Anchor Activities

What is an anchor activity? An ongoing assignment directly related to the curriculum. It is worked on independently by a student throughout a unit or a term. It provides meaningful work for students It allows students to “dig deeper” on a topic

When are anchor activities used? When students finish an activity early When students are waiting for further directions When the teacher is working with other students When students want or need to “dig deeper”.

What are some of the benefits? They provide differentiated activities on the basis of student readiness, interest or learning profile (multiple intelligences, learning style) They allow students time to work on independent research, to work more in depth with a concept, enrich their skill development They can be used as a management strategy when the teacher is working with individual students or small groups of students They can be a vehicle for making the classroom more student centered

Who designs/creates the anchor activity? Usually the teacher It could be one that another teacher did and you might modify it Students could give input or even create one, once they become familiar with them

Tips for developing and using anchor activities. Explain the anchor activity Model and practice the procedures with the whole class Be clear on expectations – establish clear policy for accountability, evaluation, and value Develop ground rules with students Provide peer/teacher review and conference time Build in check points for accountability – don’t wait until the end to check how students are doing

Tips continued Only use anchor activities that are meaningful – they should not be busy work Choose activities that require some time and thinking- it’s not worth the time of making the activity to have a student finish the task in a few days Some of the best anchor activities draw on content and skills related to several learning objectives/outcomes

How long should it take to complete? It will depend on the topic and what is required. You want to give students time to “dig deeper” Could be any time from a month to 3 months to even a term You may want each anchor activity to correspond to a unit Some may cross over several units

Examples Grade 4 – Exploration Anchor activity for study of exploration related to outcomes dealing with developing an understanding of the motivation for exploration and the impact of exploration. You have 4 weeks to complete this study.

Exploration Select an explorer that has had a significant impact on society. Develop a portfolio for this explorer that includes the following: –A biography of the explorer –A series of journal or diary entries kept by the explorer. Include sketches, maps etc. –Sample artifacts related to the explorations made by the explorer –A narrative of events related to the explorer’s activities but told from the perspective of someone that was impacted by them –Hero or villain? Based on what you have learned, would you describe this explorer as a hero or a villain? Explain your reasoning. –At least 2 other items (to be discussed).

My Community – You and your World Use a folder to complete the following items about your community. On a map of the community show where each of the following is located: –Your house –The school –Your favourite playground –A place to shop –Another place you like

My Community Draw a picture of what you like best about your community Draw a picture of a favorite person in your community Draw a poster that shows why this is a great community. (Length of time – about a month)

Another Example Anchor activity for a physical geography class related to outcomes dealing with an understanding of the value and current state of one of the world’s ecosystems.

Ecosystem Choose 1 of the world’s ecosystems and do an in-depth study to become an expert on that ecosystem. Your research should include location, climatic conditions, vegetation, animal life, human interaction, resources, sustainability. Prepare a power point presentation (including text, visuals, sound bites, other) that shows your deep understanding of the ecosystem. This will be presented to your class. You have 6 weeks to complete your study.