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Made for a specific student

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If you have not used Canva before, get premium access by being verified as an educator.

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Choose Your Own Adventure [Math] Choice Board

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Dan did well on his finals mid-week so let's compare one of the energy drinks to the Starbucks drink.

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Use a “Choose Your Challenge” choice board to offer choices in the perceived level of challenge. This type of choice board allows students to select for themselves the level of scaffolding they think they’ll need.

💡 Regardless of the level of challenge, the outcome should remain the same. With this type of choice board, students are self-selecting how challenging their path toward reaching the end goal will be.

💡 You might be concerned that too many students will choose the “simplest” option, which very well might happen. In that case, you might want to consider the options you are offering. Are the challenging and advanced choices compelling enough for a student to want to take on a new challenge?

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If I assign my 8th grdrs all the same project, I get 90 essays or slideshows abt the same thing. But when I give them choice, I get an audio commentary abt racial justice, a podcast about RBG's legacy, a TikTok video abt civic engagement, a painting about gender identity, & more.

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If I assign my 8th grdrs all the same project, I get 90 essays or slideshows abt the same thing. But when I give them choice, I get an audio commentary abt racial justice, a podcast about RBG's legacy, a TikTok video abt civic engagement, a painting about gender identity, & more.

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If I assign my 8th grdrs all the same project, I get 90 essays or slideshows abt the same thing. But when I give them choice, I get an audio commentary abt racial justice, a podcast about RBG's legacy, a TikTok video abt civic engagement, a painting about gender identity, & more.
— Greg Michie (@GregoryMichie) November 10, 2020

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If I assign my 8th grdrs all the same project, I get 90 essays or slideshows abt the same thing. But when I give them choice, I get an audio commentary abt racial justice, a podcast about RBG's legacy, a TikTok video abt civic engagement, a painting about gender identity, & more.

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If I assign my 8th grdrs all the same project, I get 90 essays or slideshows abt the same thing. But when I give them choice, I get an audio commentary abt racial justice, a podcast about RBG's legacy, a TikTok video abt civic engagement, a painting about gender identity, & more.

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If I assign my 8th grdrs all the same project, I get 90 essays or slideshows abt the same thing. But when I give them choice, I get an audio commentary abt racial justice, a podcast about RBG's legacy, a TikTok video abt civic engagement, a painting about gender identity, & more.

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One of the most common challenges that teachers face is planning engaging, hands-on lessons that are accessible to all students. Teachers know that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn't work. That's why I'm a big fan of the choice board. Choice boards can be implemented for any grade level or subject. They typically include a wide array of activities of varying difficulty. As a result, all students, regardless of learning style, are able to get the skills and learning they need.

Here's how I use choice boards in my classroom.

The setup of a choice board is simple. First of all, I plan at least nine activities that can be done at stations or centers around the classroom. Each activity is then assigned a point value based on the level of difficulty or work required to complete it. Students must acquire a certain number of points by doing activities of their choice.

When I introduce the activity to the class, I distribute the choice board and review directions orally as students follow along. Next, I walk around the room, visiting each station and explaining each activity. That way, students know where to find them and what to do. At each station, I place another set of directions, this one specific to that activity. I have found this extremely helpful, especially for students who need information presented in smaller chunks. Of course, everything that students need to complete the activity is waiting for them at the station. This really helps avoid confusion.

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Choice boards should offer a variety of activities that appeal to all learning styles.

Another benefit of using choice boards for inclusion classes is that modifications can easily be made without students feeling different or separated from their peers. A professional development seminar that my school held on UDL (Universal Design for Learning) really resonated with me. CAST, a nonprofit education research and development organization, defines UDL as "a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn." This approach really motivated me to be extra diligent in creating lessons that were accessible to all learners.

Here are examples of activities from the choice board shown above:

Choice boards require a decent amount of preparation, but their outcomes are worth the extra time.

The students are learning, but they are also having fun while doing it. When students get to select the activities they do, they are involved in their own learning. This sets them up for success, and as a result the classroom becomes a safe haven for them. Consequently, they develop a positive attitude toward education.

Students also appreciate a teacher who they know is willing to go the extra mile for them. They can tell when a teacher thought outside of the box while planning assignments. If you're looking to create an engaging, hands-on lesson that allows students to take ownership of their own learning, then give choice boards a try.
Have you tried choice boards in the classroom? Come and share your experiences in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook. Plus, how I engage middle and high school readers by offering more student choice.

