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
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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???
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Materials
Needs
Support
Resources
Ideas???
Sample Student Contract for
Anchor Activity p.12
http://www.teach.virginia.edu/files/nagc_ancho
r_activities.pdf
https://redclay.schoolnet.com/Outreach/Content/ServeAttachmen
t.aspx?outreach_content_id=1b17f0a9-362d-474d-9965c391ec40ebc5
http://www.thecenterlibrary.org/cwis/cwisdoc
s/lit-strategies.pdf
https://redclay.schoolnet.com/Outreach/Conte
nt/ServeAttachment.aspx?outreach_content_i
d=d34648f9-4f58-49fc-852c-77e3753f4cd5
http://www.sdesa6.org/content/docs/Strategi
esThatDifferentiateInstructionK_4-080808.pdf