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!

4th Grade Reading Choice Board Tutorial for Teachers

Build your own Reading Choice Board for 4th Grade in minutes! Keep kids engaged & learning using these tactics & templates
To use a choice board in your 4th Grade Classroom during Reading you will need to create the Readingchoices (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 4th Grade Reading choice boards to your classroom style!

Here are a few ideas and instructions on choices, classroom management and getting buy-in from your4th Graders

Ideas & Examples of Great 4th Grade Reading Choices

Create a Comic Strip Summary
Draw a comic with boxes showing the story’s start, middle, end. Add characters, speech bubbles, and action. Make it fun!
Design a Book Cover & Blurb
Draw your favorite scene on the front. Write a short summary on the back, telling what the book is about without giving away the ending. Use bright colors and big letters!
Create a Character Diary Entry
Write a diary as if you’re a character from a book. Share their feelings, what happened today, and secrets. Imagine their life and have fun writing!
Vocabulary Skit Performance
Create a short play using new words we learned. Act out each word’s meaning and have fun showing what they mean. You can use costumes or props!
Story Scene Diorama
Create a 3D scene from your favorite book using a shoebox. Add characters, objects, and backgrounds with paper, clay, or fabric. Make it colorful and fun!
Plot Puzzle Challenge
Create a story map with pieces showing the beginning, middle, end, problem, and solution of your favorite book. Mix them up and solve your plot puzzle!
Fact or Fiction: News Article
Read an article and decide if it’s true (fact) or made-up (fiction). Check for clues like real facts, sources, or if it sounds unbelievable. Be a detective!
Poetry Scavenger Hunt
Find poems around the room! Look for rhymes, a haiku, something with alliteration, a simile, and a poem about nature. Check them off your list as you find them!
Draw Your Favorite Scene
Read a book, pick a scene you love, and draw a picture of it. Use colors and details to show what’s happening. Share why it’s your favorite!

Using a Choice Board to Differentiate Reading in a 4th 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 4th Grade Classroom During Reading (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?