Julie Baker
2nd Grade Teacher, K-4 GT coordinator
Aurora Frontier K-8
jkbaker@aps.k12.co.us
http://juliekbaker.edublogs.org/
Presentation Wiki: http://auroragt.wikispaces.com/
 Choice
boards are a way to offer students a
differentiated method of demonstrating
and/or expressing their learning through a
variety of tasks.
 Choice
boards provide instructional activities
that address a variety of student
characteristics and support a range of
student abilities in order to promote student
achievement.
 Choice boards allow students to make
decisions about how they will demonstrate
their learning.
 A choice board can be for a single lesson,
topic, or unit, (varying in length by days,
weeks, or months.)
 Quality
choice boards address differentiation
in three ways:



Content
Process
Product
 Content
can be differentiated through
accelerated, remediated, or enriched
content explored through the resources.
 Process
is differentiated by taking into
consideration the different learning styles as
well as the levels and types of thinking.
Teachers can address using Bloom’s
Taxonomy, Multiple Intelligences, 21st
Century Learning Skills, etc.
 Product
is differentiated by offering a
plethora of delivery modes from which to
choose. These can range in complexity and
style based on what you would like your
student to be able to demonstrate.
Written
Verbal
Tactile
Visual
Advertisement
Cartoon
Creative writing
Learning Center
Magazine
Pamphlet
Biography
Chart
Crossword Puzzle
Greeting Card
Journal
Newspaper article
Book cover
Poem
Fairy tale
Drawing
Map
Travel log
Advertisement
Debate
Oral speech
Movie
Puppet show
News report
Guest Speaker
Oral report
Skit
Choral reading
Commercial
Song
Game show
Book cover
Diorama
Collage
Costume
Game
Mask
Mosaic
Scavenger hunt
Cardboard cutout
Comic strip
Dance
Puzzle
Mime
Mural
Project cube
Sculpture
Mobile
Puppet
Weaving
Art gallery
Chart
Diagram
Flipbook
Greeting card
Map
Photo essay
Poster
Scrapbook
Time line
Book cover
Collage
Hidden picture
Family tree
Bulletin board
Picture dictionary
Model
 Verbal/Linguistic
 Logical/Mathematical
 Visual/Spatial
 Body/Kinesthetic
 Musical
 Interpersonal
 Intrapersonal
 www.lda-
ia.org/Multiple%20Intelligences%20Assessm
ent%20Menu%202010.doc



Choose the content, topic, and/or desired
learning for the choice board.
Identify the most important elements of the
lesson/unit/what you want the student to
know and be able to explain.
Create a variety of activities that your student
will choose from in order to show their
understanding of the topic.
*A random collection of activities on a choice board does not represent
differentiated learning unless intentional planning and reflection has
gone into it.
 Basic
Choice
 Tic Tac Toe
 Menu
 Baseball
 2-5-8
?
Free Choice
Reading: Fiction
Appetizer- Choose 1

Main Course- Choose 1

Side Dish- Choose 2

Dessert- Optional

Baseball Game
Topic: __________________________________
Look through the following choices and decide how you want to play the game
to get 100 points. Singles are worth 10, Doubles 20, Triples 30, and a homerun is
50 points. You can choose any combination of activities to reach 100 points.
Singles- 10 points each
Doubles- 20 points each
Third- 30 points each
Homerun- 50 points each
2-5-8 List Menu
Directions: Choose 2 activities from the menu below. The activities
must add up to 10 points.
2 Points


5 Points


8 Points


Write a song about your story.
Be sure to include details
from the story in your song.
Color a new book cover for
your book. Write the title and
the author’s name on your
cover.
Write a new story about one
of the characters in the book.
Write an alternate ending to
the story.
Create a diorama of the
setting of the story.
Make a puppet of the main
character.
Choose a character from the
book. Write a paragraph
about how they are like you
and a paragraph about how
they are different.
Draw pictures of the
important events of the story
with one sentence about
them and put them in order.
Create a poster displaying
the elements of the story in
an interesting way.



Appetizer- Choose 1

Choose one character to create a character traits web.

