Reusable Anchor Charts

This year, I'm really trying to focus on working smarter not harder. I'm not sure if it's working yet...but it's worth a try. Oy...

 In the spirit of working harder, I'm trying to make some of my anchor charts reusable. I did some reading and rethinking about my anchor charts this summer. You can read a post about how I'm working on improving my anchor charts and see some other pictures here.

 Here are two of the reusable charts that I made with my students last month. The first one is from writer's workshop. I made this chart when we learned about how writer's share stories. The first picture shows the parts of the chart that I made and laminated in advance. The second picture shows samples of student work added to the chart to help the children understand the two ways writer's share stories. Since the chart is laminated, I can change the student work samples to give different students a chance to be featured.

 

I made this chart (based on the Daily 5), to introduce the 3 ways to read a book during our beginning of the year reader's workshop lessons. I've made this chart for 5 years in a row. Since I'm working smarter, not harder...I won't have to remake the whole thing next year. I put the title, the image and numbers on the chart in advance and laminated it. I do think it's important to build the chart with my students, so the handwritten parts are written on large post-it notes and added to the chart during my lesson.

 

As I'm sitting here typing, I just received an email notification that I have my first donation for my Donor's Choose project that just got posted today!  Yippeeee!!!!  I'm trying to get a mini iPad funded for my classroom.  You can read about my project and check out my Donor's Choose page by clicking on the image below.  Donors Choose is matching any donations made to my project for the first few days when the code INSPIRE is used.  Fingers crossed...

Time for me to get some sleep and prepare for a sleep in past 5 a.m. day!