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12 Creative Book Report Projects Your Students Will Love

Whether you’re teaching a whole-class novel, or finishing a round of independent reading or literature circles, post-reading assessments are always more engaging when they’re more than just a test or essay.

Below, you’ll discover a dozen fun book report ideas for your middle or high school ELA students, curated by a team of experienced English teachers.

Choose your favorite projects to offer to students as options on a book report project choice board.

Create a Board Game

When I gave “create a board game about the book you read” as a book report option for my students, I was pleasantly surprised at the results! Quite a few students excitedly chose this option and created some really fun-looking games centered on their books. 

This is a great project choice if you’re looking for something that students can’t create by just Googling the book.

Here are some tips and suggestions for assigning a board game book report:

• Give clear parameters and requirements to keep students on track, such as requiring game elements to represent certain literary elements of the book they read.
• Provide suggestions for game components and materials – encourage students to consider the game play and elements of their favorite board games and to use materials they already have at home to create them.
• For a whole-class novel study, consider allowing students to work in teams to create the novel-based board games, then setting aside a class period for students to play each others’ games and see who wins!

If you’re looking to save time… clear directions handouts, lots of suggestions, and a handy grading rubric for a board game post-reading assessment are all included in this resource . Take a look! 

For more independent reading response ideas, check out this post with ideas for fun post-reading projects.

Create a Journey Box

Engaging students in authentic conversations about books is a passion for Carolyn of Middle School Café .  In traditional oral book reports, students simply get up in front of the class and read a summary of the book they read.  Carolyn found this method of oral book reports painful for both her and her students.

Wanting to find a way to help her students talk about their book and keep her class engaged, Carolyn began incorporating Journey Box Book Reports.  A journey box is a shoebox (or bag) that contains artifacts from the story that help the reader share important events from the story. 

Students predetermine what events of the story are most important to share, then they create an artifact to share with the class or small group as they explain the plot.  As an example, Carolyn had a student who read The Diary of Anne Frank.   He created a small 3D tree that he displayed on the desk as he shared about how Anne looked out the window and dreamed of her former life.  It’s a small piece of the story that helps the student explain the plot point and gives the audience something visual to look at and stay engaged. 

Journey Box Book Reports have been successful for Carolyn in both her middle school and high school classrooms.  She does suggest, if using Journey Boxes in older grades, to have students share their stories in small groups.  

Create a Literary Food Truck

If there’s one thing kids love, it’s food – especially high schoolers – and with this in mind, one of Simply Ana P’s favorite ways to recap a class novel or an independent reading unit is with Literary Food Trucks. This is definitely not a new idea, but it’s one that will have you coming back for seconds 🙂 

Ana first tried this project at the end of The Odyssey , where students were able to decide which book(s) they wanted to make the focus of their trucks. The main requirement was that every single choice made had to be intentional and clearly relevant. With this in mind, students could start the planning process. 

You can make the truck’s requirements as simple or as detailed as you prefer, but Ana recommends having students plan: 

• Truck name, design, and branding colors
• Menu design and items (5 items minimum)
• Employee uniforms
• Merch 

Ana includes a writing component by having her students defend all of their selections in the form of a proposal. This is later used in their presentations, and the better (more intentional) their proposal is, the more likely they will win the class vote. This proposal can be anywhere from a few paragraphs to a few pages, depending on what writing goals you have for them, and should definitely include text evidence. 

Part of the beauty of this type of project is that it can be done digital or paper-based. Ana likes to walk her students through a Canva tutorial, where there are even menu templates that students can use so they don’t feel overwhelmed starting from scratch. Or, for more creative students, they can create their trucks on chart paper, poster board, or even 3D dioramas.  After students finish making their food trucks, it’s always fun to take a day for the in-class Food Festival, where students are invited to bring in items from their menus or simply some type of snacks. Some students get super hype about this day and even make/wear aprons or themed employee uniforms. Students are able to walk around, visiting each of their trucks, and casting their votes for Best Food, Most Relevant, and Most Detailed. Have fun and bon appetit !

Create a Mood Board

It can be hard to come up with creative post-reading assessments for your students when they’re done with a full class novel, literature circles, or a choice reading unit. In an attempt to combine 21 st century skills with literary analysis, Samantha from Samantha in Secondary decided to try something a little different. Enter: The Mood Board.

A mood board combines images to elicit a feeling from a viewer much like a writer does with words. The possibilities for using a mood board with your class are endless. Students can create a mood board for an overall book, a character, an event, a theme, a poem, etc. Then, have your students carefully curate a board that is aesthetically pleasing and considers color, space, and design in the execution. As students explain why they’ve made the choices they have, the upper-level thinking comes naturally.

Canva is an excellent tool to use to create your mood boards. Having students interact with software they may be unfamiliar with is a meaningful learning experience in and of itself. If you want to learn more about how to use mood boards in your own classroom, click here to read Samantha’s blog post about it or check out the resource she created that includes done-for-you student instructions, examples, and a rubric here .

Create a New App

How would a character’s life change if there was just the perfect app to solve their conflict??

This is the question Krista from @whimsyandrigor poses to her students as they finish a novel and begin to reflect on the character’s journey. Students begin by discussing all of the details surrounding the protagonist and what they experienced. In small groups and in whole-class discussions, students discuss the conflicts, both internal and external, and then brainstorm all of the realistic and not-so-realistic ways the character could have addressed their problems.

Once students have generated a healthy list of ideas, Krista tells them they get to become an app developer and they must create an app that would greatly benefit a character from their reading.

The requirements are:

• The app cannot already exist.
• The app can be totally unrealistic/not probable.
• The app developer must be able to explain how its features would benefit the character.
• The developer must also create an icon for the App Store.

Here is a print-and-go handout students use to get designing. 

Here are some example apps students could create: to help Will from Jason Reynolds’s Long Way Down , maybe an app that predicts his future would help him decide what to do once he steps off the elevator. Or maybe Romeo from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet would have benefited from a life-detection app that would accurately determine whether or not someone was actually dead.

When students sette on the conflict they want to address and the app that would help, they write a Spill the TEA paragraph, as explained by Krista in this YouTube video .  Using this paragraph organization strategy, students will introduce their app, use evidence to explain how it is necessary for the character, and explain how the app would have benefited or changed the protagonist’s journey.

Now they get to be a graphic designer as they design the app’s icon. Students may want to peruse the actual App Store to get ideas about how an icon is designed, what elements must be present, and how to create something that is eye-catching.

If space allows, Krista encourages you to display the icons and Spill the TEA paragraphs in the hallway for other students to see the in-depth critical thinking and character analysis your students did after finishing a novel. 

Who says technology is only a distraction for our students?! This activity proves technology can help students dive deep into a text and its characters!

Write a Vignette

Lesa from SmithTeaches9to12 often focuses on character-based activities for novel studies including a character profile activity , character conversations through text messages , or the writing of a good vignette. 

Vignettes can be a great way to assess students’ literary analysis skills and understanding of the text. Students write a short piece of about 500 words that is descriptive of a particular moment in time focusing on one of the book’s characters. These moments could be placing the character in a new setting, writing about a particular moment in the story that was less developed, or even extending to a moment beyond the book’s conclusion. Lesa provides students with some mentor texts, including “My Name” by Sandra Cisneros in The House on Mango Street or “The Prisoner Van” by Charles Dickens in Sketches by Boz or even one from a novel being read in class. Review the stories for structure, language choice, sentence structure, use of figurative language, and so on. This helps to co-create the criteria for the assignment. Then students write their own vignette. Build in some peer review as an accountability piece and voila!

Create a Character Collage

It’s safe to say that most English teachers have a bin of cut-up magazines somewhere in their classrooms. While these tattered copies of People and Us Weekly have definitely seen better days, they live on in the many collage creations of our students.

Katie from Mochas and Markbooks loves to use collages as visual representations of comprehension. After reading a novel or short story, creating a character collage to show how a character has evolved from beginning to end requires students to use higher order thinking skills to analyze, synthesize and demonstrate their understanding of characterization by dividing their page in half and choosing words and images to represent the character at the start and conclusion of the story on each side.

The results will show the depth of your students’ interpretation of character as well as their ability to use critical and creative thinking skills to represent their knowledge.

Other ways to use this idea instead of showing character evolution are to show two different sides to a character, for example, who they are with different people in their lives. 

If you are looking for other ways to incorporate collage and magazines into your post-reading assessments, check out this blog post for more ideas!

