Anchor charts have been on my mind lately. I believe they can be a powerful tool in Workshop, yet I think I haven’t quite tapped into their power. Therefore, I’ve been considering these questions:
- How should anchor charts be created?
- What makes anchor charts most useful to students?
- Do anchor charts lift the level of my instruction? Lift the level of students’ work?
Here are some of my thoughts after paying attention for the past four months.
- The best anchor charts evolve when I spend time gathering ideas and input from students about a concept during a minilesson. Then I process the lesson, as well as their ideas & make a chart which captures the big idea. Then the next day I continue the thinking from the previous minilesson with the organized and meaningful anchor chart.
- Creating “mini-charts” (a typed version of the chart) for students to keep is worthwhile. I’ve found there are two groups of students in my classroom: those who look up at the wall for information; and those who prefer to have their own record of information to refer to. Another advantage is minicharts make the teaching accessible outside of the classroom.
- I think anchor charts which are added to over time are powerful. Right now there is a chart in my classroom titled: Readers and Writers Consider . . . We’ve collected ways we think about a text (whether we are reading or writing one). I appreciate how tracks of my teaching are documented over time.
- Use them over and over and over. If I’m not referring to an anchor chart, then I take it down. It becomes meaningful to students when I am intentional about using it in minilessons, conferring, and sharing.
- Group like ideas. I’m considering a systematic approach to hanging the charts on the wall. I’m considering hanging all the “reading” charts together; all the “thinking strategy” charts together; all the writing charts together. I’m not sure if this is something I will actually do or if I just like the logic and order this idea provides. 🙂
- Currently my anchor charts are held be magnetic clips and stay on the board. I move them “front and center” when I’m referring to a particular chart for the day.
- I’m working toward designing charts which are accessible for both readers and writers. Today I created an anchor chart titled: Ways Writers Help Readers VISUALIZE. The nice thing about this chart is my students used it today as readers who were identifying places in their reading where vivid images were created. When we come back from break they will use it as writers who are crafting scenes.
- I like the way anchor charts can make abstract ideas visible. They leave tracks of my instruction throughout the classroom and provide students with a constant reminder of our work as readers and writers.
There is so much more I could write about anchor charts as I process my new understandings and really pay attention to their role in Workshop. I’d love to hear some of your thoughts about anchor charts. What are your responses to my guiding questions? What are some of the things you wonder about in regards to anchor charts. Feel free to leave a comment and share your thinking.
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I LOVE anchor charts! However, I have had the best success with very grassroots anchor charts. I used to spend hours making them look good – both individually and collectively. Then, I realized, they became decor rather than resources. So, I spent a lot of time in thought about how to increase the usage of the charts and was pulled back to the saying, “He who does the work does the learning.” That is when I started using a “scribe” to help me create anchor charts. I will oftentimes have a student do the writing, and the kids on the carpet are writing notes in their notebooks. The process has turned into a writing process as well because after an anchor chart is student-created, we have a writing conference to make an edits that need to be made. I must say, though, I spend a LOT of time up front creating a culture for this to be safe and respectful. I have found it has had a hugely positive impact on students being responsible for the learning in my classroom, as well as their ability to internalize the importance of using references.
As far as organization, Ruth, I have grouped my anchor charts by content area, and that has worked really well also. I have a writing corner, reading wall, science section, etc. I also had the ability to hang anchor charts on the ceiling in one of my former buildings and the kids loved that. I think there is something to be said for students knowing exactly where to turn when they need help – and no, that place is not me! 🙂
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Anchor charts are so powerful for kids and I love how Ruth mentions that they are “tracks” of our thinking together. I was thinking about the question regarding keeping the kids engaged while creating the chart. I know that Harvey and Goudvis (Strategies that Work) talk about taking notes on kids thinking during a lesson so they can create the anchor chart later. I think Debbie Miller also does this. I think that creating the chart in front of/with the kids is powerful, but as long as you go over the chart with the kids, it would be ok to create a polished chart after school when you have time to really make it nice. What does everyone else think?
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Weird…I’ve been thinking about anchor charts SO much lately! This year I’ve been working to make neater, eye-catching, big-idea-displaying charts rather than the scribbled ones I did last year. They take longer, but it’s worth it.
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I couldn’t agree more. Anchor charts, when used thoughtfully and purposefully as you described add many layers to our instruction, as well as allows students support, indepenence, and accountability. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and thinking.
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I, too, have been thinking about anchor charts. Karla has pushed my thinking by asking if, when I’m creating a chart, am I assessing knowledge or using it to teach something. Sometimes I find myself thinking that the kids ALWAYS have to come up with the chart. Does that make sense?
One thing that we try to do when hanging up charts is hanging up a clothesline so that charts can be hung with clothespins. For those powerful anchor charts that you use all the time, this is a way to save wall space and keep them front and center. Thanks for your post!
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Hi!
What grade level do you teach? Have you experienced successful anchor “charting” with Kindergarten?
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I sometimes have children design an anchor chart in their notebooks and incorporate their ideas into the actual chart. It helps me see what they think is important (many times it is something that I might have skipped as “obvious”). Another reason I like doing this is that it cuts charting time in a mini lesson where brevity is a powerful tool. My third graders like seeing how their ideas translate into the “real” chart.
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I also love the value anchor charts add to class discussion and student thinking. They become a permanent record of our learning, and can be referred to over and over again.
My struggle with creating co-constructed anchor charts is this: How to keep the class engaged when I’m actually writing on the chart? Student engagement really decreases during the act of creating the chart itself. I like the idea of having student input when creating charts, but it seems just the physical act of turning to write on the chart gives some students the opportunity to lose focus!
I’m curious how others manage this issue, and would love to hear ideas!
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