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!

7th Grade Science Choice Board Tutorial for Teachers

Build your own Science Choice Board for 7th Grade in minutes! Keep kids engaged & learning using these tactics & templates
To use a choice board in your 7th Grade Classroom during Science you will need to create the Sciencechoices (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 7th Grade Science choice boards to your classroom style!

Here are a few ideas and instructions on choices, classroom management and getting buy-in from your7th Graders

Ideas & Examples of Great 7th Grade Science Choices

Create a Comic Strip: Photosynthesis Fun!
Create a comic strip showing how a plant makes food! Draw a leaf’s adventure, taking in sunlight, water, and CO2 to produce oxygen and glucose. Keep it fun and colorful!
Design a Habitat: Build-a-Biome Diorama!
Create a 3D model of a biome, showing plants, animals, and climate. Use a box, craft materials, and research. Make it realistic and label parts!
Create a Poster: The Rock Cycle Journey!
Draw & label the rock cycle stages: Igneous forms from cooling lava, sedimentary from layers of sediment pressed together, and metamorphic from heat/pressure.
Craft a Story: Journey of a Water Droplet!
Write a short tale from a water droplet’s POV, traveling through the water cycle. Include evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection. Be creative!
Compose a Poem: Ode to the Cell Structure!
Write a poem praising cell parts (like the nucleus, mitochondria). Use metaphors/similes to describe their functions, like “powerhouse” for mitochondria. Be creative!
Sketch a Scientist: Draw Your Science Hero!
Draw a picture of a scientist you admire, real or fictional. Include details like lab equipment or discoveries they’re known for. Get creative!
Invent a Machine: Simple Machines at Work!
Design a gadget using levers, wheels, pulleys, or ramps to do a task like lifting a book. Sketch, build with household items, and explain how it makes work easier.
Debate Club: Argue For/Against Renewable Energy!
Debate Club: Discuss if renewable energy (like solar or wind power) is the best choice for the future. Support or challenge its cost, impact, and reliability.
Research Mission: Explore Space with a Fact Sheet!
Create a one-page fact sheet about a space topic like planets, stars, or missions. Include key facts, images, and why it’s cool! Research online or in books.

Using a Choice Board to Differentiate Science in a 7th 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 7th Grade Classroom During Science (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?