Megan Reynolds

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!

1st Grade Vocabulary Choice Board Tutorial for Teachers

Build your own Vocabulary Choice Board for 1st Grade in minutes! Keep kids engaged & learning using these tactics & templates
To use a choice board in your 1st Grade Classroom during Vocabulary you will need to create the Vocabularychoices (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 1st Grade Vocabulary choice boards to your classroom style!

Here are a few ideas and instructions on choices, classroom management and getting buy-in from your1st Graders

Ideas & Examples of Great 1st Grade Vocabulary Choices

Draw and Label Your Favorite Animals
Draw a picture of the animal you love most. Then, write its name under the picture to tell us what it is. Make sure to color your drawing!
Make a Rhyme Time Booklet
Make a book with rhymes! Find words that sound the same, like “cat” and “hat,” and draw a picture for each pair. Write the words under the pictures. Have fun rhyming!
Story Time with New Words
Story Time with New Words is fun reading where we learn cool new words like ‘giggle’ which means a cute laugh, and ‘brave’ like a superhero! 📚😄🦸‍♂️
Colorful Word Collage
A Colorful Word Collage is like a big, fun sticker sheet. You cut out or draw bright pictures and words you know, then glue them on paper to make art!
Whisper a Word Chain
Whisper a Word Chain is when we sit in a circle, and one friend whispers a word to the next, passing it around until it gets back to the start!
Picture Word Match-Up
Draw a line from each word to the matching picture. If you see ‘cat,’ find the cat picture and connect them!
Create a Word Treasure Map
Draw a map with a path. Put pictures along the path. Each picture is a clue for a word. Write the words you find at the treasure chest at the end!
Magic Word Wizard Hat
A Magic Word Wizard Hat is a fun paper hat you make. When you wear it, you say special words you learn, like “please” and “thank you,” to do kind magic! 🎩✨
Silly Sentence Creator
Make funny sentences by choosing a person, action, and place. Pick a card for each and put them together to tell a wacky story! It’s like a puzzle with words.

Using a Choice Board to Differentiate Vocabulary in a 1st 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 1st Grade Classroom During Vocabulary (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?