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How I Use Choice Boards to Increase Student Engagement

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Choice boards can be implemented for any grade level or subject and typically include a wide array of activities varying in difficulty.

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A choice board is a visual support that includes objects, photos, pictures, line drawings or text which can be used by your child to communicate what activity, item or task they would like. A minimum of 2 choices would be presented to your child at one time for them to make a choice.

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Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

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Using Choice Board to Boost Student Engagement

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Using Choice Board to Boost Student Engagement

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Giving students options for how they demonstrate their learning is a good way to ignite their curiosity.

How do you make learning effective, engaging, and student driven when students aren't physically in the classroom? That's been the question on our minds for quite some time now. One team of education leaders in North Carolina found a solution that drastically changed instruction throughout the state, and it's something you might already be familiar with.

As teachers and students transitioned to fully remote instruction, the English language arts (ELA) team created choice boards that teachers could copy and adjust to meet the needs of their students. The boards-which could be assigned virtually or printed out in packets-were organized by grade band and filled with standards-aligned activities as well as scaffolds that enabled children to be able to complete the work alone. Check out the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction's ELA choice boards here.

Choice boards improved remote learning in our virtual classrooms, increasing student engagement and ownership, and even making our students more eager to dig into their assessments and homework.

Here are some tips to get started with implementing choice boards-whether students are in person, learning remotely, or a mixture of both-as well as some lessons learned along the way.

Choice boards add a new dimension to your classroom, offering an alternative to standard assessments and empowering students to choose how they show their mastery of a topic. Additionally, they provide educators with a variety of ways to check for student understanding. If you've ever had your eyes glaze over as you regarded the night's looming stack of 120 freshmen essays to grade, this could be the refreshing twist you're looking for.

Imagine that you're working with your middle school English class on analyzing complex characters in The House on Mango Street. You can unpack the standard with your students and create a rubric with them (or we love this idea of success criteria), then brainstorm ideas for activities.

Keep in mind, some learners do prefer traditional assessments, so leave those as an option in the choice board.

You don't have to start from scratch; there are free choice board templates available online.

Try incorporating your students into the process and get their input on how they'd like to demonstrate what they've learned. For example, students might suggest developing a movie trailer to illustrate their mastery of the standard, drafting a series of diary entries from the main character, or creating a series of podcast episodes. Allowing for student involvement in the creation of the choice boards increases their ownership and follow-through.

Choice boards can be used in place of a homework packet-giving students the autonomy to choose how they practice skills they learned during the school day.

But choice boards can also serve as a way to engage with parents and caregivers. A family homework choice board can encourage education-centered family time at home, while simultaneously informing caregivers about topics and skills their child is learning at school.

Before sending home a homework choice board, allot time to guide your students through the process-practicing it in the classroom first. Think of it as a mini-lesson.

Evaluate limitations or access issues that may arise for some students when working at home. Things to consider include access to technology, access to materials, and time asked of the parents/caregivers in assisting.

What might this look like? Let's say you are teaching a third-grade class and a parent has asked you for the homework. Share the optional homework choice board-activities might include finding three examples of this week's syllable type in books from their book bin, reading high-frequency words to a family member, or practicing the high-frequency words on an online app.

Remote learning days are far from a thing of the past. Whether these days are scheduled ahead of time in the school's calendar or utilized as an alternative to closing the building for severe weather or recurring outbreaks of Covid, schools can be proactively prepared by creating district or schoolwide choice boards that teachers can easily access.

Move from fluff to rigor by being intentional with learning outcomes and alignment to state standards. (Find tips at Aligning Curricular Decisions with Student Voice). Make sure that you aren't just creating busywork but are truly creating assignments that are standards aligned.

Get a team involved to make the lift lighter. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction had teams of educators work together to create a universal set of choice boards that could be accessed by teachers statewide-many hands make short work.

We've used choice boards not only with K-12 students but with our teachers in training as well. Offering people choice in assignments does equate to a lot more emails to answer from our graduate students. But that's something we were more than happy to take on.

Ideally, these can be tweaked by teachers themselves easily so that students can complete them over and over again. Educators can switch out the text and activities at their discretion to update them.

