Anchor Charts!

It has been a very busy week in our classroom.  We formally began our literacy block which includes our reading and writing workshop.  We also began our first science unit, Structures of Life.  Students have been working very hard and are realizing what fourth grade is truly like.

A big part of our learning is the use of Anchor Charts.  Anchor Charts are special charts that we create to anchor or ground our learning.  These charts are made on chart paper during whole group mini-lessons.  Students work together to define and share behaviors, ideas, opinions, or thoughts related to given topics.

Anchor charts hang in our classroom for a certain amount of time so students can reference them to help guide their learning.  They can reference them at any time.  Pictures of anchor charts are also taken.  I print these off so they can be glued into students notebooks.

In science and social studies we use science and social studies notebooks to record our thinking, learning, and our anchor charts.  During our literacy block we use our writing binder and our reading Thoughtful Logs to record our thinking, learning, and our anchor charts.

The use of anchor charts to guide our learning is relatively new.  While I have always had posters and charts hanging in my classroom, these posters and charts were usually ones that I thought students may use and they covered a variety of topics.  They were generic.  Anchor charts are more specific.  They are created with students and relate to the immediate lessons being taught.  They have a purpose in our classroom.  Below are a few of the anchor charts we have created since the school year began.