Digital Choice Boards and Choice Board Templates
How to use a Choice Board in the Classroom
1- Print paper choice boards for each student– We have used the culinary arts choice board as well as a child development choice board, but you can create one for any topic that is relevant to your class! Each square has a maximum point value in order to complete the square. For instance, “list 10 herbs and spices on a separate sheet of paper” would be 5 points. There should be a total point value for the entire board to complete.
2- Use choice boards in the classroom as a BINGO board to complete- Instead of point values, you can have students complete the board by shading in the squares that they have finished. The shaded area should be “4 in a row or diagonal 4, etc.”
3- Create a digital choice board for students to complete with clickable links. Students can complete the choice board on Google or Microsoft Teams. What’s nice about this type of choice board is that you can insert links for them to complete the square. For instance… “click the link to watch the clip and answer the following questions.” Our FCS choice boards are in both print and Google versions so you can assign them either way.
Do you know the moment when your middle school or high school student raises their hand (or shouts out) that they are finished with their assignment already? To make matters worse, you have nothing else planned for the class that day.
I have found that having an ongoing project such as a choice board is very helpful in minimizing this kind of situation when students are to be working on an independent assignment. When a student tells you they are finished you can direct them by saying “ok, take out your ongoing choice board and work on a square of your choice.” At the end of a certain amount of time, the choice board is a classwork or assessment grade
If you are interested in making your own choice board, here is a site with free choice board templates. These choice board templates are a great way to get started. You can even allow students to create the choice board themselves with some guidance!
What is a choice board? A paper or digital “board” with squares that include small assignments relevant to a specific topic. Students choose which squares they will complete to either total a points amount or complete a BINGO style board.
his is a digital board that we use that is in our TPT store.
So how do you use choice boards in the classroom? Here are some ways that we have used them in our secondary classrooms:
Ways to Use Choice Boards in Middle School and High School
🌟Gives students ownership in the learning in that they can choose the assignments they will complete.
🌟Can be used as an ongoing assignment for early finishers.
🌟Can be used as an emergency sub-plan, students already know what they are to do and they can work on the squares when you are out. Be sure to set aside class time during back to school to explain and assign the choice board so that students know what is expected of them. They can even leave them in the classroom so that you don’t run into “I can’t find mine” excuses.
🌟Choice boards can be an alternate assessment for students with IEPs. It is another, non-traditional way to assess learning without the stress of a test.
🌟 Differentiation- choice boards are differentiated naturally because they offer a variety of ways to show learning. Students can choose assignments that cater to their learning styles and strengths.
Hitting the Standards
When designing your choice board, you can use the standards to align the assignments.
- For instance, the standard may be “students will be able to identify a variety of types of equipment for food processing, cooking, holding, storing, and serving, including hand tools and small ware.” One of the assignments could be for students to create a game with images and labels of kitchen equipment such as a matching game.
- Another example could be for the standard “Prostart- Strand 15- Students will apply nutrition concepts to build healthful menus.” Students can create a healthy menu for a restaurant that they create. They can use the link to MyPlate website to help them create the menu.
Are you interested in reading more about choice boards? Here are some links with websites about using choice boards in education:
Are you looking for more instructional strategies similar to choice boards? Check out our blog post all about different teaching strategies for the classroom!
