Choice Texts is eSpark’s latest feature through which students act as co-creators of their reading lessons, ensuring next-level personalization and engagement. Students will encounter Choice Texts in most Reading Informational, Reading Literature, and Reading Foundational Skills Quests as well as some teacher-assigned Small Group Skills.

With Choice Texts, students build their stories and informational text passages in real time by selecting from a list of options or entering free-form text when prompted. These decisions span everything from the overarching genre/theme of the text to plot points, character traits, and detailed subtopics. The result is a playfully personalized passage at the heart of the standard-aligned lesson.

After the text has been generated, the student’s trusted companion, Rocky, provides prompts based on the lesson’s learning target. This gives students a chance to practice with something of their own making, resulting in significantly higher engagement than static, one-size-fits-all text.

The Rocky character is not just used to deliver formative assessment within the lesson, it also serves as a “guide on the side,” providing scaffolding for the student with real-time feedback, hints, and remediation. This cooperative learning environment adds another layer of fun while serving a critical instructional purpose.

Student can choose to publish their favorite Choice Text stories and articles to a Class Library. Students can access the Class Library when they log in to eSpark. The Class Library creates opportunities for a more social and connected learning experience!

You can the stories and articles your students have created right through your teacher dashboard. You can read, download, and/or print your students' favorites! Just go to the Student Work tab to find your students' stories and articles.

Choice Texts can also be moderated via the Student Work tab. At any point, you can choose to remove a text from the Class Library and/or report the text to eSpark.

You can now assign Small Group Skills with Choice Text activities. Simply search for "choice texts" on the Small Group Skills tab of your teacher dashboard to find a lesson that's right for your class.

Sometimes students need a little inspiration to get the gears in their brains turning. Check these posters and other fun Choice Texts printable resources in this article.

Build your own story to preview the magic of Choice Texts for yourself!