Then, combine the best, most memorable elements from each class into one reference chart at the end of the day. At the end of each period, take a picture of that class’s creation. To problem solve, you might design the reference tool on the white board. That’s a lot of expensive paper! Plus, what will you do with six very similar anchor charts? In our building, teachers have six sections of the same grade level class. However, I wouldn’t recommend that creating anchor charts in advance be the norm.

This opportunity allows them to do some critical thinking without extending the mini lesson. Otherwise, they’re really more of a poster.įor example, instead of pausing throughout the lesson to add to an anchor chart, which does take time, ask students to create their own version – inspired by yours – afterward. However, I’d suggest still providing opportunities for students to think about what should be included. If you’re crunched for time, it’s understandable to create the anchor chart…or an outline for one…in advance. It’s best to create anchor charts with students, but we have to prioritize. With tight schedules like these, it’s difficult to stick to idealism. Our building only has 44 minute class periods. However, secondary classrooms are fast-paced. As you teach your lesson, you can pause and add important information, like definitions, questions students should ask, strategies, and images or symbols. They need to contribute to the synthesis of information. Ideally, anchor charts should be created with students.

When I first began exploring them, I had a lot of questions. The benefits of using anchor charts are clear, but actually implementing them can be more of a gray area.

Students who appreciate scaffolding, ELL students, and anyone who is learning a brand new concept can benefit from anchor charts.īottom line: Anchor charts make learning visible. When students use them as a reference, they are reminded of prior learning and can more easily make connections with new information. You can also create anchor charts for classroom procedures and reading and writing workshop expectations, among a plethora of other options.Ĭreating anchor charts provides a content-rich classroom decoration piece which serves as a bridge between introductory lessons and practice opportunities. Perhaps you want students to remember sentence types, transitions, or word choice concepts with writing and grammar. With reading, for example, you might create anchor charts for signposts, reading strategies, or text structure. Often, anchor charts are used with essential standard concepts and related strategies. Generally, we use anchor charts for information students will need to come back to throughout the year. Because of the way we create them (more on that later), they help students to synthesize their thinking about an important topic or skill. As students learn new information, anchor charts are a way to help them ground their learning. Most teachers incorporate mini (or maxi) lessons on a regular basis. Let’s explore why we should and how we could be using them. More recently, I’ve come to realize that anchor charts are absolutely appropriate – and beneficial – for a secondary classroom. I know I wasn’t alone, as it’s somewhat rare for secondary teachers to talk about using them. I’d see photos floating around on social media, but I never gave them a second thought in terms of application in a middle or high school classroom. For the longest time, I thought anchor charts were for elementary classrooms.

Annotating an article middle school