Choose a character from the book. Write a paragraph about how they are like you and a paragraph about how they are
different from you.

Create a puppet of the main character.

Write a new story about one of the characters in the book.
Soup - Choose 1

Create a diorama of the setting of the story.

Write a paragraph using descriptive language to describe the setting of the book.

Draw, illustrate, and label a map to display the setting of the story.
Main Course - Choose 1

Choose the important events in the story and draw a picture to illustrate each one. Include a sentence explaining what is
happening in each picture.

Create a poster displaying the plot of the story in an interesting way.


Write a comic strip to display an important event in the story.

Create a pamphlet that displays the elements of the story.

Write a short skit to show one of the important events of the story.
Dessert- Choose 1

Write a song about your story. Be sure to include important details from the story in your song.

Color a new book cover for your book. Write the title and the author’s name on your cover.

Write an alternative ending to the story.
Tic Tac Toe
Air and Weather
Logical/Mathematical
 Construct a graph or
design a chart that
explains the levels of
clouds.
 Describe the types of
weather that each
cloud brings.
 What is mathematical
about thermometers?
How do you know?
Verbal/Linguisitic
 Create a bumper
sticker air, it should be
clever and explain
something about air.
Bodily/Kinesthetic
 Act out each type
and level of cloud
with your body.
 Create a movement
to show each type of
weather.
Visual/Spatial
 Draw a comic strip
that describes why we
need air and how we
use it.
 Create a flipbook that
demonstrates one
type of weather
throughout the day.
Interpersonal
 Interview someone
that is not in our class
to find out what he or
she already know
about weather
instruments. Together,
create a quiz to test
other’s knowledge of
weather instruments.
Include at least 3
instruments.
Musical
 Create a song about
weather and the
different observations
you can make during
it.
 Create a sound to
imitate the different
types of weather.
 Find a song that
discusses weather to
share with your
classmates.
Bodily/Kinesthetic
 Find a part of your
body that can help
you accurately
identify the wind
speed.
Intrapersonal
 Write a journal entry
describing your
favorite type of
weather and explain
why. Brainstorm
activities that you can
do during this type of
weather.
 Write a journal entry
describing your
favorite type of cloud
and explain why.
Brainstorm a list of
activities you can do
when that type of
cloud is in the sky.
Naturalistic
 Look in a magazine to
find examples of
weather in everyday
life. Label the types of
weather. Predict
where the picture is
taking place.
5th Grade Human Body Choice Rubric – Choose 2
1. Explore a topic where
one system affects
another. Explain and
give at least two
examples.
A – Ask and answer questions
about
systems
and
their
interconnections. More than 2
examples
P – Answers questions and uses
two examples
PP – Explains how two systems
are
interconnected
without
questions.
BU – Defines 2 systems and their
connections to each other.
4. Explain at least 2 goals
that people can create
about their own
lifestyles (like
exercising) based on an
understanding of the
human body.
A – Goals include explanation of
lifestyle and how it is interconnected
to health.
P – Explains lifestyle and systems
involved.
PP – Explains systems involved in
lifestyles without support of why
people would make a choice.
BU – Explains body systems and
lifestyles with unclear connections.
7. Create a survey
regarding scientific
explanations about
human body systems
and share your findings.
A – Exhibits scientific process,
including a graph of data.
P – Exhibits scientific process.
PP – Uses almost all of the scientific
process.
BU – Conducts research without
using scientific process.
2. Create a game which
includes facts about
body systems and
organs. Be sure there is
a game board and
moving pieces.
A – Asks easy and challenging
questions, including interconnection
of systems and organs.
Game
strategy allows for a winner.
P – Includes organs and systems with
understanding of game strategy.
PP – Just the facts, about systems
and organs.
BU – Includes organs without
systems or systems without organs.
5. Compare and contrast a
human system to that of
another organism, and
create a hypothesis
about why the
similarities and
differences exist.
A – Clear compare/contrast, along
with explanation of hypothesis using
BK.
P – Explain both organism and
