If you are studying a topic that lends itself particularly well to a visual aid, create an anchor chart! If you are studying plants, draw a giant flower and label all of the parts while you teach about them. Anchor charts trigger connections with the initial lesson. When students are involved in the process of creating learning tools, they are more likely to comprehend more deeply and remember more of what they learn. Here are a few ways to get the most bang for your buck. Now that you know the how, you may be wondering about the when and why. How do I use anchor charts in my classroom? You’ll find tons of examples in the links included below. Just make sure you create your own version from scratch so your students experience the learning as you go. If your teammate has already tackled a topic, use the same format. Teachers always get their best ideas from other teachers. Choose carefully so the ones you create have the greatest impact. While anchor charts are a super useful tool, don’t feel as if you need to create one for every single lesson. The more ways students can access information about a subject, the better. Draw simple pictures to complement the words. Don’t allow distracting, irrelevant details or stray marks, such as arrows or overemphatic use of underlining. Use easy-to-read graphics and clear organization. Use different colors and bullet points to help students discriminate between strategies and quickly access information. A few helpful tips: Make them colorful and print-rich. Students can refer to them and use them as they think about the topic, question ideas, expand ideas, and/or contribute to discussions in class. Posting the charts keeps relevant and current learning accessible to students, reminds them of prior learning, and enables them to make connections as new learning happens. For an awesome tutorial, check out this blog and template from third grade teacher Michael Friermood.Īfter your chart is created, it can be displayed as needed-for a short unit, as a one-time reference tool, as something you continue to add to, or as something that stays up all year-like your classroom procedures or behavior expectations. They are best used as an interactive tool with students.Īs you model a lesson or learning strategy and interact with your students through discussion, you fill in the blank spaces of the anchor chart. It’s very important not to create the entire poster ahead of time. Typically, you will prepare the framework of your chart ahead of time, giving it a title, including the learning objective, and creating headers for the main points or strategies you want to highlight. All it takes is a clear purpose and some pre-planning. It’s easy to incorporate anchor charts into your lesson plans. You really don’t need any special materials or artistic skills-just chart paper and a colorful assortment of markers. Anchor charts build a culture of literacy in the classroom by making thinking-both the teacher’s and students’-visible. As you teach a lesson, you create a chart, together with your students, that captures the most important content and relevant strategies. What is an anchor chart?Īn anchor chart is a tool used to support instruction (i.e., “anchor” the learning for students). Once you get started, we’re pretty sure anchor charts are going to be one of your favorite go-to strategies. So we’ve created this primer to help you out! Also included is a huge list of anchor chart round-ups to use as a resource. If you’re new to teaching, you may have lots of questions about what anchor charts are, what purpose they serve, how to get started, and when to use them. One of the best, most effective tools for the classroom is anchor charts, although you won’t find Anchor Charts 101 on most teacher training programs’ syllabi.
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