Interactive Anchor Posters

Ladies and Gentlemen… I’ve got something so AWESOME to share with you!!

THIS, my friends, is an Interactive Anchor Poster and it is the ANSWER to those of you that love the philosophy behind Interactive Student Notebooks (ISNs), but have no time for all that cutting and gluing!

If you’ve read my blog, then you know that I am a huge fan of the ISN. I’ve used them for years and I cannot express enough how much I believe they help my students in the classroom. Of course, there is boat-loads of research that support their use (just ask Siri), but beyond the “research,” I’ve watched their effectiveness with my very own eyes for a long, long time.

One of the biggest complaints that I’ve heard from fellow teachers over the years is that they take a lot of time… and a lot of cutting… and a lot of gluing… did I mention a lot of time?!? And, they do. There is no way around it. Typically the kids need to cut, and then glue, and then fill the organizer in, and then color.

It.is.a.lot. But, again, it’s so worth it!

Anyway, next year, my schedule is changing. We are shifting around teams and times and periods. Loooong story short, my ELA time is getting cut… by almost 20 minutes! In playing around with my plans for next year, I came to the conclusion that something needs to go from my current lesson plans… something that is not part of the curriculum (because I have to teach that!)… and for me, that something is likely going to be my precious ISN.

Knowing that there was NO WAY I could totally give up my favorite tool, I started to think about ways to get around all the cutting and gluing. How could I get kids to still work with the interactive organizers, getting all the “good stuff” they have to offer, in a quicker, easier (re: less cutting and gluing) way?

The answer? These anchor charts!

So basically, these anchor posters are big versions of the interactive foldable organizers that we put in our notebooks. This allows the teacher to create them (saving time!) and the kids to use them during lessons.

Above, you can see some of my students working with the Plot Elements poster during their book club meeting. I had made five of these posters and laminated them. Then, I gave one to each book club and let them fill it in with a dry erase marker. This allows them to get the benefit of using the organizer without having to make it themselves. And since they used a dry erase marker on the laminated poster, they can just erase after they finish and I can use the poster again!

Oh, my! I think this are truly going to change.my.life!

These posters are available in my TpT store. I won’t lie, they do take some work to put together.

First, you need to print the pages and trim them.

Then, you need to tape them together to make a 16″ x 20″ poster. (Then laminate!)

Next, you need to prep the “foldable” parts. (I laminated these parts after I colored them.)

And then secure the foldable parts to the poster. (If you are dealing with laminated pieces, you will want to use hot glue or packing tape to secure them together).

It does take time, but look at how nice!! And again, if you laminate them and use a dry erase marker to write then you can use them year after year!

Another way that I plan to use them is to give the students all the pages in a packet and have them color and assemble their own. They can use their reader’s workshop books to fill in the information. It will make a nice alternative to a book report or reader’s response activity. Wouldn’t these just look so beautiful all completed and hanging in the hallway!?! Gah!! I can’t wait!!

So, these are my latest creation… and they will be 28% off for the next two days during the TpT sale, so now is the time to pick them up! I’m so curious to hear what you think?

Currently I have three posters available: