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!

6th Grade Vocabulary Choice Board Tutorial for Teachers

Build your own Vocabulary Choice Board for 6th Grade in minutes! Keep kids engaged & learning using these tactics & templates
To use a choice board in your 6th 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 6th Grade Vocabulary choice boards to your classroom style!

Here are a few ideas and instructions on choices, classroom management and getting buy-in from your6th Graders

Ideas & Examples of Great 6th Grade Vocabulary Choices

Create a Comic Strip with New Words
Draw a comic strip with pictures and bubbles. Use 5 new vocab words in your story. Make sure to show what each word means through the action or dialogue!
Word Detective Story
A Word Detective Story is a fun activity where you become a detective, searching for clues to discover the meanings of new words in a story. Use context and hints!
Synonym & Antonym Songwriting
Create a fun song using words that mean the same (synonyms) and opposite (antonyms). Think of a theme, pick pairs of words, and make them rhyme!
Vocab Illustration Gallery
Create a picture book with drawings of each vocab word to show its meaning. Add a sentence using the word. Have fun and be creative!
Flashcard Theater Skit
Create a short play using flashcards with vocab words. Act out each word’s meaning. Make it fun, like a mini-show, and use props if you want!
Word Roots Web Quest
Embark on a Word Roots Web Quest! Like a detective, search online to discover the origin of words and see how they form the building blocks of the language you use every day.
Vocabulary Pictionary Challenge
Draw a picture on the board to represent a word without writing or speaking. Classmates guess the word. If they’re right, they draw next! Fun way to learn new words.
Create Your Own Word Maze
Design a maze with paths made of words you’re learning. Write them along the lines. Start at one end, and find your way to the other, stepping on words you know!
Crossword Puzzle Creation
Create a crossword: Choose a theme, list words, make clues, and arrange them in a grid with intersecting letters. Fill in squares, check spelling, and have fun!

Using a Choice Board to Differentiate Vocabulary in a 6th 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 6th 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?