Design Shoe Charms

Crocs are not Olivia ’s shoe of choice, but when she noticed her students bedazzling their plastic footwear with shoe charms, it was a learning opportunity she just couldn’t pass up. Here’s how to make it work in your classroom:

First, have your students choose a character from the book they have finished reading. Then encourage them to find quotes from the book that reveal the character’s interests, values, or personality. Once they have found their quotes (she has her students find 4), tell them to design and color shoe charms that represent those interests, values, or personality traits. This helps students with inferencing, textual evidence, and even symbolism!

When your students have finished making their shoe charms, they can either tape the charms to their shoes for a fabulous, foot-themed fashion show, or they can glue them to a picture of a Croc for quirky classroom décor. Check out this Instagram post to see the charms Olivia’s students came up with!

Create a Movie Poster

When was the last time you went to the movies? Did you notice the posters along the way? If yes then you have walked down the movie studio promotional lane. Like trailers, studios create movie posters to grab the attention of movie-goers before they even enter the theater. Yes, you may have already purchased your movie ticket, but those posters were created for the future. After you finish watching Sonic 2 , what movie will you see next? You probably already pointed to that poster on the way into the theater and said, “That looks like it is going to be good. I want to see that!”   As a post reading idea, Sharena from The Humble Bird Teacher has her students create movie posters based on the text read in class. This allows her to complete a formative assessment on what the students learned from the text. Before having her class create a movie poster, she shows them examples of posters from different genres such as drama, action, family-friendly, and comedy. Then she hands out a piece of construction paper and goes over the basic requirements. On the movie poster, the students are required to have their actors names or image (characters), the title of the movie, a visual (setting or symbol from the story), and a tagline, and a short two to three sentence summary of the movie. Once her students are finished with the assignment, she displays them outside the classroom, so the students can have their own movie studio promotional lane.  If you are looking for more after reading ideas, click here .

Try Novel Engineering

Whether you’ve been hoping to collaborate with another department, or just really want to try something new, Novel Engineering is an amazing way to get students thinking outside of the box ! Staci from Donut Lovin’ Teacher has found that Novel Engineering requires students to actively comprehend and interact with a novel and get creative about how to help improve the lives of characters! Basically, students work to create a product that will help solve a character’s problem. Here’s how it works…

Before reading : Choose a narrative text where the character faces tangible conflicts. Model and practice the design process in small ways. Try using picture books like Mucha! Muncha! Mucha! in order for students to see and practice what they’ll be doing with a text at grade-level.

While reading : Emphasize the conflicts characters face and give students time to brainstorm possible products that would help solve said problem. Make sure students record evidence from the text so they can later justify the need for the product they design.

After reading : Give students time to draft, craft, and improve their designs that will help solve a problem faced by a character. You can give students options where they draw their creation, make their creation, or even plan a digital app like this, depending on time and resources. Whatever you choose, students will be sure to be pushed to use some skills they may not always practice in an ELA classroom!

Staci has some FREE Novel Engineering Digital Planning Pages or you can read more about her experience with novel engineering on the Donut Lovin’ Teacher blog .

Create a Tik Tok Video

How many times have you passed a group of students filming a TikTok in a hallway? Have you had students ask to film in your class once they finish assignments? You are not alone. Students love TikTok and Yaddy from Yaddy’s Room has figured out how to get students using TikTok for academic purposes!

Yaddy likes to challenge students to create TikTok videos that track a character’s development, encapsulates the main theme of the story, or that exemplifies a key conflict. These easy, low stress videos are great at getting even reluctant students to participate.

To incorporate TikTok videos as a means of assessing students after a novel or story, try the following steps:

1)      Get students to brainstorm which part of the novel they would like to use for their video.

2)      Ask students to start combing TikTok for an audio that fits with the portion of the text they chose

3)      Ask them to plan out how they will realize their vision

4)      Rehearse and film!

5)      Bonus: ask students to upload their videos to Google Drive and share the link with you so that you can make QR codes to post around your classroom!

Want to get started using TikTok videos for book reports? Check on Yaddy’s free planning sheet here !

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Literacy Choice Boards

By Mary Montero

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When I first started using novel studies , I felt like I had to have elaborate packets of text-specific comprehension questions for each book we read. I was concerned about comprehension, accountability, and assessment. However, time and experience has taught me that students really thrive on choice and that there are ways to still provide rigorous reading practice without novel-specific activities. Enter, literacy choice boards!

How Literacy Choice Boards Work

Each choice board has a variety of activities that appeal to different learning styles. As a teacher, I determine how many activities students need to complete from each board and if there are any requirements. For example, sometimes I might ask students to select one activity from each column or row. 

Then students complete the activities in their reading journals during independent reading time. These activities can also become great discussion points during reading groups or centers when students share their journals. The work provides me valuable information about students’ comprehension and can also be used as assessments if needed.

Ready-To-Use Literacy Choice Boards

If you’re just starting out, differentiated choice boards are a great choice. My students always have these in their reading journals. The boards include dozens of prompts for responding to text and can be used for independent responses or literature circles. They meet many different learning styles and cover Bloom’s Taxonomy too. 

I also have two free choice boards for incorporating writing and vocabulary into your novel study. Each one has 9 different and creative ways to respond to almost any novel. 

You can download all four literacy choice boards for FREE here!

When you want your students to practice specific reading skills with their novel, I recommend using skill-based novel study choice boards . There are 33 different options here to practice fiction and nonfiction skills, including 5 specific genre related boards.

More Ways To Respond To Text

If you need even more options, my students also love these reading response task cards . I use these to engage students in thoughtful discussions and written responses about their reading all year long. The goal of these cards is to move your students beyond basic, literal understanding of what they are reading and branch out into inferential, critical thinking. Plus just like choice boards, they work with almost any book!

Mary Montero

I’m so glad you are here. I’m a current gifted and talented teacher in a small town in Colorado, and I’ve been in education since 2009. My passion (other than my family and cookies) is for making teachers’ lives easier and classrooms more engaging.

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42 Creative Book Report Ideas for Students

Inspire your students to share their love of books.

Responding to what you read is an important literacy skill. Reading about other people’s experiences and perspectives helps kids learn about the world. And although students don’t need to dive deeply into every single book they read, occasionally digging into characters, settings, and themes can help them learn to look beyond the prose. Here are 42 creative book report ideas designed to make reading more meaningful.

1. Concrete Found Poem

This clever activity is basically a shape poem made up of words, phrases, and whole sentences found in the books students read. The words come together to create an image that represents something from the story.

2. Graphic Novel

Have students rewrite the book they are reading, or a chapter of their book, as a graphic novel. Set parameters for the assignment such as including six scenes from the story, three characters, details about the setting, etc. And, of course, include detailed illustrations to accompany the story.

3. Book Snaps

Book Snaps are a way for students to visually show how they are reacting to, processing, and/or connecting with a text. First, students snap a picture of a page in the book they are reading. Then, they add comments, images, highlights, and more.

4. Diary Entry

Have your students place themselves in the shoes of one of the characters from their book and write a first-person diary entry of a critical moment from the story. Ask them to choose a moment in the story where the character has plenty of interaction and emotion to share in a diary entry.

5. Character To-Do List

This fun activity is an off-the-beaten-path way to dive deep into character analysis. Get inside the head of the main character in a book and write a to-do list that they might write. Use actual information from the text, but also make inferences into what that character may wish to accomplish.

6. Mint Tin Book Report

There are so many super-creative, open-ended projects you can use mint tins for. This teacher blogger describes the process of creating book reports using them. There’s even a free template for cards that fit inside.

7. Fictional Yearbook Entries

Ask your students to create a yearbook based on the characters and setting in the book. What do they look like? Cut out magazine pictures to give a good visual image for their school picture. What kind of superlative might they get? Best looking? Class clown? What clubs would they be in or lead? Did they win any awards? It should be obvious from their small yearbooks whether your students dug deep into the characters in their books. They may also learn that who we are as individuals is reflected in what we choose to do with our lives.

8. Book Report Cake

This project would be perfect for a book tasting in your classroom! Each student presents their book report in the shape of food. See the sandwich and pizza options above and check out this blog for more delicious ideas.

9. Current Events Comparison

Have students locate three to five current events articles a character in their book might be interested in. After they’ve found the articles, have them explain why the character would find them interesting and how they relate to the book. Learning about how current events affect time, place, and people is critical to helping develop opinions about what we read and experience in life.

