Anchor

Literacy Centers

What are Anchor Literacy Centers?

• They are meaningful centers that are meant to be maintained over time (throughout the year).

• The tasks and activities are changed to meet the students’ needs. In other words, the tasks are flexible & change with the data; however, the actual center itself does not change.

What are Anchor Literacy Centers?

* The tasks & activities located at anchor centers should ALWAYS reinforce previous learning or previously taught skills . Anchor Centers shouldn’t ever be used to introduce a new skill or activity but rather be used for independent practice after a concept has been taught &/or for reinforcement purposes only!

*(75%-95% Success Rate)

Examples of Anchor Literacy Centers

• Reading• Listening• Word Study• Research• Additional anchor centers may be used as

well.

What Teachers Do… • Plan for Academic Learning Time• Plan activities that align with the objectives,

skills, learning targets, RIT Range, etc. that you are working on with your students. The tasks/activities might vary depending upon how much differentiation is used with the anchor center tasks.

-Let the data be the indicator! (*see example)https://redclay.schoolnet.com/Outreach/Content/ServeAttachment.aspx?outreach_content_id=1b17f0a9-362d-474d-9965-c391ec40ebc5

What Students Do… • Provide & maintain the documentation that

holds them accountable for their progress. (This can be adjusted to match the age/grade level and/or individualized to address specific behavioral goals & concerns as well.

• Examples might include response logs, notebooks, journals, products, demonstrations, self-corrected activities, & even conferences .

Anchor Centers - Reading

Materials: leveled texts, decodable texts, books organized by genre and/or lexile level for independent reading, book baskets, magazines, newspapers, student-made books, big books, wall charts, double copies of books, read the room pointers & glasses, wands, clipboards, reading logs, pocket charts, & MUCH, MORE, MORE!!!

Materials vary according to the anchoring activity.

Anchor Centers - Reading

Activities: Read around the room, partner reading, respond to books, *comprehension menus (TE), task rotations, think-tac-toes, book responses, book of the week nominations, & MUCH, MUCH, MORE.

Practical Hints for Implementation:Make sure that:• The students have had practice and understand how to

work independently. Specific management procedures should already be in place to address student questions,

gaining assistance from peers. At first, the teacher should simply monitor that these routines and expectations are clear and enforced before moving on to the next step.

• The activities can be completed with little to no teacher intervention or assistance.

• The activities are not ?fluffy? but meaningful and respectful of the learner.

• These activities are tied to specific content or skills that need to be reinforced. They are not workbook pages or crossword puzzles that are not tied to content or skills.

• You have a plan for managing and monitoring the activity.

Thoughts???

• Materials• Needs• Support• Resources

Ideas???

Sample Student Contract for Anchor Activity p.12

http://www.teach.virginia.edu/files/nagc_anchor_activities.pdf

https://redclay.schoolnet.com/Outreach/Content/ServeAttachment.aspx?outreach_content_id=1b17f0a9-362d-474d-9965-c391ec40ebc5

https://redclay.schoolnet.com/Outreach/Content/ServeAttachment.aspx?outreach_content_id=d34648f9-4f58-49fc-852c-77e3753f4cd5

http://www.sdesa6.org/content/docs/StrategiesThatDifferentiateInstructionK_4-080808.pdf

http://www.thecenterlibrary.org/cwis/cwisdocs/lit-strategies.pdf