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Using Choice Boards to Boost Student Engagement

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Giving students options for how they demonstrate their learning is a good way to ignite their curiosity.

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Choice Boards: One of the best resources for middle school Math teachers

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Choice Boards: One of the best resources for middle school Math teachers

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Choice Boards: One of the best resources for middle school Math teachers

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Providing students with multiple ways to access content improves learning.

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Providing students with multiple ways to access content improves learning.

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What is a Choice Board? 0:41
Why use a Choice Board? 2:06
Tips for Designing Choice Boards 3:49
Examples 6:46

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Students reflect on the choices they made during math.

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How to Foster Student Autonomy with Choice Boards and Genius Hours

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How to Foster Student Autonomy with Choice Boards and Genius Hours

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How to Foster Student Autonomy with Choice Boards and Genius Hours

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Join Sam for a live show about fostering student autonomy through the use of choice boards and genius hours. Providing students with the ability to choose ca...

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I think this was initially intended for remote learning, but could be used as an early finisher activity.

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Creating Choice Boards with Book Creator

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Creating Choice Boards with Book Creator

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Creating Choice Boards with Book Creator

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When you hover over a smart chip you get information and suggested actions for people, files, dates, and events.

Insert a smart chip in your document where you want to include information about:

Other users with Gmail or Workspace email addresses.

Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides.

Google Calendar events.

Get information on people, files, dates & events

Important: When you mention another user in a smart chip, they don't automatically get access to your document. To grant access to another user, you must share your document.

1. On your computer, open a document in Google Docs.

2. Enter @.

3. To narrow your suggestions, select from the list of suggestions or enter letters, numbers, or symbols.
Tip: To add a date chip, enter:

1. @today

2. @tomorrow

3. @yesterday

4. @date

5. A specific date, such as @Jan or @1/1/2021

4. Hover over the chip to view related information.
On a date chip, to edit the:

Date: Click the text field.

Date format: Click Settings .

After you add a date chip, it shows on the doc for all collaborators in the language of the person who added it. Date chips will appear the same to collaborators in all time zones. To see how far away the date is relative to your time zone, hover over the date chip.

Related resources

How can we improve it?

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Insert smart chips to get information on people, files, dates & events

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When you hover over a smart chip you get information and suggested actions for people, files, dates, and events. Insert a smart chip in your document where you want to include information about: Other users with Gmail or Workspace email addresses. Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Google Calendar events.

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The First Step Toward Classroom Transformation

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The First Step Toward Classroom Transformation

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Learner Variability 2:40
Multiple Learning Pathways 3:16
Choice Board 3:33
Thematic Choice Boards 4:31

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The First Step Toward Classroom Transformation

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Video includes:
What is a Learner Choice Board? 0:14
UDL Principles 1:18
Principles of Engagement 1:21
Principles of Representation 1:49
New Choice Drop Down Menu 4:46

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Video includes:
What is UDL?
Why create choices?
How do I create choices?
Managing choices

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Links to individual choice boards for:
Making Connections
Questioning
Visualizing
Inferring

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Choice Boards; Benefits, Design Tips & Differentiation

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Choice Boards; Benefits, Design Tips & Differentiation

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Choice Boards: Benefits, Design Tips & Differentiation

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Choice boards fall within the umbrella of blended learning when we combine active, engaged learning online with active, engaged learning offline. Below is an overview of the benefits of using choice boards and the various types of boards you can design to meet a range of different objectives.

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Copy of UPDATED Example ELA Choice Board 

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Copy of [Template] Standards-aligned Choice Board

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How to Create a HyperDoc. Planning Template

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Design digital choice boards for students w/ Canva

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Design digital choice boards for students w/ Canva

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Design digital choice boards for students | Canva for Education

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Students are given the choice of tool & choice of HOW to work (with a teacher, with a partner, by yourself).

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Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

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Taking Your Choice Boards to the Next Level

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Taking Your Choice Boards to the Next Level

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Taking Your Choice Boards to the Next Level - Teacher Resource

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Tips for teachers on how to take choice boards to the next level (plus a free teacher’s guide and student handout). Engage your students!

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Introduction
UDL Guidelines 1:35
How to create a choiceboard 5:44

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Hyperdocs & Choice Boards DPI Presentation

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Hyperdocs & Choice Boards DPI Presentation

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Choice boards, also known as learning menus, are a great way to allow student choice and increase personalization of learning!

