Megan Reynolds

I am a teacher & designer. Connecting with students & seeing them enjoy learning is my favorite feeling on earth! I hope you enjoy this article!

7th Grade Art Choice Board Tutorial for Teachers

Build your own Art Choice Board for 7th Grade in minutes! Keep kids engaged & learning using these tactics & templates

Common Core Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.7, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.5, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.3

To use a choice board in your 7th Grade Classroom during Art you will need to create the Artchoices (there are lots of examples), organize the classroom, and have a goal;

Time-saving, differentiation, and dynamic classroom management are my favorite reasons to use a choice board!

Integrating choices every day you will need to hone in on the best way to apply 7th Grade Art choice boards to your classroom style!

Here are a few ideas and instructions on choices, classroom management and getting buy-in from your7th Graders

Ideas & Examples of Great 7th Grade Art Choices

Create Your Own Comic Strip

Craft a comic strip! Start with 4 panels, sketch characters & setting. Add speech bubbles for dialogue. Be creative with a fun, short story. Enjoy drawing!

Design a Dream Bedroom Collage

Create a collage of your ideal bedroom using magazine cutouts, drawings, and words. Include furniture, colors, and decorations. Have fun and be creative!

Sketch Your Favorite Animal

Grab a pencil & paper. Think of your fav animal. Sketch its shape, don’t worry about details. Add eyes, nose, & fur. Make it simple & fun!

Craft a Clay Pinch Pot

Roll clay into a ball. Press thumb in center. Pinch sides to shape a pot. Smooth edges. Let dry. Paint as desired. (Be gentle to avoid cracks!)

Draw a Self-Portrait Emoji

Create a mini version of your face showing an emotion you often feel. Use simple shapes and colors to capture your features and expression in a fun, emoji style!

Create a Nature-Inspired Mandala

Draw a circle. Inside, use patterns of leaves, flowers, and stones to make a symmetrical design. Think of it like nature’s kaleidoscope!

Illustrate a Mythical Creature

Draw an imaginary creature combining parts of different animals. Think of a dragon’s wings, a lion’s mane, and a serpent’s tail. Be creative and have fun with colors!

Design a Superhero Mask

Create a superhero mask using paper, markers, and string. Sketch your design, color it, cut it out, and attach string to wear it. Be creative and have fun!

Make a Recycled Material Sculpture

Create a sculpture using only recycled items like plastic bottles, paper, or cans. Clean materials first, then glue or tape them into a cool shape or figure!

Using a Choice Board to Differentiate Art in a 7th Grade Classroom

Keep It Simple

Everyone “teacher & student” should know exactly what they are doing. If you don’t make it even easier!

Differential Instruction vs Saving time?

There is nothing more irritating than “Saving Time” with a Choice Board & ending up with “More work!”. Are you using this to hit standards or save time or both?

"Self Guided" or "instruction-based"?

If you giving out work, should they do it on their own or are these more instructions for each choice?

General rule, if the grade is > 3 there is more work per choice.

FREE Blank Fillable & Custom Choice Board

All ages, all grades where you need 9 grid choice board. Start loving learning again!

How To Manage Your 7th Grade Classroom During Art (With a Choice Board)

I find its easiest to use a big board at the front of the classroom where all students can see the choices then decide what they want to do.

This often will be coming in from a break or transition between subjects.

If you can get all students to know whats expected during a choice activity it becomes one-hundred times easier to manage the class & have everyone know what choices they have!

There are three core steps you have to hit when using a Choice Board;

1) The Set Up
2) The Instruction
3) The Q+A

1) The Set Up

Select your choices, decide on how you are going to use this time in your classroom. Build the choice board

1) The Instruction

Tell the students what they are going to be doing (this becomes easier over time) Simply start with 3 options & move from there.

1) The Q & A

Does anyone have questions? This will help you or the next time. Remember the goal is to make this easier each time!

Why Use A Choice Board?

So, let’s chat about choiceboards and why they’re like the coolest thing ever in your classroom.

Picture this: kiddos bouncing into the room, eyes lighting up because they get to pick their own adventure in learning new words.

It’s like a mini vocab party, and everyone’s invited!

We all have our own jam, right? Some of us are little artists, others are born performers, and some love to get lost in stories. Choice boards are like a buffet of fun learning snacks, so every munchkin finds something tasty that helps the vocab stick!

And here’s the kicker – when the little ones get to steer the ship, they turn into these mini captains of learning. They’re making the calls, and with every choice, they puff up a bit more with confidence. It’s a win-win – they’re learning and feeling like the boss at the same time.

Plus, for us teachers, it’s like having a secret helper in the room. We get to sprinkle in all sorts of activities that match our students’ levels and what makes their hearts tick. It’s like custom-making a learning playlist that gets every kid grooving to the vocab beat. How cool is that?