Anchor Charts: A fabulous tool I've been afraid to try!

 Ever since I began learning about the Stepping Stones Curricular Framework from Tina Hargaden in 2019, I've wanted to try using anchor charts.  To be honest with you, I liked the idea, but I just didn't know how to make it work in my classes. I felt like it would be too much paper or too much to remember to do in a lesson, so I skipped it. Were my students successful? Yes. Did they need anchor charts? No. So I waited to try creating some until I was ready.

What are anchor charts?

Basically they are a chart (duh LOL) with words/phrases/sentence starters to support the learning happening in the classroom. In fact, if you google anchor charts (which I recommend you do because there are some pretty cool ones you can see), you'll see TONS for all subject areas: reading, writing, math, science, and even some about classroom procedures.

Why use anchor charts in a world language classroom?

After the past couple of crazy COVID years, I wanted to give my students extra scaffolding and support... so I made the commitment to try anchor charts. They are not a list of vocabulary words for students to memorize, but they serve as a support to help students understand and express specific language functions in the target language. Say what? 

Okay, let me break it down further. In the first unit (cycle 1, phase 1) of the Stepping Stones Curricular Framework, the language function is describing places. So as we created our anchor charts in class, we added words/phrases that would help us describe places in Spanish. And the 7th grade one ended up looking like this...

While it's true that this looks like a vocabulary list, that isn't the purpose it serves. It's not given to students to memorize, and I don't expect them all to have acquired this language yet. However, it was created with input from the class each day, so it was personal to them. We added to it gradually until it was time for our assessments. Each day I would have this anchor chart easily visible to students in the classroom. The students who didn't need to use it as support for understanding or for expressing themselves in Spanish, didn't look at it, but for the students who did, it was a tool for them to feel successful.

Side note, speaking of personalized lists... I have to tell you a funny story about this anchor chart. Do you see how there is a tree, leaf, and an eye? Well in Spanish, the words for leaves and eyes are very similar when you pronounce them. So as I was describing a picture in class one day, I said (in Spanish), "The trees have small leaves." as I pointed to a tree with small leaves in the picture. I looked in the back of the room to see one of my 7th grades in awe or shock... or maybe it was confusion. Who ever really knows with 7th grade boys, right? WELL... I asked him what was wrong, to which he responded..."THE TREES HAVE SMALL EYES?!" We all had a good laugh... because it was hilarious... and then when it came to adding words to our class anchor chart, guess what got added that day? Yep. Guess what became an inside joke in our class community? Yep. Guess what that student will never live down while they are still my student? Yep. 

How do I create the anchor charts?

First, you'll need some place to create the document. I like the big post it notes chart paper, but it's expensive. Many teachers use non-sticky chart paper or butcher/bulletin board paper. You could create them digitally if you had to, but try to make sure you could still display it in some way to aid the students. You could also have them copy it down in their notebooks for your class if you have them.

Tina always recommends creating one chart for each class. So if you have 2 sections of Spanish 1. You will have 2 anchor charts for Spanish 1 (one for each section). It's important for their brains to be a part of creating it. Only add a couple of words/phrases each day if needed. I sometimes pick the words that should go on there, and sometimes I ask students if there were any important phrases or words that we should add. Often, they'll tell me the words they're afraid they won't remember and it's more useful than me picking some. 

What about storing them? I use the space below my whiteboard to stick them when not in use, and I pull them up on the whiteboard for the class that I am currently teaching. Other teachers use carts, clothes pins, and a bunch of other creative ways to store them and make them easily accessible.

Doesn't this just give students a crutch? How do I know they're really understanding if they are just looking at this paper?

Because I know some of you will be nervous to give this much support, let me just give you a few more thoughts.  First, look at the anchor chart again... and while you're at it, look at this one that I am currently making with my 8th graders all about describing preferences...

Notice how I don't have English translations for all of the words? Sometimes I write what it means, sometimes I draw pictures, and sometimes it is literally just a place to have options for different phrases in the target language.

Don't we want our students to feel safe and comfortable using as much target language in class as possible? Having this support has allowed my students to say and write more in Spanish and take more risks because having this chart available lowered their affective filter.

There were times when I gave students opportunities to speak in Spanish where I literally saw students eyes go to the anchor chart, I saw their brains thinking, and then they raised their hand to participate. Without the anchor chart, I wouldn't have heard from them at all. It's scaffolding their participation.  It's also really fun to see the students in 6th or 7th grade looking at the other classes' anchor charts and pulling words and phrases from their to challenge themselves.

I don't force them to use it, and I don't force them to speak, but this empowers them in ways I haven't seen before.  I can also use it as a resource to reference when I'm speaking in Spanish as well. You know the ol' point and pause trick? This is a great resource for practicing that.

What about for quick quizzes or assessments? Do you leave them up?

I do leave them up for any daily formative assessments. For our checkpoint assessments after the first unit (cycle 1 phase 1), I did leave them this time. Mostly because they were the first assessments of the year. Plus some of my students haven't EVER had Spanish before. And some have never done a writing test before. Will I leave them up every time? Probably not. Eventually the students will figure out that they don't need them. I will wean them off when it's time.

For now, I consider the anchor charts the students' training wheels. I'll keep them on as long as they need them. 

P.S. Did you register yet for the free World Language Teacher Summit? My presentation about Creating Assessment for Student Success goes live on October 21st! Register here for free.

via GIPHY