Store bought and laminated posters no longer cover classroom walls. Today classrooms covered with anchor charts.
Anchor Charts are a great way to make your thinking visible as you record strategies, processes, cues and guideline during the learning process.
Anchor Charts are becoming popular among teachers and for very good reasons. Here are seven reasons you should be using anchor charts in your classroom:
Recognize Goals - Anchor Charts help students understand and give them the language to verbalize what they are doing.
Review Concepts – Anchor Charts are as a reference for future learning. If they need a quick refresher, the can quickly and easily refer to an anchor chart.
Set Expectations – Anchor Charts are a great way for you to write out your specific expectations or the steps to follow and the students can then use them to self-reflect. If an anchor chart has steps the students can move clothespins on the anchor chart to show where they are in the process. Or if you create a small version of the anchor chart and laminate one for each student they can use by check off each step as they complete it.
Involve Students – Students should be involved in making the anchor chart, in stark contrast to a poster, and it gives them something to refer to when they are working on their own.
Draw Inspiration – Anchor Charts that are fun will inspire students to try what is on it on their own.
Setting Goals – You can use anchor charts to set and track goals.
Organization – Students can refer to anchor charts as they are working to help them stay organized.
Materials:
Anchor charts are really easy to make and only take three things:
2. Markers
3. A Little Creativity
Here are four ways you can use anchor charts in your classroom:
Interactive Notebooks – The students can make a version of the anchor charts in their interactive notebooks.
Print Them – You can take a picture of the anchor charts and then keep a binder in the classroom as a reference or the students can take them home to use a reference during homework.
Colorful and Print-Rich – Anchor Charts should be colorful and full of print to help bring the lesson to life and make them interesting and easy to read. Color code different aspects of the anchor chart so the students can easily see how all the part connect to one another.
Laminate Them – Anchor Charts give the students something to refer to and if you laminate them they will last longer.
Here are three of my favorite anchor charts that are hanging up in my classroom now.
What are your opinions and experiences?