10. Sandwich Book Report

Yum! You’ll notice a lot of our creative book report ideas revolve around food. In this oldie but goodie, each layer of this book report sandwich covers a different element of the book—characters, setting, conflict, etc. A fun adaptation of this project is the book report cheeseburger.

11. Book Alphabet

Choose 15 to 20 alphabet books to help give your students examples of how they work around themes. Then ask your students to create their own Book Alphabet based on the book they read. What artifacts, vocabulary words, and names reflect the important parts of the book? After they find a word to represent each letter, have them write one sentence that explains where the word fits in.

12. Peekaboo Book Report

Using cardboard lap books (or small science report boards), students include details about their book’s main characters, plot, setting, conflict, resolution, etc. Then they draw a head and arms on card stock and attach them to the board from behind to make it look like the main character is peeking over the report.

13. T-Shirt Book Report

Another fun and creative idea: Create a wearable book report with a plain white tee. Come up with your own using Sharpie pens and acrylic paint. Get step-by-step directions .

14. Book Jacket

Have students create a new book jacket for their story. Include an attractive illustrated cover, a summary, a short biography of the author, and a few reviews from readers.

15. Watercolor Rainbow Book Report

This is great for biography research projects. Students cut out a photocopied image of their subject and glue it in the middle. Then, they draw lines from the image to the edges of the paper, like rays of sunshine, and fill in each section with information about the person. As a book report template, the center image could be a copy of the book cover, and each section expands on key information such as character names, theme(s), conflict, resolution, etc.

16. Act the Part

Have students dress up as their favorite character from the book and present an oral book report. If their favorite character is not the main character, retell the story from their point of view.

17. Pizza Box Book Report

If you’re looking for creative book report ideas that use upcycled materials, try this one using a pizza box. It works well for both nonfiction and fiction book reports. The top lid provides a picture of the book cover. Each wedge of the pizza pie tells part of the story.

18. Bookmark

Have students create a custom illustrated bookmark that includes drawings and words from either their favorite chapter or the entire book.

19. Book Reports in a Bag

Looking for book report ideas that really encourage creative thinking? With book reports in a bag, students read a book and write a summary. Then, they decorate a paper grocery bag with a scene from the book, place five items that represent something from the book inside the bag, and present the bag to the class.

20. Reading Lists for Characters

Ask your students to think about a character in their book. What kinds of books might that character like to read? Take them to the library to choose five books the character might have on their to-be-read list. Have them list the books and explain what each book might mean to the character. Post the to-be-read lists for others to see and choose from—there’s nothing like trying out a book character’s style when developing your own identity.

21. File Folder Book Report

Also called a lap book, this easy-to-make book report hits on all the major elements of a book study and gives students a chance to show what they know in a colorful way.

22. Collage

Create a collage using pictures and words that represent different parts of the book. Use old magazines or print pictures from the Internet.

23. Book Report Triorama

Who doesn’t love a multidimensional book report? This image shows a 3D model, but Elisha Ann provides a lesson to show students how to glue four triangles together to make a 4D model.

24. Timeline

Have students create a timeline of the main events from their book. Be sure to include character names and details for each event. Use 8 x 11 sheets of paper taped together or a long portion of bulletin board paper.

25. Clothes Hanger Book Report Mobile

This creative project doesn’t require a fancy or expensive supply list. Students just need an ordinary clothes hanger, strings, and paper. The body of the hanger is used to identify the book, and the cards on the strings dangling below are filled with key elements of the book, like characters, setting, and a summary.

26. Public Service Announcement

If a student has read a book about a cause that affects people, animals, or the environment, teach them about public service announcements . Once they understand what a PSA is, have them research the issue or cause that stood out in the book. Then give them a template for a storyboard so they can create their own PSA. Some students might want to take it a step further and create a video based on their storyboard. Consider sharing their storyboard or video with an organization that supports the cause or issue.

27. Dodecahedron Book Report

Creative book report ideas think outside the box. In this case, it’s a ball! SO much information can be covered on the 12 panels , and it allows students to take a deep dive in a creative way.

28. Character Cards

Make trading cards (like baseball cards) for a few characters from the book. On the front side, draw the character. On the back side, make a list of their character traits and include a quote or two.

29. Book Report Booklets

This clever book report is made from ordinary paper bags. Stack the paper bags on top of each other, fold them in half, and staple the closed-off ends of the bags together. Students can write, draw, and decorate on the paper bag pages. They can also record information on writing or drawing paper and glue the paper onto the pages. The open ends of the bags can be used as pockets to insert photos, cut-outs, postcards, or other flat items that help them tell their story.

30. Letter to the Author

Write a letter to the author of the book. Tell them three things you really liked about the story. Ask three questions about the plot, characters, or anything else you’re curious about.

31. Book Report Charm Bracelet

What a “charming” way to write a book report! Each illustrated bracelet charm captures a character, an event in the plot, setting, or other detail.

32. Fact Sheet

Have students create a list of 10 facts that they learned from reading the book. Have them write the facts in complete sentences, and be sure that each fact is something that they didn’t know before they read the book.

33. Cereal Box TV Book Report

This book report project is a low-tech version of a television made from a cereal box and two paper towel rolls. Students create the viewing screen cut-out at the top, then insert a scroll of paper with writing and illustrations inside the box. When the cardboard roll is rotated, the story unfolds.

34. Be a Character Therapist

Therapists work to uncover their clients’ fears based on their words and actions. When we read books, we must learn to use a character’s actions and dialogue to infer their fears. Many plots revolve around a character’s fear and the work it takes to overcome that fear. Ask students to identify a character’s fear and find 8 to 10 scenes that prove this fear exists. Then have them write about ways the character overcame the fear (or didn’t) in the story. What might the character have done differently?

35. Mind Maps

Mind maps can be a great way to synthesize what students have learned from reading a book. Plus, there are so many ways to approach them. Begin by writing a central idea in the middle of the page. For example, general information, characters, plot, etc. Then branch out from the center with ideas, thoughts, and connections to material from the book.

36. Foldables

From Rainbows Within Reach , this clever idea would be a great introduction to writing book reports. Adapt the flap categories for students at different levels. Adjust the number of categories (or flaps) per the needs of your students.

37. Board games

This is a great project if you want your students to develop a little more insight into what they’re reading. Have them think about the elements of their favorite board games and how they can be adapted to fit this assignment. For more, here are step-by-step directions .

38. Comic strips

If you’re looking for creative book report ideas for students who like graphic novels, try comic strips. Include an illustrated cover with the title and author. The pages of the book should retell the story using dialogue and descriptions of the setting and characters. Of course, no comic book would be complete without copious illustrations and thought bubbles.

39. Timeline

Create a timeline using a long roll of butcher paper, a poster board, or index cards taped together. For each event on the timeline, write a brief description of what happens. Add pictures, clip art, word art, and symbols to make the timeline more lively and colorful.

40. Cereal Box

Recycle a cereal box and create a book report Wheaties-style. Decorate all sides of the box with information about the book’s characters, setting, plot, summary, etc.

41. Wanted Poster

Make a “wanted” poster for one of the book’s main characters. Indicate whether they are wanted dead or alive. Include a picture of the character and a description of what the character is “wanted” for, three examples of the character showing this trait, and a detailed account of where the character was last seen.

42. Movie Version

If the book your students have read has been made into a movie, have them write a report about how the versions are alike and different. If the book has not been made into a movie, have them write a report telling how they would make it into a movie, using specific details from the book.

What creative book report ideas did we miss? Come share in our We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

Plus, check out the most popular kids’ books in every grade..

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Increase classroom engagement with choice boards

Here are some ideas for creating choice boards for your students to help engage them in research and give them control over their learning.

T here are so many benefits to integrating student choice into your classroom learning experiences. When students take control of their learning, they are intrinsically more motivated, and more engaged. What's more, their performance of the task improves and learning progress accelerates.

For teachers, designing customized learning experiences for varying styles and interests is equally beneficial for students. This embraces the concept of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Rosey McQuillan, an Assistive and Educational Technology Consultant, puts it this way: “Universal Design for Learning is all about removing barriers during the designing of learning experiences to make sure everyone learns.”

Choice boards

Choice boards are popular ways to explicitly empower students. In a nutshell, choice boards are like graphic organizers with a number of sections, each containing a different activity. Choice boards can be utilized for a wide range of learning objectives, from piquing curiosity through student-driven research, to allowing students to decide the best way to demonstrate and consolidate their learning.