This site has many different choice board variations and templates to try.

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Choice boards, also known as learning menus, are a great way to allow student choice and increase personalization of learning!

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Creating Choice Boards with Book Creator

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I’ve been learning how to use Book Creator...and LOVING it! More specifically, I am experimenting with ways Book Creator can be used to create and implement choice boards in the classroom. Book Creator is very intuitive and is loaded with engagement tools for students. And I have a brand new idea to…

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Creative Demonstration of Learning x9 Choice Board

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Creative Demonstration of Learning x9 Choice Board

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Description [Embed video here] Description [Embed video here] Description [Embed video here] Description [Embed video here] Description [Embed video here] Description [Embed video here] Description [Embed video here] Description [Embed video here] Description [Embed video here]

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VIDEO GRAPHIC SKETCHNOTE BLOG POST DIGITAL BOOK PAGE make a video Create a 2 min video using Microsoft Flip FLIP SKETCHNOTE Create a digital or paper sketchnote. autodraw create a graphic Create a graphic in Adobe Express or Canva. adobe express canva Write a blog post Create a blog post in Google Sites.

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Make NEXT-LEVEL Choice Boards in Genially | Beginner’s Guide

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Offer students choice in how they will demonstrate understanding, typically in the Elaborate phase of a lesson sequence. Although some of the projects included below are more involved and time-intensive (e.g. podcasting), they don’t have to be: you can also offer choice in how students show understanding regardless of the scale of the assessment.

💡 This type of choice board works best after you’ve completed each creative demonstration of learning together as a whole group.

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How to Videos and Templates for Gogole Docs, Google Slides, and Nearpod

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As a reminder, all Google Jamboard tutorials can be found 23 STEPS HERE .* 1. The first step is to open Google Jamboard and click New Jam 2. Click and change the name 3. Type the new name 4. Click OK 5. Click Set background 6. Click the image icon 7.

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Use a “Pick a Response Tool” choice board to offer choice in the app students select. In the case of the example shown below, the assignment is the same, but the app students would use to summarize the text is different.

💡 Unless you are intentionally trying to offer different levels of challenge by having students learn about brand new apps on their own, this type of choice board works best when you’ve already taught students how to use each app individually.

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Copy of Topic of Study Choice Board - Latin American Artists

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Ancient Egypt Explore Board (Google Docs)

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Ancient Egypt Explore Board (Google Docs)

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Use this type of choice board to allow students to pick the topic they’d like to learn more about. “Pick a Topic” choice boards are often “thematic” choice board in that the overall theme is the same, but the subtopic is different. For example, the theme of the choice board shown was “Making Thinking Visible” and students can choose from any of the subtopics, in this case, specific thinking routines.

💡“Pick a Topic” choice boards can be quick and easy, such as choosing a video to respond to in the Engage phase or they can be the centerpiece of your Explore & Explain phases if you offer choice in the topics will learn about over the course of the entire lesson sequence.

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Google Docs - create and edit documents online, for free.

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Copy of Multimedia Textset Google Doc Example

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You want to keep in mind HOW you plan to use the resources to help you decide WHICH resources to use to supplement your curriculum.

A resource that helps students experience what they are learning

Often a simulation, 360 image, virtual reality, augmented reality, video simulation, game-based

A resource that gives students the opportunity to visualize what they are learning

Often images.

A resource that helps students understand why what they are learning is relevant and valuable for their lives
Lorem ipsum dolor Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Duis iaculis sit amet lectus nec accumsan. Suspendisse vel ex ut turpis gravida dictum et non nunc. Quisque consectetur at arcu et rutrum. Vivamus viverra lorem at nisl hendrerit. Lorem ipsum dolor Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Duis iaculis sit amet lectus nec accumsan. Suspendisse vel ex ut turpis gravida dictum et non nunc. Quisque consectetur at arcu et rutrum. Vivamus viverra lorem at nisl hendrerit.
A resource that enables students to learn auditorily
Often a podcast or audio clip
A resource that helps students understand the most important concepts.

Often text or video.

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You want to keep in mind HOW you plan to use the resources to help you decide WHICH resources to use to supplement your curriculum. A resource that helps students experience what they are learning Often a simulation, 360 image, virtual reality, augmented reality, video simulation, game-based A resource that gives students the opportunity to visualize what they are learning Often images.

