Anchor Charts and Reading Strategies

Throughout the course of the year we will be working on a variety of reading strategies. These strategies are there to aid us to more fully understand what we read. As adults we naturally bring our PRIOR KNOWLEDGE to bear on any new material we read. We  understand that our life experiences and previous knowledge can help inform our understanding of what we are trying to read or understand. Our goal is to get our students to be able to do that as naturally as we do. We also do this by MAKING CONNECTIONS to what we are reading. If I'm reading a Hardy Boys novel I can reflect on similar books I've read. I can remember a t.v. program or movie that has similar scenarios and characters. The point is I use my prior knowledge to help me understand what I'm reading on a deeper level. We use our PRIOR KNOWLEDGE to help us make CONNECTIONS to what we are reading. In the picture we are reading a story about a father and son that use two old smelly potatoes to grow an entire garden full of new potatoes. Students make CONNECTIONS when they use their PRIOR KWOLEDGE and similar experiences to gain insight into the characters actions and feelings. A few students mentioned that they have grown other vegetables in a garden and they knew how much work it was to prepare the garden and raise their vegetables. They could understand what the character was thinking and feeling. That's the power of 'CONNECTIONS' -- they get you into the characters head. You can gain a deeper understanding of the characters feelings, hopes and desires. It's way to get a personal window into the characters point of view. We will be working on this throughout the course of the year.
All of our strategies, whether language or math, will usually have an anchor chart that accompanies them. Sometimes we create the anchor chart together with the students and some times I start the chart and the students add information as we gather more information. I've included a picture of an anchor chart here. These charts are a way of 'anchoring' their knowledge and understanding of the topic to a chart that they can refer to whenever they need. These charts stay up throughout the unit and are even accessible when the students are being tested on the material. Well I hope that help shed some light on some of the things we will be doing this year. A little later into the term I will post a picture of a Learning Goal and Success Criteria chart and explain how they differ from anchor charts. Have a great weekend!!