Designing a choice board

When designing a choice board, you should be clear about what academic goal you are aiming for your learners to achieve, and plan the activities based on the learning styles and preferences of your students. You might consider making activities linear, in the sense that they follow a structure and get increasingly difficult, or you may choose to allow random selection. You might also throw in a “Free Choice” square for independent learners who are able to create and carry out an activity of their own choice.

Some or all of the activities may have supporting materials and scaffolds. In Book Creator you can use a variety of multimedia such as text, images, audio, video or links to external content to tailor the experience and make it as engaging as possible.

Taking choice boards further

The design of your choice board can be fairly straightforward, or you can make them as complex as you’d like.

Sandi Dennis is a Media and Tech Specialist at New Prospect Elementary School, in Atlanta, Georgia. Her district, Fulton County Schools, has a particular focus on student choice and Sandi turned to Book Creator to help facilitate learning with her teachers and students.

Sandi takes up the story:

A key finding from the 2019 Gallup report Creativity in Learning showed that teachers and parents agree that creativity in learning inspires better outcomes than traditional learning methods. According to the report, “Teachers believe assignments that require transformative use of technology are more effective” (page 24) and assignments made possible by creating an interactive book were preferred as a method to give students ownership, personalizing learning, and connecting to the real world.

"I cannot think of a more user-friendly platform to inspire creativity in our elementary classrooms than Book Creator. The use of templates to spark ideas and creativity is limitless and instantaneous... a quick mini-lesson and my students were incredibly excited about researching historical events to fill the pages of their Book Creator project.

"The finalized student books in Book Creator can be scored with a check/plus/minus system or rubric . Teacher feedback can be given directly on the project. Sharing finished projects is a breeze as students may add their finished project to a portfolio for student led conferences, the teacher can easily create and share a virtual gallery of final projects, and students may also make screen recordings to present their work to others. I have posted QR codes that launch the books and/or recordings around the Media Center, so the engagement and learning never stops."

Interactive learning

You can see in the Westward Expansion example the power of combining Book Creator templates with choice boards. In Sandi's project, she built out the choice board to link to pages within the book that had activities to complete. So the book itself has a 'Choose Your Own Adventure' feel to it.

To build this method yourself, make sure to hyperlink the text or images in the choice board to a page. When you've completed the book, students can copy the template so they can work on their own version. If you're not sure how to get started, why not remix the template above and edit it for your own purposes?

Explore boards

EdTech consultant Holly Clark takes on the idea of choice boards and expands on it in her article: Using an Explore Board in the Classroom: The Outsiders HyperDoc Example . In her project, she was trying to introduce her students to Tulsa and the 1960’s before jumping into reading The Outsiders .

The mission was to fuel comprehension and allow for students to take control of their research - not just by answering questions that may not have mattered to them (like a worksheet) but by allowing them to take ownership and follow what interested them.

As Holly puts it: the Explore board is meant to contain "information curated by the teacher to help build background knowledge and activate curiosity. Not to just be tasks students have to do - in the hopes that we get them excited to read the book."

In Holly's blog post she's made a template available in Google Docs or MS Word - we've repurposed it as a Book Creator book which you can remix below if you want to try this approach.

Student choice and UDL is at the heart of Book Creator

Book Creator was developed to cater to the different learning styles and interests of students. Universal Design for Learning is a guiding principle for the way we develop Book Creator. When a teacher designs a learning experience in Book Creator, students have a vast choice of options for approaching a task or project.

For example, if a student needs to write a sentence or passage to achieve their learning objective, they can:

1. Add a text box and type 💬

2. use speech to text 🗣, 3. write with the pen tool ✍️, 4. write on paper and take a photo of their work 📷, 5. record their voice onto the page 🔊.

Alternatively, they can draw, illustrate or use imagery to demonstrate their learning:

6. Draw with the pen tool, with the choice of color and thickness 🖍

7. use the magic pen to draw 🌈, 7. draw on paper and take a photo 📝, 8. use icons, emojis and shapes 😘, 9. add images from our safe search library  🐶.

All of these input tools are basic features of Book Creator. If you'd like to learn how to use these, it only takes an hour or so to complete our Book Creator Certified Author course. Follow along with the short videos, complete a quiz, and not only will you be a Book Creator expert, we'll also give you a Certified Author badge!

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Lainey joined the Book Creator team in 2020 as VP of Partnerships, before becoming CEO in 2023. A former educator with 15 years of sales and marketing experience, she enjoys mountain biking, dancing, reading and family time.

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Many teachers use the strategy of student choice to increase engagement, reinforce autonomy, and improve learning outcomes. A reading response choice board is a quick and easy way to provide students with an opportunity to make their own decisions, building a sense of agency with the learning process.  Giving students a choice in how they showcase learning is also an effective method for differentiating instruction. All students learn in their own way, and they need to be able to show their individual skills and interests.

Click here to download the editable, printable, and digital reading choice boards for fiction and non-fiction text!

Use the list of reading response prompts below to make your own choice board. If you’re still not sure about implementing a student choice board, click HERE to download a free printable and digital choice board for fiction text. You can try it with your students, and see how it goes.

• Draw a detailed picture of the setting. Describe your picture using at least three complete sentences.
• Compare yourself to one of the characters in the text. Include two similarities and two differences.
• First, describe the main problem presented in the text. Next, describe how the problem is resolved.
• Explain the mood of the text. List three words from the text that support your mood choice.
• Find, record, and explain one simile or one metaphor used in the text.
• Identify at least one possible theme for this text. Explain your theme choice using at least three sentences.
• Write three questions that came to mind while or after reading this text.
• First, define a new word you learned from  reading this text. Next, use the word in an original sentence.
• Make a connection between the text and something in your life or something in another text.
• Write a five-sentence summary of the text. Include major events and avoid minor details.
• Choose an adjective to describe a character. State evidence from the text to support your adjective choice.
• Create a timeline that includes five events from the text. Include a short description and picture of each event.
• Find a new word you learned from reading this text. Draw a picture to represent the word’s meaning.
• Write a diary or journal entry for one character. The entry should be at least five sentences.
• Change the ending of the text. Describe how the changes affect at least two of the characters.
• Using at least four sentences, predict what might happen if the text were to continue.
• Would you recommend this text to a friend? State why or why not using at least four sentences.
• Write three questions about the text you would like to ask the author.
• State the main idea of this text using only one sentence.
• Write three multiple choice questions that can be answered by reading this text.
• State another possible title for this text. Explain your new title choice using two complete sentences.
• Write a five-sentence summary of the text. Include main points and avoid minor details.
• State something you wish the author included more or less of in this text. Explain why.
• Compare this text to another text on the same topic. State one similarity and one difference.
• Would you like to learn more about this topic? Explain why or why not using at least four complete sentences.
• First, state the topic of the text. Next, list three details about this topic you learned from reading this text.
• Record three facts stated in this text. Answer using complete sentences.
• Explain why the author wrote this text. Answer using at least four complete sentences.
• How do the pictures or graphics help you understand the text? Answer using at least three sentences.
• Did you enjoy this text? Defend your answer using at least four complete sentences.
• Make a connection between something in this text and something in your life.
• First, define a new word you learned from reading this text. Next, use the word in an original sentence.
• Create a detailed illustration that could be added to support this text.

Editable, Printable, & Digital Reading Response Choice Boards

A Collection of Choice Board Examples and Templates

Dr. Robert J. Marzano states that self-agency is an essential outcome for students. The two elements making up student self-agency are voice and choice. He defines agency as students having “the belief that they can positively affect their lives and possess the skills to do so.” While voice and choice are two different elements, they are often connected. Marzano describes choice boards as one way to build self-agency by offering choice in social, environmental, and learning domains.

Four Ways to Offer Choice

In his book, “ The Highly Engaged Classroom, ” Dr. Robert J. Marzano outlines four ways we can offer choice to students: (1) choice of tasks, (2) choice of reporting formats, (3) choice of learning goals, and (4) choice of behaviors (pp. 14, 101). Choice boards can be used for each of these! In his blog, he says,

“Choices of task, reporting format, or learning goal allow students to take control of their learning and make decisions that ensure personal interest in their assignments.” Source

In other words, choices boost engagement and motivation, which lead to more learning! With this in mind, let’s look at a few articles with templates, examples, and steps for creating your own choice boards.

How to Create Choice Boards

How to Create a Choice Board : Using a choice board to allow students to select their own journey while still ensuring they reach their destination is a powerful research-based strategy. Explore John Hattie’s mindset on choice and get five steps for making a choice board.

