KAITLIN BARNES
CHOICE BOARDS
Choice boards are an instructional strategy that allow students to choose how to apply their knowledge of a particular skill or concept. This choice increases student engagement and allows students to select the task that best fits their interests and strengths. Choice boards are also an excellent differentiation tool for me as the teacher, because I am able to adapt my instruction and assessments to the many different levels of students that I teach.
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During our poetry unit, I have my students write their own poetry so that they can practice using the elements of poetry (such as alliteration, figurative language, and repetition) in their writing, in addition to identifying those elements in the poems we read together. By using a choice board to provide students with options for their writing, students are free to choose the formats that are most interesting to them. However, I also required students to choose at least one box from each column of the choice board, so that they cannot only choose "easy" options. This ensures that all students are being challenged at a level that is appropriate for them. This year, I am planning to collaborate with my learners and give them more control over how they communicate their knowledge by leaving two of the squares blank and allowing students to design their own writing prompt.
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I designed our poetry choice board to require students to use the poetic elements that we analyzed in class. Many of the options are also modeled after the poem styles we read in our poetry class novel, Love That Dog.
After writing at least five poems, students published their writing in a poetry book, complete with a cover, dedication page, and table of contents.
This student is a Limited English Proficiency student who had a firm grasp of figurative language and imagery.
This student used end rhyme and repetition to write a poem about one of his hobbies, Minecraft.
This student received special education services and struggled to express himself coherently in writing, but is still able to accurately use onomatopoeia and personification in his poem.
After reading our first class novel, Zane and the Hurricane, students had three choices to show their understanding of the novel and apply several of the skills we had been practicing in class, such as character analysis, setting analysis, point of view, and inferring. Students had the option of (a) rewriting a part of the novel from another character's point of view; (b) creating an imaginary Instagram profile for one of the characters; or (c) creating a hurricane survival guide that includes items and tips relevant to the characters. Students also had the option of using technology via Google Chromebooks to enhance their projects.
This student chose to create a hurricane survival guide based on the experiences of the characters in our novel. She is a Limited English Proficiency student who obviously struggles with syntax, but was able to explain her choices in detail and connect each choice back to our novel. She accompanied this written explanation with a shoebox filled with the items she included in her paper.
These students used Google Slides to create their hurricane survival guide. Both of them are English Language Learners who could tie each item back to our novel and explain its significance, but they included less writing than the first student. To view the rest of their project, click here.
This student used Google Docs to rewrite a part of the book from the point of view of Bandy, a dog. He shows creativity in his writing and clearly has a firm grasp on how this situation would be viewed very differently by Bandy, who gets shot by the police while trying to protect his owner.
Reading Olympics was an activity I implemented in April and May, after the STAAR Reading exam, to keep students engaged until the very end of the school year. Students were sorted into a country, and they earned individual medals for their country by completing reading response projects. Once a week, they also participated in reading challenges with their country to earn team medals. The reading response options were designed to help students practice the skills we had been focusing on for the entire school year, and students had the option of using their independent reading book, book club book, or class novel to complete the response options. I included a wide variety of response options so that students were required to communicate their understanding in a variety of ways. Some of the options were writing intensive, while others incorporated art, technology, or presentation. By varying the response options, I was also varying the strategies and tools I used to engage students.
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When I give students options, I make my expectations for each product clear and easy to understand. Including a checklist for students to refer to before they turn in their work helps them take ownership over making sure that their work is complete.
Shown here are several of the options that are given to students during Reading Olympics. I use a rubric to grade completed projects to ensure consistency between projects. Students are given a copy of this rubric in their Olympics packet so they understand the quality of work that I am expecting from them. To see the rest of the Reading Olympics options, click here.
This student was a strong reader and writer who chose to create a collage about one of our class novels, Gifted Hands. His collage shows a deep understanding of the text because it includes items and phrases that were important to the story, and not just pictures of the main character. His written explanation of his collage also demonstrates that he had a reason for each picture he included.
This student chose to recreate the back cover of Dogman Unleashed. She was able to write a brief summary without giving away the ending, just as authors do.
The medals for each country were displayed on our white board, keeping students engaged in the competition.