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A multimedia text set is a choice board that includes different multimedia types such as webpages, images, videos, audio files, and articles in order to provide multiple means of representing similar information. Best used during the Explore or Explain phases in a lesson sequence.

💡 This type of choice board works best after you’ve taught students how they should engage with different types of resources (webpage, articles, videos, etc.).

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Copy of Progressive Choice Board Example

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If you and your students are new to using choice boards, a  Progressive Choice Board might be your best option. Rather than giving students several choices at once, a Progressive Choice Board introduces new choices over time (the duration of time is ultimately up to you).

In addition to helping make choice boards less overwhelming, rolling out new choices one by one allows you to spend time teaching students about the different options. For example, in the Progressive Choice Board below, which is introducing different types of resources, you would start by practicing how to extract key ideas from an article, and then when students were ready to move on, you could introduce an "image notice & wonder" activity separately.

Over the period of several weeks, the Progressive Choice Board will fill up to form a completed choice board. You can use a Progressive Choice Board to get started with all of the other choice boards featured in this resource.

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Ed Tech

Once, when teaching high school Spanish, my students and I had finished covering a new verb tense. We practiced it. They were getting the hang of it.

It was time for them to demonstrate understanding. Show what they know.

Feeling pretty brave, I gave them their assignment. At the time, I felt like it was probably the most innovative Spanish class assignment ever. I was pretty proud of it.

I addressed the class. "So, to show what you've learned, here's what you'll do." I paused. Smiled. Let the moment sink in before I hit them with it.
"You can do anything."
I continued. "Anything you want. Whatever fits your own unique skills and talents. Whatever interests you the most. As long as it shows that you've learned our new concept, the sky's the limit."

My mind spun with the possibilities. Someone might write a song. Someone might create a video. I might get some clever visual art. Or maybe I'd get something I never would have imagined.

I looked to my students for their reaction. I thought they might cheer -- or, at very least, flash beaming smiles. I was disappointed. Instead, they looked confused. Then, the questions started.

"So ... what exactly do you want us to do?"

"Are you talking about a PowerPoint?"

"Can you just tell us?"

"I don't think I understand."

"You want us to make a PowerPoint, right?"

I was crushed. This was a gift I was giving them! How could they squander this gift of creative freedom? We wrestled for a while to identify what this creative freedom would look like until eventually I caved.

"Yeah, it's a PowerPoint. Just do a PowerPoint."

The problems with too much freedom

Why did my attempt to give my students full academic freedom fail? A number of reasons, I believe.

For one, all of that freedom was paralyzing. They couldn't picture the assignment. As Amy Burvall and Dan Ryder wrote in the book Intention, "Creativity craves constraints." It needs some guardrails to keep us on the right track.

Also, I gave them too many choices. Actually, I didn't limit their choices at all. For my students to feel prepared to get started, they felt they had to consider all of their choices. That was too much by itself. When there are too many choices, deciding becomes hard. Barry Schwartz, in his TED Talk, says that too many options paralyze us, and to make people happy with their choices, the best thing is to limit them.

Finally, let's be honest. Full creative freedom was a lot of work. Many of them just weren't invested in being their best possible selves in high school Spanish. They were probably thinking, "Can you just give me a worksheet so I can do it and move on?"

A good option: the choice board

Sometimes, to remedy this whole situation, teachers give students choice boards.

A choice board is a document with a variety of assignment options. Students look through their options and pick one or two or three. Teachers often make them in a 3x3 grid, like a tic tac toe board, or like a 5x5 bingo board. Just pick one from each column.

A choice board gives them options so they can tailor the work to their unique interests and talents. But it provides some guide rails, avoiding the "paralysis by analysis" my students had.

It empowers students. It makes the assignment manageable. Students feel like they can do it.

Here's the problem, though. Choice boards can be overwhelming. Often, teachers invent lots of new activities for students to do on choice boards. Even though it limits their choices, students are still forced into "paralysis by analysis" all over again. They must learn new tech tools, new techniques, new activities AND demonstrate understanding.

It's a lot.

A better option: a progressive choice board

In hindsight, I wish I had given my students a progressive choice board instead. It's a choice board with a twist.

