Anchoring your Classroom to Promote Student Success! This edition of “Teacher Tips” focuses on setting up your classroom to promote student success by using anchor charts. Whether you are just starting out as a new teacher or are a veteran, anchor charts can set students up for success. Thanks to Tammy Lemm from Klein ISD for her help with this month's publication. What are anchor charts? This high yield instructional strategy can be used across content areas to help “anchor” major concepts into the students minds. By using color, words and pictures students are able to have a visual of their learning. Anchor charts can be student developed or teacher developed. The best charts are usually developed as a lesson evolves, with students a part of the conversation. These charts make the teacher/students' thinking visible. Once they are hung on the wall they are continuously accessible to students for reference. They should be referred to regularly so they simply do not become a poster on the wall. Other activities can be planned that allows students to interact with the charts in different ways. What Makes A Good Anchor Chart? Contains only the most relevant or important information (think Readiness Standards!) Post in a logical order (chronological for history) Keep it simple…they shouldn’t be overly elaborate and don’t have to be artistic masterpieces Need to be interacted with regularly by the students and the teacher otherwise they become posters Use sentence strips to make removable labels Have students assign clip art images that best “illustrates” the content. Where do I start? Look at your data Think about your content and the ideas in which your students struggle Start with a few and add each year How do I use Anchor Charts in my classroom? Create a timeline of your curriculum for the school year Combine with a card sort to make interactive Have students use to as a source of information for a foldable or on a graphic organizer Follow up with reflection questions or other processing activity Use student response to reflection questions to determine needs for targeted instruction