Crafty Nonfiction Choice Boards

This year, I'm asking my students to read one nonfiction picture book each week. To make it more engaging, I decided to develop a choice board. Not your everyday run-of-the-mill choice board, but something really crafty!

(Available free at my Teachers pay Teachers store. Just click!)

My students will select one activity for each week of the first quarter. The choice board may also be used as an anchor, tic-tac-toe, or single choice activity. I purposefully left the directions rather open-ended to force kids to think about what they might do. This brings some creative and critical thinking into the picture. Two students may come up with widely diverse projects for the same square!

I couldn't wait to get started on these projects . . . so I decided to try them myself. Check out these pictures and instructions. I had so much fun!

Cootie Catcher Vocabulary - Choose four key vocabulary words from the text. For each word, find two good synonyms. Build a cootie catcher. (Directions and pictures are easy to find on the Internet.) Write the vocabulary words on the outside squares and the small triangles. On the inside, write four facts that link the vocabulary words. (CCSS RI.3.4, RI.4.4)

Crafty Content Diagram  - Think about the main idea or structure of the book. Use construction paper to build a diagram that explains it to others. (CCSS RI.3.2, RI.4.2)

Paper Chain Summary - Cut strips of construction paper. Write one main concept or event from the book on each strip. Link them together (in order) to form a paper chain. (CCSS RI.3.2, RI.4.2)

Paper Bag Artifacts - Think about physical artifacts that would allow others to experience facts and ideas from the book. Decorate a paper bag and place at least eight items inside.

Paper Plate Compare/Contrast - You'll need to read two books with similar content for this activity. Connect two paper plates so that half of one plate overlaps the other. Write similarities between the books on the overlapping part and differences on the non-overlapping parts. (CCSS RI.3.9, RI.4.9)

Main Idea Sticky Notes  - Write the key ideas, principles, or events from the text on sticky notes. What main idea do these support? Stick the notes around the edge of a large index card and write the main idea in the middle. (CCSS RI.3.2, RI.4.2)

Question Cube - Think of three explaining questions and three inferring questions for the text. Write them on the squares of the question cube template. Cut around the edges, fold, and tape together. (CCSS RI.3.1, RI.4.1)

Claims and Evidence Fold and Cut - Fold a piece of construction paper in half lengthwise. Measure and cut the front only to form three (or four) flaps. On the inside, write three (or four) claims the author made, one under each flap. now cut each of the front sections into three strips. On the front, write three pieces of evidence, one on each strip, that the author used to support the claim that appears beneath them. (CCSS RI.4.8)

Enjoy!

Brenda