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!

5th Grade Reading Choice Board Tutorial for Teachers

Build your own Reading Choice Board for 5th Grade in minutes! Keep kids engaged & learning using these tactics & templates

Common Core Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.6, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7

To use a choice board in your 5th 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 5th Grade Reading choice boards to your classroom style!

Here are a few ideas and instructions on choices, classroom management and getting buy-in from your5th Graders

Ideas & Examples of Great 5th Grade Reading Choices

Create Your Own Comic Strip

Draw a fun comic strip! Pick characters, make them go on adventures, and fill speech bubbles with their words. Use boxes to separate scenes. Be creative!

Design a Book Cover

Draw your favorite scene on the front. Include the book’s title & author. On the back, write a short teaser about the story. Decorate with colors & images that match the book’s mood.

Write a Diary Entry as a Character

Write a diary entry pretending you’re a character from a book. Share their feelings and adventures as if you were them. Include date, details, and fun facts!

Craft a Poem About Your Favorite Book

Write a short poem about the book you love most. Include what it’s about, why it’s special to you, and your favorite part or character. Use rhyme to make it fun!

Create a Story Map

Draw a map with these parts: Title, Setting, Characters, Problem, Events, Solution. Fill in each part with details from your story. Use pictures or words!

Summarize a Chapter with a Skit

Act out a scene from the chapter like a mini-play. Use dialogue and actions to show the main events. Keep it simple and fun!

Illustrate a Scene from the Book

Pick a favorite part of the story. Draw the setting and characters in action. Use colors and details to show the mood. If there’s magic or old-fashioned items, imagine how they look. Have fun creating!

Compose a Letter to the Author

Write a letter to your favorite book’s author. Tell them what you liked, ask questions, and share your thoughts. Remember to be polite and use your best writing skills!

Interview a Character

Imagine you’re a reporter. Pick a favorite book character, think of fun questions, and write their answers as if you’re having a chat. Share what you ‘learn’!

Using a Choice Board to Differentiate Reading in a 5th 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 5th 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?