Anchor Charts {How to make them Interactive, Accessible, and Permanent!}

Anchor charts are great learning tools!

I had made a few over the years. They were underused, and most were located in my storage closet...obviously this is not a great way to use them :) So I thought about how I could incorporate them more in my teaching, and use them as a learning tool.

I'm sure you know what anchor charts are, and what they are for, and that they can be used for any subject and for a variety of purposes, like following directions,

{Thanks to Mrs. Lochridge, here}

as a sort of rubric or exemplar,

or for learning about a topic.

MY 3 BIG TAKEAWAYS ABOUT ANCHOR CHARTS:

1.  When possible, I want them to be interactive. It means more to the students when they are involved in the process. Some ways I have been able to involve my students is by using velcro or sticky notes.

{character pic and sticky notes can be pulled off, so the anchor chart is reusable!}

2. I want to make them permanent, to save time and money, so the charts are covered with mactac or laminated and they can be reused over and over again.

3. I want my charts to be accessible, because they are learning tools.

The charts get switched out regularly as learning changes, but the skills I teach on those anchor charts are things that students need to remember, so the charts need to be accessible.

I use a chart stand/clothing rack to store them. It takes no space & students can flip through to get the info they need or I can flip to a chart for review.

Another way to let students have access is with an anchor chart binder, where there are small anchor charts, or smaller versions of the charts for students to refer to whenever needed.