Anchor Charts

Anchor charts are visual tools that simplify content and skills. These charts can be displayed as large posters or be bundled together on a bulletin board to help your students understand important strategies they can use as they learn. Most simply, anchor charts can be powerful instructional tools for students that can also brighten and purposefully adorn your classroom space.

Traditional Use of Anchor Charts

To create an anchor chart during instruction, teachers first collaborate with students. A concept or skill will guide what words and simple visuals are added to each anchor chart. However, over time, those handmade anchor charts become well-loved and sometimes compromised by the energy of a busy classroom. A good classroom is not defined by how Instagram-worthy it appears, but teachers can depend on ready-made anchor charts to expedite their teaching and create an atmosphere that is both fun, tidy, and colorful while still meeting students’ academic needs.

Using printable versions of anchor charts that contain important strategies and definitions can be tremendously helpful to learners when they are in your classroom and while they’re at home. (After all, anchor charts that are created and stored in the classroom and are of less support to learners once they arrive home.)

How to Use Anchor Charts

• Get Lesson Inspiration: Tour our anchor charts for ideas about how to teach certain concepts. Prepare by reviewing or planning to adapt our suggestions for your own classroom. Then, build your own version of the anchor chart together with your students in a collaborative whole-class activity.
• Teach a New Concept/ Strategy: For younger learners, teachers can hone simple anchor chart-style visuals to help students understand specific processes and strategies. Acronyms can be powerful in guiding students through stages of analysis. An anchor chart can serve as a guide for students who are learning something new.
• Plan for Differentiation: For students who need help with specific skills, teachers can use printable anchor charts as a way to target students’ needs. For instance, if a learner needs specific help with integrating evidence or reducing wordiness, a printed anchor chart for their folder can remind them of quick and easy resources they can use. A different student may benefit from a different set of printable anchor charts.
• Go Paperless: Digital anchor charts can be posted to your learning management system, website, or other resource page. This will give students access to helpful tools and strategies as they work from home.
• Build a Resource Center: Teachers can choose a bulletin board or open space in their classroom to display anchor charts as resource tools. You can encourage independence by having students look at specific charts and provide something useful for them to look at in those moments when their eyes and minds may wander.