graphic organizer Archives • TechNotes Blog

So you want to create a choice board for your students to learn a concept. In this blog, we will tackle the BIG question, how does one go about creating a choice board.

What is a choice board?

A choice board is a graphic organizer that allows students to choose how they will learn a concept. Usually a choice board carries these aspects.

9-square grid
Each square has an activity
Each activity should relate to one of the multiple intelligences
Level of difficulty can vary or stay consistent

How do students complete a choice board?

Tic-Tac-Toe Style: choose three choices in a row
Random choice

Why use a choice board?

Choice boards engage learners. A choice board can also facilitate differentiated learning opportunities for your students. For ten reasons why to use choice boards in the classroom, check out Miguel Guhlin’s blog. For additional information, Lori Gracey’s blog is a great read.

Steps I Took to Create a Choice Board

Step 1: Choose the Concept

As a former fourth grade teacher and a big FAN of Texas history, I chose the following Texas TEK:

113.15. Social Studies, Grade 4

(16) Citizenship. The student understands important customs, symbols, and celebrations of Texas. The student is expected to:

(A) explain the meaning of various patriotic symbols and landmarks of Texas, including the six flags that flew over Texas, the San Jacinto Monument, the Alamo, and various missions;

(B) sing or recite “Texas, Our Texas”;

(C) recite and explain the meaning of the Pledge to the Texas Flag; and

(D) describe the origins and significance of state celebrations such as Texas Independence Day and Juneteenth.

Step 2: Get to Know your Multiple Intelligences

I checked out these three resources:

Step 3: Create a List of Multiple Intelligences

From the above three articles/blogs, I combined the multiple intelligences I read about and added a few I thought were missing. See my compiled list of learning modalities below:

Naturalist (nature smart)
Musical (sound smart)
Logical-mathematical (number/reasoning smart)
Existential (life smart)
Interpersonal (people smart)
Bodily-kinesthetic (body smart)
Linguistic (word smart)
Intra-personal (self smart)
Spatial (picture smart)
Computer (*technology smart)
Visual/Spatial (art and space smart)
Culinary (food smart)
Makerspace (**maker smart)

*3D printing, robotics, minecraft, coding, etc.

**Woodworking, perler beads, crocheting, jewelry making, etc.

Step 4: Brainstorm and Map it Out

After selecting my fourth grade social studies TEK, I drew a 9-square grid and a brainstorming box on a piece of paper. I started writing down modalities that I thought would work for this particular TEK. I created space at the bottom of my brainstorming for two items: 1. Activity ideas that popped into my head 2. Tools to integrate technology into the activities. I always write in pencil, because I tend to move things around or change the activity to a different square.

Step 5: Make the Choice Board

Finally, I transferred my choice board to a Google Slide. I listed the activity at the top of each square and suggested tech tools in blue at the bottom. You could also use MS Word or a Google Drawing to design your particular choice board. Check out my choice board here.

In Search of Memory

“Indigenous villagers often sit together. They share the stories of their days. After each story, positive or negative, the villagers nod and say, ‘That’s a healing story.'” This account of the healing power of memory in story by cultural anthropologist, Angela Arrien, is cited in “The Power of Memoir: How to Write Your Healing Story.” What healing stories could you help your students map out in a classroom writing workshop?

Imagine being able to remember a hurtful event in the past, then write about it in a way that allows you to make sense of it. You can finally go on a journey of healing, confident that at the end of the journey, you will find peace. Memoir writing is one way to remember.

…telling your story—while being witnessed with loving attention by others who care—may be the most powerful medicine on earth. Each us is a constantly unfolding narrative, a hero in a novel no one else can write. And yet so many of us leave our stories untold, our songs unsung—and when this happens, we wind up feeling lonely, listless, out of touch with our life’s purpose, plagued with a chronic sense that something is out of alignment. (Source: Dr. Lissa Rankin, Psychology Today)

Shattered: A Memoir Map

What happens when a hero goes wrong? I remember one time when the adventurer in my unfolding narrative did something he regretted. For years, the hero carried the childhood story of guilt untold.

A few years ago, I decided to map out a memoir of that event. Just the act of mapping out the piece helped me externalize my feelings so I could better manage and learn from it.

While there are various apps for mapping out your memoir, consider using one of the following:

Ideament (free but $2.99 with in-app purchase) – This is my favorite concept mapping tool–and I’ve tried the expensive ones–because it’s easy to use and inexpensive. It features Dropbox support and exporting to multiple file formats.

Popplet ($4.99) – The free version lets you create just one popplet, while the paid version lets you share content you create with others.

iThoughtsHD ($9.99) – A powerful app that is compatible with other desktop graphic organizers.

Total Recall – MindMap (Free) – A free, easy to use mind mapping tool.

Penultimate (Free) – A nice app that you can type and/or “write” in with your finger or stylus.

Worth the Journey

The power of memoirs, and planning a memoir as a concept map, can engage reluctant writers in ways we seldom consider (source: A Study of Memoir). Mapping out your memoir can also help you and your students tap into a treasure trove of memory. Take a walk down Memory Lane, won’t you? It will be worth the journey!

graphic organizer

Creating a Choice Board for Your Classroom