Genre-based Choice Texts have landed in eSpark, and they’re taking the new school year by storm! Keep an eye out for these scintillating, one-of-a-kind reading experiences, available now in eSpark’s Adaptive Path and Assignments (formerly known as Small Group Skills).
What are Genre-Based Choice Texts?
These activities promote the same student agency and voice as “original” Choice Texts, but with highly tuned prompts that generate unique stories aligned to the genre in question. In our testing, we found these stories to be highly engaging and of consistently high quality.
Our recommendation for teachers is to leverage these Assignments to keep things fresh and foster whole-class discussions on various topics. When combined with the Class Library, genre-based Choice Texts can serve as a highly social and collaborative activity. Consider setting up peer reading groups; fostering class discussions on what makes a good poem, myth, or mystery; and hosting student read-alouds.
Which genres are we talking about? Let’s take a look!
How Do These Links Work?
If you’re already eSparking, make sure you’re signed in, then click the link to jump straight to the Assignment for the grade level of your choosing. Want to assign across different grade levels? Simply type the genre into your Assignments search bar to bring up all available options.
If you haven’t yet signed up for eSpark, click the blue “Sign up free” button at the top of your screen and come back here once you’ve rostered one or more students!
Mystery 🕵️
Whodunnit? Mystery Choice Texts revolve around an event or series of events that our protagonist needs to unravel and solve. Get out your magnifying glass, figure out the motive and opportunity, and use logical deduction to find the culprit!
Assign: Kindergarten | 1st Grade | 2nd Grade | 3rd Grade | 4th Grade | 5th Grade | 6th Grade
Fantasy 🧙🏾
Magic, elves, fairies, and the hero’s journey. Students are invited to escape to fantastical realms of their own creation with Fantasy Choice Texts. Find the MacGuffin, defeat the evil, and save the world!
Assign: Kindergarten | 1st Grade | 2nd Grade | 3rd Grade | 4th Grade | 5th Grade | 6th Grade
Fairy Tales 🧚🏼
Once upon a time there lived a curious student with a knack for weaving wondrous and captivating tales of trials, tribulations, and happily ever afters… Get nostalgic and craft your own Fairy Tale Choice Text based on the tropes and archetypes of this classic genre!
Assign: Kindergarten | 1st Grade | 2nd Grade | 3rd Grade | 4th Grade | 5th Grade | 6th Grade
Realistic Fiction 🧑🏿🚒
No need to travel to imaginary worlds to tell a fantastic story. With Realistic Fiction Choice Texts, students can craft stories based on characters and settings they know in real life (or let their imagination run wild by exploring new environments). This is a great genre for teachers who want to weave local history or science and social studies topics into reading time.
Assign: Kindergarten | 1st Grade | 2nd Grade | 3rd Grade | 4th Grade | 5th Grade | 6th Grade
Poetry 🗣️
It’s getting to be about that time, for students to practice their rhythm and rhyme.
With a familiar, catchy cadence and tone, these poems will stick better than a lecture alone.
If student engagement starts to look a bit bleak, assign a Poetry Choice Texts to your whole class this week!
Assign: Kindergarten | 1st Grade | 2nd Grade | 3rd Grade | 4th Grade | 5th Grade | 6th Grade | 7th Grade
Fables 🐺
Fables are a timeless classic, where animals are personified and every tale has a double meaning. The moral of the story is this: Aesop is cool and all, but let’s see what kind of magic students can make with the power of choice and creativity at their finger tips.
Assign: Kindergarten | 1st Grade | 2nd Grade | 3rd Grade | 4th Grade | 5th Grade | 6th Grade
Drama 🎭
Now this is what we call an interactive spin on Choice Texts. Our Drama activities, aka “Reader’s Theatre,” put students in the playwright’s seat, with every choice they make resulting in a script made for the stage. If you’re looking for the perfect collaborative small group activity, look no further. Put out the casting call, clear the schedule, and watch your students bring their plays to life!
Assign: Kindergarten | 1st Grade | 2nd Grade | 3rd Grade | 4th Grade | 5th Grade | 6th Grade | 7th Grade | 8th Grade
Tall Tales 🐟
Some might say a little embellishment is good for the soul. In Tall Tales Choice Texts, students can create their own versions of larger-than-life characters and their exaggerated exploits to live alongside the likes of John Henry, Calamity Jane, and Paul Bunyan. Have you ever heard of Whirly Wendy, the girl who could spin so fast she made mini tornadoes? She’s just one of the recurring characters in these grandiose Tall Tales.
Assign: Kindergarten | 1st Grade | 2nd Grade | 3rd Grade | 4th Grade | 5th Grade | 6th Grade | 7th Grade | 8th Grade
Myths 🧜🏻
Mythology is one of the oldest genres in human storytelling history, and now every student has the chance to put their own slant on the supernatural beings or events at the heart of cultural tradition. 3rd-8th graders are invited to concoct scientifically dubious explanations for natural wonders or explain the history of civilization through metaphor and allegory.
Assign: 3rd Grade | 4th Grade | 5th Grade | 6th Grade | 7th Grade | 8th Grade
Legends 👸🏽
Legends Choice Texts are, put simply, nothing short of legendary! Students will explore reading skills like theme, key details, and point of view by constructing their own legends. This combination of imagination and choice is what legends are made of.
Assign: Kindergarten | 1st Grade | 2nd Grade | 3rd Grade | 4th Grade | 5th Grade | 6th Grade | 7th Grade | 8th Grade
Science Fiction 🤖
Is the next Isaac Asimov hiding in plain sight? Students can take to the stars and explore the future with Science Fiction genre-based Choice Texts. As long as that future holds more opportunities for students to shape their own learning experiences, we’re all-in!
Assign: Kindergarten | 1st Grade | 2nd Grade | 3rd Grade | 4th Grade | 5th Grade | 6th Grade | 7th Grade | 8th Grade
More Genre-Based Choice Texts to Come…
The quality, variety, and overall reception of these new Choice Texts flavors has exceeded all expectations. This first batch is just the beginning! We strongly encourage all teachers to check these stories out this school year, and we’ll continue to explore new ways to keep things fresh for students. Don’t forget—we’re always on the lookout for more anecdotes of how these activities are supporting your goals and classroom culture. If you and your students find something you like, let us know!
Until next time, have fun eSparking!