Choice Board Templates and Examples for Your Students

Choice Boards for Elementary Learners : Take your elementary classroom to the next level with these choice board examples and templates. Your students will thank you! Snag ready-made choice boards or use the templates to create your own. Either way, you’ll be ready to get the choice board party started.

Wakelet Choice Boards : Wish you had an easy-to-access and accessibility-friendly choice board maker? You do! It’s called Wakelet. Learn how to make choice boards the easy way. Check out three example activities, an example Wakelet choice board, and discover the benefits of using Wakelet to offer choice and voice in your classroom.

Templates and Ideas for Differentiated Choice Boards : Check out four ideas for differentiation with choice boards. Then, explore a wide variety of editable templates and examples you can follow. This article definitely has some gems to help students work on their level while still offering them options to choose from.

Choice Boards for Active Learning in Math : Choice boards are a powerful tool to use in any subject, and that includes math! Uncover math-specific templates for all grade levels that include checks for understanding, vocabulary, assessment, infographic creation, multiplication, division, geometry, pre-algebra, and more.

Create Interactive Learning with a Choice Board : Innovative teachers empower students through the use of the choice board, either in paper or digital format. Find digital examples and templates for ELA, history, math, science, and differentiation. You’ll have everything you need to create digital, interactive choice boards for your students in no time.

Have you used choice boards already? Are you planning to start? Share your experience and any additional resources in the comments. We’d love to hear from you!

Emily has been in education since 2008. Prior to joining TCEA in 2021, she worked as a preK-8 grade principal for four years. Additionally, she taught middle school music, preschool, prekindergarten, and second grade in a trilingual school setting. Before that, she was a K-8 technology integrator and taught second through fifth grade enrichment classes and kindergarten, fifth, and sixth grade technology classes. She has a master’s degree in teaching, specializing in elementary education, and her Certificate of School Management and Leadership (CSML) from Harvard Graduate School of Education. Outside of work, she enjoys seeing movies, attending concerts, going camping and hiking, and spending time with her two cats.

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11 Choice Board Templates You Can Use Tomorrow in Your Classroom

February 16, 2022.

Choice Boards are an amazing learner-centered practice you can use to engage your students, provide choice, and easily differentiate instruction.

Rather than start from scratch, we’ve pulled together our favorite choice board templates created by amazing educators.

All you have to do is click the link to access the template, make your own copy, and start customizing. Let’s dive in!

• What is a Choice Board?
• Getting Started Guide
• Template #1: 9 Square Design your Own Digital Choice Board
• Template #2: Creative Book Trailers Ideas
• Template #3: Geography Fun Choice Board
• Template #4: Digital Breakout
• Template #5: Digital Menu for Student Creation

Template #6: Choose Your Own Adventure (Slides & Forms)

• Template #7: Show What You Know
• Template #8: Genius Hour
• Template #9: Fortnite Digital Choice Board
• Template #10: Design Your Own Choice Board
• Template #11: Flexible Choice Board 

What is a Choice Board? 

A choice board, also known as a learning menu, is a great way to differentiate learning for students and allow them to demonstrate mastery at the end of a unit as well.

Choice boards can be created in various formats, but a simple way to think of them is as a graphic organizer. 

Credit: Tom Spall

With digital tools, you can take static, paper format activities and bring them to life.

Choice boards also help to engage students, give them choice in the way they learn, and create a more interactive learning experience. 

Choice boards are pretty easy to create and the best part is you can be creative in how and where you build it, so it’s customized to your students’ needs. 

Below you’ll find eleven plug and play templates you can use right away in your classroom.

It might seem a bit daunting to start from scratch so all you need to do is make a copy of the template and start customizing.

If you’re new to choice boards, here are a few guides to get you started: 

• The Ultimate Guide to Choice Boards and Learning Menus
• The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Choice Boards

Below you’ll find tons of choice board templates created by amazing educators that you can use across multiple grade bands and content areas. All you have to do is click on the link and you’ll get your very own copy to use in your classroom.

Template #1: 9 Square Design your Own Digital Choice Board – Catlin Tucker

>>> Click here to access the template (this link will prompt you to make your own copy)

This choice board template is created by Catlin Tucker and it follows the classic 9 square model.

This allows students to follow a tic-tac-toe approach where they can complete any three activities in a row on this board.

With this format, you can organize a column by a specific topic, skill, or standard.

The best part about this template is that it gives you the structure to easily design your own choice board, but you can really make it your own. 

Elementary 9 Square Template

• Kindergarten Tic-Tac-Toe Choice Board – Math and ELA – A.J. Juliani

Template #2: Creative Book Trailers Ideas – #BISDwired team

  >>>Click here to access the template

This choice board template was created by the #BISDwired team and it shows you how you can create a choice board that uses several different types of tech tools and platforms to create an engaging experience for all students.

This choice board includes a project-based learning element and focuses on book trailers, but you can use this format for any content area. 

Template #3: Geography Fun Choice Board – Shannon Miller

>>> Click here to access the template

This one is for all of the elementary geography teachers! Shannon Miller has created a great choice board with BrainPop videos, games, maps, and more that students can interact with to learn about geography. 

You can make a copy at the link above and use it right away in your classroom or switch it up and add in your own resources and activities for students to complete. 

Template #4: Digital Breakout – Lauren Hawkins

>>> Click here to access the directions on how to create this .

You can also use a choice board to create a breakout activity for your students where they work together or on their own to solve tasks and problems to move to the next step and complete the activity.

This is a fun way to engage your students and increase collaboration!

Lauren has put together an amazing resource with all of the directions, templates, and how-to videos at the link listed above. 

Template #5: Digital Menu for Student Creation – Tom Spall

This choice board combines multiple tech tools and platforms to provide choice with different activities that range from low tech – to high tech options.

This also allows students to build upon skills like communication and creativity, as well as develop new tech skills. 

***For the Google Slides Templates make sure you present the slides for the links to work

• The Secret Villiage – Created by Nathan Gildart
• Math Sample #1 (Friends Theme) – Created by Nathan Gildart
• Math Sample #2 – Created by Nathan Gildart
• The Lost Baby Tiger Template – Slyvia Duckworth
• Left Home Alone –  Created by Nathan Gildart
• The Online Adventures of Mousy and Mickey – Created by Nathan Gildart
• Choose Your Own Adventure Template – Created by Nathan Gildar

A choose your own adventure choice board is a great way to give yourself a break from presenting or delivering a lesson.

With this choice board, you can give students voice and choice in how they learn and they can go at their own pace to complete the lesson asynchronously.

We’ve linked some of our favorite choice board templates above for you to get started with.

Template #7: Show What You Know – Lisa Highfill

>>> Click here to access the templates

This type of choice board is pretty self-explanatory, but the templates linked above allow students to express themselves and choose to demonstrate their learning in the way that works best for them.

This choice board format also provides students the opportunity to use different types of technology to build new skills or refine current ones.

Template #8: Genius Hour – Christine Perkins

Genius hour is an amazing learner centered strategy that allows students to focus on projects of their choosing for one hour each week.

Genius hour is always a hit with students and it can help them identify hidden skills, develop their skills and find topics they’re passionate about.

Sometimes these boards can take longer to create so this is why we’ve pulled together a template you can use right away or copy and customize for your classroom. 

Template #9: Fortnite Digital Choice Board – Tom Spall

This is a fun template that students get really excited about!

They can create a project in the format of their choosing and this template also fosters collaboration.

You can use this template for any unit, project, or content area by customizing the options students can choose from. You can make a copy of this template and add in projects or activities that are aligned to your rubric. 

Template #10: Design Your Own Choice Board – Nick LaFave

This is a simple choice board template you can follow and all you have to do is add in images and text.

The template linked above will prompt you to make your own copy and you can customize it to fit your needs. 

Template #11: Flexible Choice Board – Knikole Taylor

An amazing educator, Knikole Taylor has designed this template to help you quickly and easily create a choice board for any subject area.

You can use this template time and time again. The link above will prompt you to make a copy. 

So…What Do You Think Of These Choice Board Templates?

Now we want to hear from you.

Leave a comment and share your favorite choice board template that isn’t in this post or which template you’re going to use first!

Looking for more resources?

• 20+ Insanely Actionable Teacher Resources You Can Use Today
• Free Blended Learning Workshops
• How a Technology Integration Specialist Used the Pandemic as a Way to Invite Change

[…] 11 Choice Board Templates You Can Use Tomorrow in Your Classroom […]

I love the Genius Hour template, but it says I don’t have access. Is it possible the owner could change share settings?

