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 Writing Choice Board Tutorial for Teachers

Build your own Writing 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 Writing you will need to create the Writingchoices (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 Writing 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 Writing Choices

Create Your Own Comic Strip
Draw a fun comic strip! Pick characters, make them go on an adventure, and write their talk in bubbles. Use boxes for scenes. Be creative!
Design a Dream Treehouse Brochure
Create a colorful flyer for your dream treehouse! Draw & label rooms, add fun features like slides or swings, and describe what makes it special. Use bright paper to stand out!
Write a Letter to Your Future Self
Write a letter to the “future you” telling about your life now, your dreams, and ask future questions! Save it to read years later to see what’s changed.
Craft a Mythical Creature's Diary
Imagine a magical creature like a unicorn or dragon. Write a diary from its view. Share its adventures, friends, and feelings. Use your creativity to bring its world to life!
Compose a Poem About Your Favorite Season
Write a short poem about the season you love most! Describe what you see, feel, hear, and do during that time. Use rhymes to make it fun!
Invent a Superhero and Describe Their Adventures
Create a superhero with a cool power. Write a story about a day they save the city from a big problem. Use your imagination!
Pen a Postcard from an Imaginary Land
Imagine a magical land, draw it on a postcard, and write a message as if you’re there. Tell a friend about the cool creatures, plants, or places you see!
Create a Recipe for a Magical Meal
Stir together 1 cup of laughter, 2 spoonfuls of kindness, and a sprinkle of imagination. Bake with love in a pretend oven. Enjoy your magical meal with friends!
Illustrate a Silent Storyboard
Draw a comic strip without words, showing a story with pictures only. Use 4 boxes: 1) Start, 2) Problem, 3) Action, 4) End. Make it clear and fun!

Using a Choice Board to Differentiate Writing 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 Writing (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?