December 8, 2025

Explore boards

This is a concept by Holly Clark from the Infused Classroom. She has AMAZING ideas. You can read more about her explore boards idea on her blog here, but I'll give you the short version...

What is an Explore Board?

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Explore boards are a digital choice board with the purpose of developing background knowledge about a topic. It is filled with links to a set of different forms of media surrounding a common topic, theme or issue.

Click on the TikToks to watch Holly explain and see them in action in her classroom.

Explore boards are perfect for introducing a new unit. Holly uses it to introduce a book for ELA, but I think it could be powerful for our EB students & students who need extra support before learning about a new topic. Explore boards give students schema about any topic before they dive in. Matt Miller from Ditch that Textbook also has more info and examples here: Personalize learning with Explore Boards.

Below are some examples!

Click on the image to see the board.

This Explore Board was created by Holly Clark as a way to introduce students to Tulsa and the 1960’s before jumping into reading The Outsiders.

She based it around this essential question: "For The Outsiders: What was life like in 1960’s Tulsa, Oklahoma?"

This Ben Franklin Explore Board is a resource for students both before they start and while listening to the podcasts for the classroom from GZM Media.

Young Ben Franklin Synopsis: "Before he was Benjamin Franklin, he was just Ben, a boy in colonial Boston with an adventurous spirit."

This Explore Board was created by Jennifer Wolfe as a way to explore the textbook unit on risk and exploration. In it students can explore the different stories, articles, videos, photo galleries, and podcasts around the unit.

Grab a template from Holly!

Create a list of resources for your students to explore before diving deep into a topic. The resources should build background knowledge, peak their interest in the topic and be varied in their medium.

Get a Canva template copy here.

This time of year is hard on everyone. In that spirit, I have reviewed my TeacherTOK algorithm and uncovered some teaching hacks for your consideration. I hope you enjoy!

⚠️ Disclaimer: For anything unhinged to work you have to have good relationships, trust, and a foundation of good classroom management.