Hi Hannah, Thank you for reaching out! The owner has changed the share settings and unfortunately we haven’t had any luck in getting the settings changed. I’m so sorry! I will reach out to our training team and see if they have other resources like this.

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Book Reports 2.0

What is a book report.

That term is used pretty loosely. Some people mean a detailed synopsis. Others want an in-depth analysis on one or more literary devices. Some people actually mean a critic's review of the book. There are even those who want EVERYTHING. Storyboard That wants to bring all of the different kinds of book reports together in a much more engaging medium. Make that dreaded book report something fun with different types of projects! Incorporate student choice and let your students pick the way they want to create a report on a book!

Writing a Synopsis

The basis for understanding any piece of literature is to know what is going on. Being able to retell or summarize a story is especially important for students in the younger grades to make sure they can comprehend what they are reading. However, there are very complex plots and subplots in many pieces of high school literature as well, and a synopsis can be highly useful for discussing and understanding the structure of the story.

There are many ways to sum up the plot of a story, depending on length, complexity, and type of story. For a more detailed look, check out the following articles:

• Chapter Summaries
• Parts of a Story
• Plot Diagram
• Five Act Structure
• Parodies, Satire, and Modern Adaptation
• Book Creator

Writing a Literary Analysis

When reading literature, we want students to pick up on various literary devices and elements in addition to understanding the plot of the story. Literary devices enrich plot, character development, description, the reader's connection to the story, and so much more.

Here are a few of the literary devices and literary elements that we love:

• Figurative Language
• Foreshadowing
• Literary Conflict
• Physiognomy
• Themes, Symbols, and Motifs
• Types of Irony

Writing a Critic's Review

Everybody has an opinion. The Common Core wants students to be able to critically analyze the writing of others for style, technique, arguments, and so much more. Spitting back facts or the events in a story does not necessarily mean a student actually understands deeper meanings or can parse out authors' strategies and goals.

Whether you want your students to be wary of rhetorical strategies, the quality of writing, personal opinion on the story, or validity of argument or historical accuracy, we have you covered:

• Teaching Rhetoric with Ethos, Pathos, Logos
• OSCAR - Direct and Indirect Characterization
• Types of Heroes

Book Posters

Posters , especially movie posters , are a great way for students to showcase symbols and themes in a story. There are so many ways to put together a poster for a book, but students will be able to pick the most important elements of a story and represent them visually.

Printable Projects

For even more levels of creativity and customization, students can take advantage of the larger paper and poster-sized layouts to create incredible book reports.

• Book Jackets : Combine a summary, reviews, and a visual interpretation on a book jacket!
• Dioramas : Create dioramas to illustrate key scenes from a story or a story as a whole!
• Postcards and Letters : What would one character write to another? How would the protagonist explain the story to someone who wasn't there? Through a letter, of course!
• Newspapers : How would the events of an important scene look if it was reported in a newspaper?
• Scrapbooks : Combine visuals and writing by creating scrapbook pages to analyze characters and historical figures, among other things.
• Social Media Pages : The ultimate way to analyze a character. What would their social media pages look like?

Related Activities

How to Create Engaging Book Reports with Different Types of Projects

Introduce the concept of book reports.

Explain the different types of book reports that exist, such as detailed synopses, literary analysis, critic's reviews, and more. Emphasize the importance of understanding the story and exploring literary devices.

Encourage student choice

Allow students to select the type of project they want to create for their book report. Provide a variety of options to cater to different interests and learning styles.

Teach students the importance of summarizing a story to understand its key elements. Provide guidance on how to write a synopsis, considering factors like length, complexity, and type of story. Share resources like chapter summaries, plot diagrams, and articles on understanding story structure.

Writing a literary analysis

Help students develop their analytical skills by focusing on literary devices and elements in addition to understanding the plot. Introduce various literary devices, such as figurative language, allusion, foreshadowing, and flashbacks. Teach students how these devices enhance the plot, character development, and reader engagement.

Exploring themes, symbols, and motifs

Encourage students to delve deeper into the thematic aspects of a book. Guide them in identifying and analyzing recurring themes, symbols, and motifs that contribute to the overall meaning and message of the story.

Presenting the book report

Provide students with an opportunity to present their book reports in the medium they chose. Create a supportive and interactive environment where students can share their projects with their classmates. Encourage discussions and reflections on different interpretations and insights gained from each project.

Frequently Asked Questions about Book Reports

What are the essential elements of a book report worksheet.

A book report worksheet should include the title and author of the book, a brief summary of the plot, an analysis of the main characters, a discussion of the book's themes, and an evaluation of the book's strengths and weaknesses. It should also include space for the student to write their opinions and reactions to the book.

Can book reports be done in groups?

Group book reports can be a fun and engaging way to encourage teamwork and collaboration. However, it is important to ensure that each member of the group contributes equally to the project. It may be helpful to assign specific tasks or roles to each group member to ensure that everyone is involved.

Are book report worksheets appropriate for all grade levels?

Book report worksheets can be adapted to suit the needs and abilities of students at any grade level. Younger students may require simpler worksheets that focus on basic story elements, while older students may need more complex worksheets that challenge them to think critically and analyze the book on a deeper level.

How long should a book report worksheet be?

The length of a book report worksheet will vary depending on the age and grade level of the student. Generally, a book report worksheet should be long enough to adequately cover the required elements of the assignment, but not so long that it becomes tedious or overwhelming for the student.

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Novel Study Choice Board

This is a collection of book report ideas or activities to do at the end of the novel.  This a collection of my students' favourite product choices in my classroom experience in grades 4 to 8.  

Saskatchewan Curriculum Outcomes for English Language Arts

Learning Domain: Compose and Create

Standard: Compose and create a range of visual, multimedia, oral, and written texts that explore: - identity (e.g., Expressing Myself) - community (e.g., Celebrating and Honouring Others) - social responsibility (e.g., Within My Circle) through personal experiences and inquiry.

Degree of Alignment: Not Rated (0 users)

Standard: Create a variety of clear representations that communicate straightforward ideas and information relevant to the topic and purpose, including short, illustrated reports, dramatizations, posters, and other visuals such as displays and drawings.

Standard: Compose and create a range of visual, multimedia, oral, and written texts that explore: - identity (e.g., What Should I Do) - community (e.g., This is Our Planet) - social responsibility (e.g. Teamwork) and express personal thoughts shaped through inquiry.

Standard: Speak to express and support a range of ideas and information in formal and informal speaking situations (e.g., giving oral presentations and reports, retelling a narrative, explaining a display to others, working in groups) for particular audiences and purposes.

Standard: Create various visual, multimedia, oral, and written texts that explore identity (e.g., Your Choices), social responsibility (e.g., Looking for Answers), and efficacy (e.g., Systems for Living).

Standard: Use pragmatic (e.g., function and purpose), textual (e.g., paragraphs), syntactic (e.g., complete sentences with appropriate subordination and modification), semantic/lexical/morphological (e.g., figurative words), graphophonic (e.g., spelling strategies), and other cues (e.g., appropriate volume and intonation) to construct and to communicate meaning.

Standard: Create and present a variety of representations that communicate ideas and information to inform or persuade and to entertain an audience, including illustrations, diagrams, posters, displays, and cartoons.

Standard: Write to describe a place; to narrate an incident from own experience in a multi-paragraph composition and in a friendly letter; to explain and inform in multi-step directions and a short report explaining a problem and providing a solution; and, to persuade to support a viewpoint or stand.

Standard: Experiment with a variety of text forms (e.g., a peer interview, presentation at an assembly, poem, letter to parents, short review, poster, tableau, graphic organizer) and techniques (e.g., surprise ending).

Standard: Create various visual, oral, written, and multimedia (including digital) texts that explore identity (e.g., Exploring Thoughts, Feelings, and Ideas), social responsibility (e.g., Taking Action), and efficacy (e.g., Building a Better World).

Standard: Create and present a teacher-guided inquiry project related to a topic, theme, or issue studied in English language arts.

Standard: Create and present a variety of representations including visual and multimedia presentations such as displays, illustrations, and videos, and enhance communication with appropriate graphic organizers, charts, circle graphs, timelines, maps, and sound effects.

Standard: Experiment with a variety of text forms (e.g., meeting, presentation to adults, descriptive poem, opinion piece, a review, front page of a newspaper, short script) and techniques (e.g., dialogue, figurative language).

