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!

8th Grade Vocabulary Choice Board Tutorial for Teachers

Build your own Vocabulary Choice Board for 8th Grade in minutes! Keep kids engaged & learning using these tactics & templates

Common Core Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.4, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.5, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.6

To use a choice board in your 8th 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 8th Grade Vocabulary choice boards to your classroom style!

Here are a few ideas and instructions on choices, classroom management and getting buy-in from your8th Graders

Ideas & Examples of Great 8th Grade Vocabulary Choices

Synonym Skit Creation

Create a short play using words with similar meanings (synonyms) in place of common words. Act it out to show how synonyms work in context.

Vocab Visual Posters

Create a poster with a word, its definition, a sentence using it, and draw a picture to show its meaning. Make it colorful and fun!

Word Roots Web Quest

Explore the origins of words in our Word Roots Web Quest! Find out how Latin and Greek roots form many English words. Your mission: discover 5 roots and their meanings, then identify 2 words for each root.

Flash Fiction Frenzy

Flash Fiction Frenzy: Write a super short story (usually under 500 words) that has a beginning, middle, and end. It’s a fun challenge to tell a complete tale quickly!

Crossword Puzzle Challenge

Solve clues to fit words across and down a grid. Some words share letters. Use your vocab skills to complete the puzzle!

Metaphor and Simile Comics

Create comic strips showing characters in funny situations using metaphors (direct comparisons) and similes (comparisons with “like” or “as”) to describe actions or feelings.

Idiom Illustration Gallery

Create a display of drawings or collages that show the literal and figurative meanings of idioms like “spill the beans” or “piece of cake.”

Prefix Power-up Presentation

Create a slideshow showing 5 prefixes, their meanings, and examples. Add images for fun! Like ‘un-‘ means ‘not,’ as in ‘unhappy.’

Antonym Acrostic Adventure

Create a poem where each line starts with a letter from a word. For each line, write an antonym of that word. Example: if “HOT,” write “Heavenly cool,” “Overcast,” “Tundra.”

Using a Choice Board to Differentiate Vocabulary in a 8th 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 8th 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?