humans. Compare/contrast clear.
PP – Explains compare/contrast or
human and organism but not both.
BU – Unclear hypothesis or
explanation of how human and
another organism compare/contrast.
8. Write an editorial for a
newspaper which
reviews the information
we have learned in class
and includes at least 3
human body systems.
A – Reviews systems with no
grammatical or spelling errors.
P – Explains 3 systems with a few
spelling errors.
PP – Defines 3 human body systems
without explanation.
BU – Defines less than 3 human body
systems.
3. Look at two different
viewpoints about
healthy living and
explain why you would
choose one over the
other. Include which
body systems are
involved in your
decision.
A – Includes more than 2 examples to
support your choice, and the second
choice.
P – Clear explanation about which
choice and why.
PP – Great definition of healthy
living without an explanation of why
BU – Explains choices without
including systems involved.
6. Create a model of the
human body and
include at least 15
organs and all of the
body systems.
A – Ask and answer questions
about
systems
and
their
interconnections. More than 2
examples
P – Answers questions and uses
two examples
PP – Explains how two systems
are
interconnected
without
questions.
BU – Defines 2 systems and their
connections to each other.
9. Identify 3 basic human
body systems and
explain their functions
or why are they
important and what do
they do?
A – Great explanation of why
systems are important.
P – Explains functions and systems.
PP – Explains the function of the
systems without explanation of why
they are important.
BU – Defines basic human body
systems.
Energy Project Guide
Each student must choose TWO activities to complete. Check out the rubrics on the back to
find out what the expectation are for each one. If you are going for ADVANCED, you must
choose two A assignments.
1. Explore one of these topics and
write a short report on your
findings. Be sure to explain how
what we’ve learned about waves
applies to your topic.
a. Tsunamis:
http://www.tsunami.noaa.gov/
b. Sonic Boom:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/
dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-016DFRC.html
2. Create a crossword
puzzle of at least 20
important vocabulary words
from the Waves unit. You
may build this online or on
paper.
4. Act out a skit about Energy,
Mechanical Waves, EM waves, or
all three. It must be at least 2
minutes long. You may record it
with a video camera and show it
to the class if you prefer. Be
creative!
5. Design a review game
(either online or on paper/
note cards) using the facts
we have learned about
waves, including
vocabulary, types of waves,
and energy. We may
actually use your game to
review for the assessment!
6. Draw original labeled
diagrams or pictures of the
different types of waves
(Mechanical – transverse
and longitudinal and
Electromagnetic Waves).
Diagrams or drawings must
be very well done with lots
of artistic details. Pictures
must be free from eraser
marks, stray marks, or
wrinkles.
7. Choose a subtopic of waves
that you find interesting (check in
with me before you start) and
create a poster that accurately
depicts and describes this topic.
The poster will be presented to the
class and displayed in the hallway.
It must be an original topic (not
one learned in class).
8. Explore earthquakes and
write a short report on your
findings. Be sure to include
how what we’ve learned
about waves in this class is
important to understanding
earthquakes.
9. Create an original poem,
rap, or song to present to
the class about the
Electromagnetic Spectrum.
It must be at least 2 minutes
long and contain useful
information about EM
waves.
http://www.physicsclassroom.com
/Class/
3. Build a 3-D Model of
either transverse or
longitudinal waves. Be sure
to include labels of the parts
of the wave (amplitude,
crest, trough, wavelength,
and equilibrium).
http://new.puzzlemaker.
com:8094/?
http://www.armoredpengui
n.com/crossword/
http://earthquake.usgs.gov
/learn/kids/eqscience.php
http://environment.national
geographic.com/environm
ent/naturaldisasters/earthquakeprofile/
Created by: Amy Anderson Bradic, Science Teacher, Aurora Frontier K-8
 Elementary

choice boards
http://daretodifferentiate.wikispaces.com/Choic
e+Boards
 Middle
School/Secondary choice boards

http://www.gfps.k12.mt.us/sites/default/files/C
hoiceBoards.pdf

http://www1.cbsd.org/sites/teachers/middle/cs
ikora/DI%20Handouts/Choice%20Boards%20Packet
.pdf
 My

Choice Board App- $9.99
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-choiceboard/id384435705?mt=8