Differentiate Like a Pro with Choice Boards
Do you struggle with thinking of activities for your above-level students or gifted/talented students? If you've never used choice boards in your classroom, I encourage you to start using them now because they are perfect for differentiating your instruction! Here are 3 tips to help you use choice boards for enrichment:
Tip #1: Set Clear Expectations and Procedures in the Beginning
There's a good chance that your students have had limited experience with completing choice boards, so spend time in the beginning to ensure your students understand your expectations and procedures.
Here are some questions for you to think about:
- Can students work together on the activities, or do they need to work independently?
- Where should students keep their choice board activities? I recommend that each student should have their own folder to store in their desk or cubby. In it, they should place their copy of the choice board, the rubric, and any activities they are working on, such as brochures, poems, writing, etc.
- What do you expect your students' completed work to look like?
- When can students work on their choice boards? Should they work on them during centers/rotations, as morning work, for homework, after completing their other work, or at another time?
Tip #2: Use Choice Boards that Are Aligned to the Higher Levels of Bloom's Taxonomy
Be careful when choosing choice boards because many of them are not appropriate for higher-level students. You should choose choice boards that are aligned to the higher levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. Here is a helpful chart from the Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching:
You'll notice that the top tiers of the pyramid are: create, evaluate, and analyze. These are the types of activities your above-level and gifted/talented students should complete for enrichment.
Depending on the age of your students, some examples can include creating a reader's theater, a digital presentation, or a fictional newspaper article about the choice board topic.
Click here if you're interested in seeing the choice boards available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Tip #3: Use Choice Boards that Support Your Standards
Choose choice boards that are aligned to your current NGSS or Common Core standards.
Students should complete choice boards that help them enrich their learning of the standards you're teaching.
For example, if your class is studying moon phases in science, have students also work on a moon phases choice board. If your class is studying maps in social studies, provide students with a choice board about maps.
If you'd like to learn more about using choice boards in elementary classrooms, you may want to check out this blog post I wrote.
-Janelle