The word "progressive" here, of course, has nothing to do with political affiliation. It's about progress, a gradual release of new options throughout the year.

Imagine this progressive choice board is a 3x3 grid. At the beginning of the school year, it starts with nine question marks. We don't have any choices on it at first.

But soon, we add a new possible activity. Maybe it's a drag-and-drop infographic. Maybe it's stop motion animation with Google Slides. Maybe it's a YouTube-style unboxing video on Flipgrid.

A week or two later, we add a new activity to the choice board. Then another is added. And another.

Two ideas for adding a new activity to a progressive choice board:

1. Have the whole class do the new activity all together. Everyone creates that same artifact of learning so that everyone learns how it's done.

2. The teacher creates a tutorial showing students how it's done. This way, when it's added, not everyone has to do it, but it becomes an option for everyone.

What does the progressive choice board offer that a traditional choice board doesn't?

It doesn't dump lots of new options on students all at once. It slowly, progressively releases new options. It's kind of like a video game where you unlock new levels, new characters, new modes a little at a time.

It promotes a can-do attitude. It's easy to shut down and shut out the possibilities when you're overwhelmed by them. When students learn new activities little by little, it's empowering.

It helps them to learn what they like and what suits them best. It's kind of like going to a restaurant and trying a new dish. After that visit, you know if you like that one dish or not. Having one bite of a dozen dishes doesn't convince you in the same way.

It's a great way to learn new digital tools. I'm a huge fan of doing a lot with a limited number of digital tools. Google Slides is my jam, and in my classroom, we did a LOT with it. But you can't do everything with it. This lets students learn new tools a little at a time, and if they end up with a favorite, they can always come back to it.

It helps them own their learning. It lets students make choices about their learning. It's not something that's being imposed on them. When they get used to making their own choices about their learning, it becomes a mindset.

How can I make a progressive choice board?

Thankfully, this is the easy part. Making the choice board itself isn't any more complicated than creating a document or slide presentation. Each choice (the activity students will do) can have a link to instructions or a template to copy.

Here are a few easy ways to make a progressive choice board ...

The most basic: a simple document. To tell students what activities they can do, we don't have to get all high tech (if we don't want to). Just list the activities they can do in a simple document.

Remember, in a progressive choice board, you don't add all of the activities all at once. Just start with one or two that they've already done and write instructions for those. Then, as the year progresses, add more activities.

You can copy this template and use it if you'd like. It includes an easy-to-make clickable table of contents to get to the different parts of the document.
Click here to get the simple document template

A little fancier: a document with tables. This is almost the same idea as before. It lists all of the possible activities with instructions to do them. But this one creates a table (Insert > Table > 3x3) where you can add images and text. I used icons from The Noun Project ( thenounproject.com) to give my table some visuals. I even used a question mark icon as a place holder for the activities I haven't added yet.
Click here to get the document with tables template

More impressive options: other design apps. If you want to create something really impressive, you can go outside of Docs/Word and use one of these ...

Google Slides/PowerPoint: It's not super flashy or sexy, but it will open up some design creativity. Plus, if you list all of your possible activities on one slide (in a 3x3 or 4x4 grid), you can make clickable links from that activity to a slide with all of the instructions.

Genially: If you want to wow your students with a progressive choice board, Genially (genial.ly) will do it. You can create a page where students start with all of the options. Genially lets you create animations when you click on an option to go to the instructions page. It's more complicated than a simple document, but the results are stunning.

Slides Mania: It's no secret that we're HUGE fans of their free slide templates here at Ditch That Textbook. You can find some really cool choice board templates for Google Slides or PowerPoint here.

What kinds of activities can I add to it?

Again, the sky's the limit here! To keep it simple, here's some advice: Add the activities you already use in class. You don't have to create all new activities for this. If you have activities that work for you and your students, just add those in little by little to your progressive choice board.

But it's always fun to add new, creative activities to engage your students' minds, right?

If you're looking for some new ideas, here are some of our favorites:

Google Slides/PowerPoint infographics: Infographics are a combination of images (often icons) and text that create a very verbal/visual, brain-friendly example of what we've learned. They're easy to make, and I even have some "drag and drop" infographics templates that make them even easier to make. Click here to get those templates!