Standard: Create various visual, oral, written, and multimedia (including digital) texts that explore identity (e.g., Telling One's Life Story), social responsibility (e.g., Examining the Influence of Popular Culture), and efficacy (e.g., Creating Turning Points).

Standard: Create and present a group inquiry project related to a topic, theme, or issue studied in English language arts.

Standard: Write to describe a landscape scene; to narrate a personal story or anecdote and a historical narrative; to explain and inform in a presentation of findings, a biography, a documented research report, and a résumé and covering letter; and to persuade in a mini-debate and a review.

Standard: Experiment with a variety of text forms (e.g., Reader's Theatre, role play, humourous instructions, an electronic presentation, a dramatization, a mini-debate) and techniques (e.g., imagery, music, graphics and statistics in a multimedia presentation).

Learning Domain: Comprehend and Respond

Standard: Comprehend and respond to a variety of grade-level texts (including contemporary and traditional visual, oral, written, and multimedia texts) that address: - identity (e.g., Expressing Myself) - community (e.g., Building Community) - social responsibility (e.g., Preserving a Habitat) and support response with evidence from text and from own experiences.

Standard: View and respond to visual and multimedia texts (including graphs, charts, diagrams, maps, multimedia DVD, websites, television programs, advertisements, posters), explaining the creator's technique and the impact on viewers.

Standard: Listen, summarize, paraphrase, and evaluate what was listened to and draw conclusions.

Standard: Read for various purposes and demonstrate comprehension of grade-appropriate fiction (including stories and novels), scripts, poetry, and non-fiction (including magazines, reports, instructions, and procedures) from various cultures including First Nation

Standard: Analyze and respond to a variety of grade-level texts (including contemporary and traditional visual, oral, written,and multimedia texts) that address: - identity (e.g., Exploring Heritage), - community (e.g., Teamwork), - social responsibility (e.g. What is Fair?).

Standard: Read and demonstrate comprehension of a range of contemporary and classical grade-appropriate fiction, script, poetry, and non-fiction (including magazines, reports, instructions, and procedures) from various cultures including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit and countries (including Canada).

Standard: View, listen to, read, comprehend, and respond to a variety of texts that address identity (e.g., Growing Up), social responsibility (e.g., Going the Distance), and efficacy (e.g., Making Our Community More Peaceful).

Standard: Select and use appropriate strategies to construct meaning before (e.g., considering what they know and need to know about topic), during (e.g., making connections to prior knowledge and experiences), and after (e.g., drawing conclusions) viewing, listening, and reading.

Standard: Read independently and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of information texts with some specialized language including grade level instructional materials, non-fiction books, reports and articles from magazines and journals, reference materials, and written instructions.

Cite this work

The Secret Garden Chapter 26

The Secret Garden Chapter 27

5 Choice Boards with Free Templates

• By Gay Miller in Aids for Teachers

January 18, 2018

Units of study that provide students with the option to choose tasks are a great way to differentiate instruction. Activities are placed on graphic organizers called Choice Boards for students to select. Tasks may be organized based on Bloom’s Taxonomy, the complexity of the tasks, learning styles, or multiple intelligence.

Some advantages include —

• The teacher can easily tier challenges based on the level of learners.
• Students become actively engaged because they are more interested in the tasks. 
• Students can use media that best fit their teaching style. For example, textbooks and articles, podcasts or audio, or videos may be an option.  You may also have some activities that incorporate hands-on construction. Other activities may appeal to the arts such as create a song, paint a picture, or write a script. 

Click here.

This download includes a PowerPoint presentation with editable Choice Board templates.

Think-Tac-Toe Choice Board 

With the Think-Tac-Toe Choice Boards, students are given a choice of nine items printed in a 3 by 3 grid to look like Tic-Tac-Toe. Students must complete three tasks in a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal Tic-Tac-Toe row. The boards need to have a variety of activities that include different types of learning.

For example, for a list of vocabulary words students might:

BINGO Choice Board

Bingo Choice Boards are very similar to Tic-Tac-Toe boards. Students must select tasks in a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal row. This will include 4 or 5 tasks depending on the direction a student decides to go.

With menus, students select activities the same way they select from a menu in a restaurant. The activities can be for a single lesson, a series of lessons, or a full unit of study.

Appetizers (Flexible – Open for Discussion)

Students must select one appetizer from a list.

The Main Dish (Required – Non-Negotiable Assignment) 

Side Dishes (Flexible – Open for Discussion)

Students must select two items from a list.

Desserts (Optional)

These are high-interest challenging activities that enrich instruction.

RAFT is a writing strategy to help students focus on four areas of communication:    

R ole of the Writer

Students select the role, audience, format, and topic from a chart listing approximately  16  categories. Within one lesson you may have a student who is a reporter writing an article for women about ways to recycle. I n the same lesson, a student might be an advertiser creating an ad for youth on ways to take trash and turn it into furniture. The possibilities are great even within your structured lesson. You can read more about RAFT here and download a free sample lesson using this method.

1-3-5 Activity

Students select from a list of activities. Each activity is valued at 1, 3, or 5 points. Students must complete activities that total at least 12 points.

Give Choice Boards including Menus, RAFT, or 1-3-5 a try with these free templates.

This download includes a PowerPoint presentation with editable templates. You can change the text, format, and resize the font in any of the table boxes. Click on the text to highlight the table. Then retype the text to create your own choice boards.

Click here to download t his download includes a PowerPoint presentation with editable Choice Board templates.

• Thinking Skills

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12 Exciting Ideas for a Book Project for High School Students

Searching for new ideas for a book project but not sure where to start? If you are like me, you love finding new engaging ideas for your students. However, finding projects specifically for a novel can be tough. I don’t want to give a test or assign a book report. I really love when students can share their creativity because they always surprise me. But making sure my students are completing standards based assessments on the same level can be difficult. If you are ready to update your novel project ideas, check out my list of 12 projects that you can implement right away in your classroom! 

Hey teacher, before I share my book project ideas, I wanted to give you a shortcut to starting your novel projects. Check out my Novel Study Project Ideas resource so your students can start their creativity right away. Students have access to 12 project choices with the Novel Project Choice Board. Each novel project includes a Project Requirement handout that includes a place to brainstorm ideas. Each creative assessment also comes with a detailed rubric for easy grading. Want to know more about each project option, keep reading below. 

Why Book Project Ideas Are Better

When chapter tests don’t work.

When I first started teaching, I thought that I needed to quiz my students. How was I supposed to know that they are understanding the novel? Plus chapter tests and a big exam at the end of the novel were easy to grade. But memorizing information about the plot is not higher level thinking. It certainly does not allow for creativity or show a deeper understanding of a text. I wanted something more for my students but it took quite a few years to find something that worked. That’s where these ideas for a book project were born. 

Why You Should Switch to a Novel Study Project

You are an awesome teacher who is looking for more for your students. I know you are ready for a change, and I have the perfect ones. You do not need to spend hours changing your curriculum or searching for the perfect project. All you need is to have your novel and a few days to commit to project work time. If you want your students to share their understanding of the main characters, conflicts, events, and themes from the novel, then novel projects are for you. Give your students a chance to show off their skills and creativity. Without restrictions or info regurgitation, your students will exceed your expectations. Ready to start with novel projects, then keep reading to learn about each of my 12 novel study project ideas.

12 Projects for Novels

Novel project #1: twitter posts.

Students choose the main character and their conflict for this project focus. Over the course of 12 tweets, students show the protagonist’s progression. The tweets include specific examples from the story to show understanding. While following the proper character format, each tweet can stand alone as a character’s thought. However, all tweets connect together to show the progression of a character.

Novel Project #2: TikToks

Allow students to combine the latest trends with their love of social media. What better way to showcase a main character and their struggles than with a TikTok series? Students create four TikToks videos that show the protagonist’s main conflict. By including specific examples from the novel, students show reading comprehension. Expect your students to bring the razzle-dazzle of music, voiceovers, captions, and more with this project. 

Novel Project #3: Netflix Show

Think your students are binge-watching pros? Then creating their own Netflix show should be no problem. Students create a drama-filled show that focuses on the main character and their struggles. Students will create a show overview to tease the reader about their overall concept. The show will also include a set of eight episode overviews. Each episode will include a part of the protagonist’s story, an image, and an episode title.

Novel Project #4: Original Song

Music is such a great outlet for students. I am always surprised by the level of talent that some of my students have. Allow your students to take on the persona of the main character and have them create an original song. With two verses and a chorus, students will share the story of the protagonist’s struggle. They will set their song to music and then record themselves singing it. I always offer bonus to the bold students who want to sing it live to the class.

