities on this board to not all have to be completed as they are optional. Click here for more on using must do may do lists in your classroom.

Print or Digital

There are also options for sharing choice boards with your students. You can create printable or digital boards. Printable choice boards can be printed for students to refer to. You can print it for each student to check off as they complete it. 

As for a digital choice board, you can add links so that students can simply click to access any digital activities. Add your choice board to Google Classroom and all activity options and links are kept in one place, within one assignment. Have students turn in their Google Classroom choice board assignment and attach any documents needed, when it’s complete. 

The Bonus

Choice boards make for smooth sailing in the classroom! Once students follow the expectations and work on choice boards independently, whether that’s in rotations or during independent work time, it frees you up to work with students who need that extra support.

Choice boards also make for easy planning because they take some time for students to complete. That means you can plan the choices and input them into a template and use that same board in your plans throughout the upcoming week or weeks. They are a great student engagement tool and a teacher time saver!

Choice Board Templates

Make using choice boards super easy by grabbing the templates here. They are included in all of the daily slides. All you have to do is type in your activities and add links if needed. There are choice board templates for ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies, Must Do May Do, and general choice boards, too. You’ll also get a ton of other great daily slide templates to use in your classroom! Click here to check out the choice boards.