Choice stories in Google Slides/PowerPoint: Do you remember Choose Your Own Adventure books? The ones where you choose what the character will do by turning to a specific page? Students can create their own in Google Slides using slide-to-slide linking (super easy). Click here to learn how to make them!

Stop motion animation in Google Slides/PowerPoint: Sometimes we learn about processes with multiple steps. If students can envision what it looks like in their minds, they can put it in motion on a screen with a stop motion animation. Click here for a tutorial that shows you how it's done!

The Instagram Stories template for Google Slides/PowerPoint: Students who use Instagram are familiar with Stories, where people share their day in short videos and images. It's a great way to show what you've learned, especially through someone's perspective. Click here to get the template!

The Ditch That Textbook templates library: We've pulled together dozens of FREE templates you can copy/download and assign to students right away. They include fun social media-style activities, interactive activities, and more. (Did we mention they're free???) Click here to check out those templates!

Comic strips in Google Slides/Drawings or PowerPoint: Students become the stars of the learning in these fun visual activities! Students use photos of themselves and add speech/thought bubbles to show what they're thinking or saying and more! Click here for more details on this activity!

The unboxing video activity on Flipgrid: If your students all want to be YouTubers, let them use that to show what they've learned! Unboxing videos are popular on YouTube, and students can use that type of video to show what they know. Click here for details on the unboxing video activity!

The top 10 video on Flipgrid: This is another popular type of video on YouTube! Students can rank a top 10 list (or top 5 or top 3) from what they've learned and justify their responses. Click here for details on the top 10 video activity!

Google Applied Digital Skills Lessons: Google has amassed a database of 150+ FREE lesson ideas that use digital skills. Each one has instructions, ideas for implementation, and even video instructions you can give students. You can learn all about Applied Digital Skills here, or check out some of our favorites:

CS First: Find lots of FREE ready-to-use lessons that incorporate coding in CS First. This database of lesson ideas from Google will help students with computational thinking and coding skills. Click here to find a lesson!

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Progressive choice boards: Provide choice without overwhelming

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Ed Tech Once, when teaching high school Spanish, my students and I had finished covering a new verb tense. We practiced it. They were getting the hang of it. It was time for them to demonstrate understanding. Show what they know. Feeling pretty brave, I gave them their assignment.

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Explore the various types of choice boards and WHEN to utilize them in your classroom.

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THE CHOICE BOARD OF CHOICE BOARDS!

Explore the various types of choice boards and WHEN to utilize them in your classroom.
MULTIMEDIA TEXT SET DESCRIPTION:
A multimedia text set is a choice board that includes different multimedia types such as webpages, images, videos, audio files, and articles in order to provide multiple means of representing similar information. Best used during the Explore or Explain phases in a lesson sequence.

This type of choice board works best after you've taught students how they should engage with different types of resources (webpage, articles, videos, etc.).
KEEP IN MIND:
This type of choice board works best after you've taught students how they should engage with different types of resources (webpage, articles, videos, etc.).

When using "key idea" resources add formative questions when applicable to help students monitor their own understanding.
EXAMPLES: #1: Genially Choice Board Tip: Click the plus signs for links to our resources on how to create interactive content.
CLICK HERE for a remixable template version of the choice board shown above.
#2: Types of Resources Choice Board - Genially
for a remixable template version of the choice board shown above.
#3: Google Doc Choice Board
CLICK HERE for a copy of the Google Doc shown above
Pick a
PICK A TOPIC CHOICE BOARD
DESCRIPTION:
Use this type of choice board to allow students to pick the topic they'd like to learn more about. "Pick a Topic" choice boards are often "thematic" choice board in that the overall theme is the same, but the subtopic is different. For example, the theme of the choice board shown below was "Making Thinking Visible" and students can choose from any of the subtopics, in this case, specific thinking routines (see example #1).
KEEP IN MIND:
"Pick a Topic" choice boards can be quick and easy, such as choosing a video to respond to in the Engage phase (see example #1), or they can be the centerpiece of your Explore & Explain phases if you offer choice in the topics will learn about over the course of the entire lesson sequence (see example #4).
EXAMPLES: #1: "Choose a Video & Respond" Choice Board - Padlet
for a remixable template version of the choice board shown above.
#2: "Choose an Article" Choice Board - Genially
for a remixable template version of the choice board shown above.

