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 Writing Choice Board Tutorial for Teachers

Build your own Writing Choice Board for 6th Grade in minutes! Keep kids engaged & learning using these tactics & templates

Common Core Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.10, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.3, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.4

To use a choice board in your 6th 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 6th Grade Writing 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 Writing Choices

Create Your Own Superhero Story

Invent a superhero! Give them powers, a cool name, and a mission. Write their first adventure. What’s their weakness? Who’s the villain? Get creative!

Design a Time Capsule Letter

Write a letter to your future self! Include your hobbies, friends, and dreams. Put it in a box with a toy or photo. Seal it and open it in 10 years to see what’s changed!

Craft a Mythical Creature Tale

Create a story about a unique beast with special powers. Imagine its world, how it helps or challenges people, and the adventures it faces. Have fun inventing!

Compose a Space Adventure Comic

Create a comic about a hero’s space quest! Include a cool spaceship, alien friends, and a daring rescue mission. Draw pictures and add fun dialogue!

Write a Diary Entry from a Robot's Perspective

Imagine you’re a robot. Write a diary about your day, feelings, and tasks. Pretend to be the robot and express what it’s like to live a day in your mechanical life.

Pen a Poem About Your Favorite Season

Write a short poem about the season you love most. Include what you see, feel, and enjoy during this time. Use rhymes if you can!

Invent a Secret Language Diary

Create a diary with a secret code only you know! Replace letters with symbols or mix up the alphabet. Write daily entries in your private language.

Write a Letter to a Future 6th Grader

Write a friendly letter to a future 6th grader. Share tips about 6th grade, what to expect, and fun things to do. Offer advice and encouragement!

Script a Mini Radio Play

Create a short radio play with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Include characters, dialogue, and sound effects. Write simple, fun lines and imagine the audio scene.

Using a Choice Board to Differentiate Writing 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 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?