Novel Project #5: Spoitfy Playlist

For my nonmusically talented students who still love listening to songs, I have the Spotify Playlist project. Students map out the main character’s conflict and how they overcome it, and they tell that story through songs. In this character playlist, students choose 12 songs that show the progression of the protagonist struggle and how it ends up for them. Students create the playlist on Spotify and then add comments to each song explaining how that song relates to a specific part of the story. By pulling lyrics from the songs, students will also practice their citing and analyzing skills.

Novel Project #6: PSA Video

Have a student who deals better with facts and statistics? The PSA Video is the project for them. Students create their own Public Service Announcement based on the conflict of the main character. Formatted like a PSA, the 45-60 second video must include researched information, a call to action, and the next steps for the viewer. While the video itself must have a professional quality to it, students do not have to be in front of the camera for this project.

Novel Project #7: Diary Entries

If your students are more creative writers, they can step into the mind of the protagonist. First, students create 10 diary entries that provide insight into the character’s struggles and how they try to resolve them. Then, students will write these entries in first person point of view and in the classic diary form. Finally, students will show they understand the thoughts of their characters by adding specific examples from the story. 

Novel Project #8: Children’s Book

Combining arts and creativity is a great outlet for your students with a children’s book. Students will take the main character and the lesson that they teach to create a story. Next, students design an eight page set that includes illustrations on each page and simple sentences to tell the protagonist’s conflict. The book should target a young audience that presents a clear theme.

Novel Project #9: Magazine Article

Some students who think logically will find the appeal of a magazine article. First, students will consider the protagonist’s main conflict and write a nonfiction piece on that conflict. Students should include research and facts about this topic. The article should also include an interview with the protagonist sharing their experience with this problem. I require the article to contain 750-1000 words, subheadings, images, and easy-to-read font.

Novel Project #10: Podcast

Podcasts are becoming increasingly popular and make a great character project. Students have the choice of conducting an interview with the character or creating the podcast as the character. The show must focus on the protagonist’s main conflict and their journey. The podcast has to be at least two minutes long and follow the format of a show with intro music, altro music, and a cover image. Students will need to make sure that they have clear audio for this project.

Novel Project #11: Poet’s Notebook

Some of my students excel at poetry and hardly ever get the chance to share it. In this project, students create a poet’s notebook of at least four poems. First, the poems must combine to be at least 40 lines but can follow any structure. And, the only requirements are that the poems relate to the main character and are written in poetic verse. Finally, the poems should connect in some way as they are a series. Finally, students should create a cover image for their collection.

Novel Project #12: Visual Art

For the artists in your class, challenge your students to create a visual art piece. Students have the freedom to create a visual piece in any medium. The focus of the piece should be the protagonist and their conflict. All artwork must be 100% created by the student. Finally, students need to include a one paragraph artist statement. The statement will provide insight into the artist’s choices and how it relates to the protagonist.

More Creative Ideas for Book Project

How to Teach a Novel Unit That Engages High School Students

5 Alternatives to Writing an Essay

3 Fresh Ideas You Can Use To Teach Characterization

Amp Up Your Class with the Powerful Strategy of Collaborative Classroom Projects

I hope these novel study project ideas help you to start thinking creatively. As you finish up your novel, start planning what projects you want your students to create in your classroom. One of the benefits of creative projects such as these ideas is that grading is so much more fun. Seeing your students show a deeper understanding of the characters and show off their skills.

 I hope you love these ideas for a book project and you try them out with your students. And, I would love to hear what new ways you use these novel project ideas. If you have some new ideas for a book project, tag me or send me a DM @theteacherrewrite on Instagram. You can always see what other great things I am working on in my classroom by checking out my blog . 

If you are ready to rewrite your novel project curriculum right away, check out my Novel Study Project Ideas resource. In this print or digital resource, I include all 12 novel project ideas from this post. Each project comes with a detailed description, a place to brainstorm, and a detailed rubric. These novel projects work with any novel so you can get started tomorrow. You are ready to start working on these novel projects right now.  I can’t wait to hear all your ideas for a book project!

Download Your FREE Literary Analysis Essay Writing Teacher Toolkit Today!

Ready to take your literary analysis writer’s workshop to the next level? 

Teaching how to write a literary analysis essay can be tough. If you want to simplify the writing process for your students while making sure you don’t forget any steps, then this toolkit is made for you!

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Privacy Overview

Using choice boards just makes sense! Every individual student represents a unique blend of strengths, interests, needs, experiences, and background knowledge, so it stands to reason that a one-size-fits-all approach to assessment is not ideal. Giving students some choice in how they are assessed is beneficial in a number of ways.

We likely all know somebody who refers to themself as a person who “doesn’t test well.” This usually means that they struggle with memorizing facts or that they succumb to the pressure of timed tests. What is our goal, as educators? Are we trying to create an assessment that only a percentage of our students can master or are we trying to get a true snapshot of each child’s understanding of the content that we taught?

Further, it becomes far too easy to place a premium on students’ testing achievement.  I would argue that our true task is to ensure that they are able to retain and apply the knowledge that has been learned.

Let’s explore some options that allow our students to do just that. After that, check out some specific choice board examples that are available for download .

What are Choice Boards?

Choice Boards are typically presented as a grid of various teacher-approved activities that students can use to demonstrate mastery of content.  The idea is to offer enough variety so that every student might select an option that plays to his strengths and interests.  The number and types of options are up to you, the educator.  I have typically seen Choice Boards used in one of three ways:

1) Single-Session Activities

The teacher offers a Choice Board with a number of short tasks that either ask students to explore new material or apply previously-learned content. These tasks are completed during a class session.

2) Multiple Activities

In this option, a Choice Board is given at the beginning of a unit and students are tasked with completing a number of relatively short activities by the due date.  Unlike the Single Session Choice Board, these activities are typically completed outside of class.

3) End of Unit Assessment

The teacher offers a number of larger project options that would take the place of a traditional end-of-unit test.  The student is typically given a couple of weeks or more to select and work on the project on their own time.  Each option should allow students to thoroughly demonstrate mastery of content.

Why should I use Choice Boards?

When students have some choice in how they will demonstrate their knowledge, they are likely to be more motivated.  Having choice may also reduce fear and anxiety.  For example, one student might love the opportunity to write and perform a song or speech that demonstrates what she has learned, while another student might prefer a less performance-based option such as creating a PowerPoint presentation.  

Above all else, I want to endorse the idea that solid Choice Board options will demonstrate student mastery of content at least as well, if not better, than a multiple-choice quiz or test.

How do I grade Choice Board submissions?

This is an important question, and one that I get almost every time that I introduce Choice Boards during a training.  With such a variety of activities, it might seem like you are comparing apples to oranges. The best way to ensure that you are accurately assessing your students’ mastery of content is to have a rubric.  Be sure to share the rubric up front with students.  It might include things such as:

• Content – How well does the submission demonstrate that a student learned the content?  You might be looking for use of key vocabulary or integration of particular concepts.
• Accuracy – Does the submission reflect a correct understanding of content?
• Completeness – Is the submission thorough in its portrayal of what was learned in a given academic unit? Were all requirements for the project met?
• Creativity – You may choose to reward students who put a creative spin on a project or who seem to step out of their comfort zone during the course of the project.
• Punctuality – Was the assignment submitted on time?

Have fun creating choice board options that will engage your students and allow them to play to their strengths.

Happy teaching.

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Novel Study Choice Board: 12 Creative Project Prompts better than a Book Report

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Description

Get your students invested in showing you about their novel with this novel study choice board. There's a time and place for book reports, but there are better and more engaging ways to check for understanding!

This resource includes 12 open-ended project prompts that allow students to use their own creative strengths to share about their novel. Your students will find themselves doing any of the following to show their understanding:

• Graphic design
• Recording a podcast
• Creating a video
• Building a 3-D model
• Acting out an interview

Click "View Preview" to preview the resource before purchase.

These resources may help your students with their novel study projects:

• 40 Printable Templates for Storyboards or Comic Strips
• Create Your Own Invention Activity
• Novel Study: Soundtrack Activity [create soundtracks to books or just for fun!]

You may also like:

• (FREE!) Five-Sentence Summary Graphic Organizer
• Book Review Templates for K-5+ [Differentiated with over 20 different designs!]
• English Language Arts Graphic Organizers Bundle: Writing and Vocabulary

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