#3: "Pick a Topic" Explore Board - Google Docs

for a copy of the Google Doc explore board shown above

#4: "Pick an Area of Study" Choice Board - Google Docs

for a copy of the Google Doc choice board shown above
Show What
SHOW WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED CHOICE BOARD
DESCRIPTION:
Offer students choice in how they will demonstrate understanding, typically in the Elaborate phase of a lesson sequence. Although some of the projects included below are more involved and time-intensive (e.g. podcasting), they don't have to be: you can also offer choice in how students show understanding regardless of the scale of the assessment.
KEEP IN MIND:
This type of choice board works best after you've completed each creative demonstration of learning together as a whole group.
EXAMPLES: #1: Show What You Know Choice Board - Genially Tips: If you'd like to see exactly how I made this choice board,
CLICK HERE for a remixable template version of the choice board above
#2: Genially Choice Board x6 Tips: Click on the "Resources" button to view different resources
for a remixable template version of the choice board shown above.
#3: "Creative Demonstrations of Learning x9" Choice Board - Genially
for a remixable template version of the choice board shown above.

#4: "Pick a Project" Choice Board - Google Docs

for a copy of the Google Doc shown above
Pick a
PICK A RESPONSE TOOL CHOICE BOARD
DESCRIPTION:
Use a "Pick a Response Tool" choice board to offer choice in the app students select. In the case of the example shown below, the assignment is the same, but the app students would use to summarize the text is different.
KEEP IN MIND:
Unless you are intentionally trying to offer different levels of challenge by having students learn about brand new apps on their own, this type of choice board works best when you've already taught students how to use each app individually.
EXAMPLES: #1: "Pick an App" Choice Board - Genially
for a remixable template version of the choice board shown above.

#2: "Learn How to Use a Program" Choice Board - Genially

for a remixable template version of the choice board shown above.
Choose Your
CHOOSE YOUR CHALLENGE
DESCRIPTION:
Use a "Choose Your Challenge" choice board to offer choices in the perceived level of challenge. This type of choice board allows students to select for themselves the level of scaffolding they think they'll need.
KEEP IN MIND:
Regardless of the level of challenge, the outcome should remain the same. With this type of choice board, students are self-selecting how challenging their path toward reaching the end goal will be.

You might be concerned that too many students will choose the "simplest" option, which very well might happen. In that case, you might want to consider the options you are offering. Are the challenging and advanced choices compelling enough for a student to want to take on a new challenge?
EXAMPLES: #1: Choose Your Own Challenge Choice Board - Genially
for a remixable template version of the choice board shown above.
CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE #1: Choose Your Own Adventure [Math Lesson Example] - Genially
CLICK HERE for a remixable template version of the choice board shown above.
#2: Choose Your Own Adventure [Teacher PD example] - Genially
CLICK HERE for a remixable template version of the choice board shown above.
Progressive Choice Board
PROGRESSIVE CHOICE BOARDS
DESCRIPTION:
If you and your students are new to using choice boards, a Progressive Choice Board might be your best option. Rather than giving students several choices at once, a Progressive Choice Board introduces new choices over time (the duration of time is ultimately up to you).

In addition to helping make choice boards less overwhelming, rolling out new choices one by one allows you to spend time teaching students about the different options. For example, in the Progressive Choice Board below, which is introducing different types of resources, you would start by practicing how to extract key ideas from an article, and then when students were ready to move on, you could introduce an "image notice & wonder" activity separately.

Over the period of several weeks, the Progressive Choice Board will fill up to form a completed choice board. You can use a Progressive Choice Board to get started with all of the other choice boards featured in this resource.

We first learned about Progressive Choice Boards from a blog Matt Miller wrote for his website, Ditch That Textbook. CLICK HERE to visit Ditch That Textbook and learn more about Progressive Choice Boards
EXAMPLE GOOGLE DOCS PROGRESSIVE CHOICE BOARD*
* Adapted from www.ditchthattextbook.com

CLICK HERE for a remixable version of the template above

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THE CHOICE BOARD OF CHOICE BOARDS! Explore the various types of choice boards and WHEN to utilize them in your classroom. MULTIMEDIA TEXT SET DESCRIPTION: A multimedia text set is a choice board that includes different multimedia types such as webpages, images, videos, audio files, and articles in order to provide multiple means of representing similar information.

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