what is an anchor chart

An anchor chart is a teaching tool used to support instruction and "anchor" the learning for students. It is created during a lesson, together with the students, to capture the most important content and relevant strategies. Anchor charts build a culture of literacy in the classroom by making thinking visible for both the teacher and students. They are visual prompts that provide students with information regarding their prior learning on a given topic and are used to provide a scaffold to support the students during guided practice and independent work. Anchor charts are becoming increasingly popular in classrooms for some very good reasons. They offer a wealth of benefits for students and teachers alike, including increased student engagement, confidence, and ownership of learning. Anchor charts can be used to support everything from classroom management strategies to the teaching of writing. They serve as a way to display procedures, processes, strategies, or concepts that are important to current units of work.