I love anchor charts!

   Teachers and students love anchor charts!  I love anchor charts and use them for everything! They are amazing for reading and writing to remind students of routines, procedures, and important information they should remember. They are also great in math for helping students remember different strategies and concepts. Anchor charts are helpful in the primary grades because it can be difficult for students to remember several steps in a process. Being able to reference anchor charts around the room really helps to continuously reinforce the content that has been taught.
    I personally love making anchor charts because I like creating the pictures and attempting to write in a nice font.  I always say I have the handwriting of a 5th grade boy, so the writing part takes major focus.  Anchor charts are a wonderful interactive activity that students should be engaged in.  My students always share what pictures they want to see, or they contribute to the pictures as well.  Here are some anchor charts for reading that we have hanging from a clothesline in our classroom.

The kiddos picked their favorite storybook characters to be included on this anchor chart which helps to make it more memorable.

*Have fun with anchor charts!  They don't have to be a masterpiece, just effective.
*Add book covers, photographs and other familiar items that might spark the kids interest and help them remember the concept.

 *If you can't add all of your content onto one chart, keep adding on to one and then tape the next one to the bottom, or hang them next to each other.

I could plaster my classroom walls with anchor charts, but after awhile too many will look cluttered and lose their effectiveness.  When we move onto a new topic I like to hang smaller anchor charts, or put them in centers for students to reference.  

Do you love anchor charts as much as me?  What do you use them for?