As educators, we know the importance of math anchor charts! I LOVE anchor charts (see this post here about science anchor charts) and math anchor charts are no exception!
Why are Math Anchor Charts Important?
You ever have a student that says to you “oh, I don’t remember how to do this” even though you taught it last unit?! Me too. This is where the anchor charts come in hand! When my students are struggling with remembering the steps- I tell them 2 things…1- look at the anchor chart or 2- open your notebook and look at the anchor chart. The kids then remind themselves of the steps that they have to take in order to successfully master the past skill (or current skill).
How do you create an anchor chart?
Step 1
The first thing I do is sketch it out. I need to know exactly what I am going to add to the chart. Plan it out. I will grab a blank sheet of paper and then sketch it out if I need to.
Step 2
Grab your anchor chart paper. I lay it on the floor or the kidney table (whichever is comfortable) and then I bring my sketch over.
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If I am feeling artistic, I will freehand draw it. If not, then I will put the anchor chart on the marker board after I design it on the computer.
You can see that I created this on the computer but often I will trace it onto my anchor chart. Anywhere that it is black, I will use a sharpie. I like the crispness of it. The colors will usually be in crayons markers. I started with Mr. Sketch but they fade rather quickly.
Step 3
This one is tricky if you drew it by hand. If I designed it by hand, I will grab a picture, send it to my computer and then print a copy for each student (or put in the Google Classroom). If I use my digital version, I will print a copy for each student but I would shrink it to 88% size. That will be big enough that I can actually glue it into their notebooks and then they have it forever!
Finding Anchor Charts
It’s hard to find amazing math anchor charts all of the time. Lucky for you, I have created a TON! You can actually purchase the exact anchor charts that I use in my classroom!
