It seems that “choice board” has now joined the list of educational buzzwords. You may know them by another name such as playlists, menu boards, pathways, tic-tac-toe, or learning menus.

A choice board, also known as a learning menu, is a great way to differentiate learning for students and allow them to demonstrate mastery at the end of a unit as well. Choice boards can be created in various formats, but a simple way to think of them is as a graphic organizer.

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. Why might you use choice boards?

A general choice board might provide options that allow students to choose the subject (science, math, social studies) they'd like to study, or the skill (writing, drawing, reading) they'd like to practice. Teachers can either provide the options or brainstorm a list of options with students.

The board should revolve around a particular concept or learning goal and each activity is structured to stimulate learning, practice or mastery of that subject. The first step in designing a Choice Board is to identify the core concept or academic goal that the students need to complete.

How to make a choice board with Google Slides Outline your ideas. Get started by mapping your ideas on paper. ... Decide what activities you want to include. Try to include a mix of activities that your kids are familiar with, but also some new items too. ... Sketch it on paper. ... Make the Choice Board Slide.

Choice boards provide students the opportunity to make their own choices, which increases intrinsic motivation and therefore increases meaningful learning. Students are more likely to internalize content if a learning activity is interesting to them or if they can make a connection to their own life.