hypothesis anchor chart

What are Anchor Charts for Science and 9 Helpful Ones You Should be Using

What are anchor charts?  Simply stated, anchor charts for science are a tool used to support instruction.  They “anchor” a student’s understanding of scientific concepts.  They capture the most important content or overarching theme within the Next Generation Science Standards.  In short, anchor charts bring a student’s thinking alive and keeps scientific concepts at the forefront of a student’s mind. 

Before we begin our discussion on anchor charts in the science classroom, you may also be on the search for an engaging lab simulation, video, or literacy text to go along with your upcoming lesson. If you’d like to have more time to create your anchor charts, we’ve put together a major time-saving resource:  THE Ultimate Guide of Online Resources for teaching science. The guide is FULL of clickable links to tried and true websites that will help drive home that concept you are teaching. You can grab yours, for FREE, here .

What are anchor charts in Science used for?

Now that you know what an anchor chart is, let’s talk about how you can use them.  Here are some basic uses and advantages in the science classroom:

• Keeps relevant and current learning accessible to students all year long.
• Encourages students to check their work or validate their discussion points.
• Assists students in making connections to new learning.
• Serves as a tool for academic support without direct input from teachers.
• Supports the ELL student by providing a picture along with words.
• Acts as a catalyst to activate students’ prior knowledge.
• Increases the depth and complexity of team discussions.
• Creates a visual reference library for students to engage with.
• Provides an added layer of scaffolding for struggling learners or those under the SPED umbrella.

How to plan and design anchor charts effectively:

When planning the design of your anchor charts, keep the following in mind:

• Plan with a purpose in mind. 
• Use the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) to help guide your decisions on what content to incorporate into your anchor charts.  Specifically, look at the Science & Engineering Practice and the Disciplinary Core Ideas.
• Pick out the overarching ideas, concepts, and models that will be used throughout the year.
• Create the anchor charts with your students.  As a teacher, you will need to plan out what headers and graphics you want to be included. Then, have students help you enter the content information.
• Make the anchor charts colorful.
• Keep them simple and neat.
• Use real-world models / pictures.
• They don’t need to be a work of art. They DO need to be content-rich.

How to use anchor charts in the science classroom:

Teacher Facing:

• Model your thinking.  When teaching, use the anchor charts to make connections between concepts.
• Use them to bring a concept to life.  Many of our students are visual learners, and a picture is worth 1000 words.
• Use anchor charts as a daily review before you move on to another concept.
• Remind students to use the anchor charts during independent or teamwork time.  This will save you, the teacher, precious time from having to revisit concepts over and over again.
• Use anchor charts to peak interest.  Keep the current unit up and the upcoming unit up at the same time.   Students will naturally start making connections to an upcoming unit of study as they learn the current one.

Student Facing:

• Exit ticket activity: 1.  Draw a quick model and write a 2-3 sentence summary.  2.  Braindump:  students pick an anchor chart (or you pick one) and write down everything they know.  You can differentiate this by allowing students to draw models that depict the concept.  
• Use them as a review for state testing.  Provide them with the main header (domain) and students work in pairs or as a team to fill in all they know about that topic.  Then meet as a whole class to discuss.
• Allow students to organize their thinking in their science journals.  Have them draw the anchor charts in their notebooks.  If you go this route, you will need to train your students to refer back to these anchor charts during independent practice, homework, or as a review for a test or end-of-year testing.  This helps a student to take ownership.

Here are 9 different anchor charts you should be using:

We are all familiar with anchor charts within the elementary ages.  However, anchor charts in a science classroom can be just as valuable, if not more so to help students grasp a scientific concept, understand a frequently used academic word, or be reminded on how to write a conclusion on a lab report.  

We have talked about having students help in the creation of the anchor chart, and having students reproduce the anchor charts in their science journal.  Below we will be highlighting 9 different anchor charts that we feel are most effective in the science classroom.  As these anchor charts are “done-for-you” examples, having students reproduce them in their science journals is a great strategy to incorporate.

#1: Academic Language

These are 48 of the most highly used words within the NGSS, Crosscutting Concepts and Common Core .  By using academic language, students are repeatedly exposed to both general academic and content-specific words within a discipline.  Repeated exposure and use of such terms help students to be able to remember and retrieve information learned.  Success in a science classroom relies on a student’s ability to understand and use new vocabulary words. You can read more about the importance of academic language here.

#2 Crosscutting Concepts

The Next Generation Science Standards Cross-Cutting Concepts are important to students because they help students form a deeper understanding of science and engineering.  And, it gives them the tools they need to investigate and problem solve.  You can read more about the NGSS Crosscutting Concepts here .  These Crosscutting Concepts posters are broken down into student-friendly definitions and depict the concept in real-world scenarios.

#3: “How-To” posters

Do you ever get tired of answering the same question a bajillion times a day?  Or maybe you see the same mistakes over and over again when it comes to writing a hypothesis or the conclusion on a lab report.  “How-To” posters help alleviate all of that.  

#4:  Word Wall

I can hear it all now…  a wall full of words doesn’t really do much.  In actuality, if it is just a wall full of words — it becomes a distraction.  But think about an INTERACTIVE word wall!  This is a wall that not only has focus words, it also includes a picture and a student-friendly definition.  BOOM!  Differentiation at its best.

This type of word wall is inclusive to our struggling learners, ELL population, and those under the SPED umbrella.  Not only that, when you add a “connection component”, you have now added extensions to all learners including advanced learners.  In the word wall picture above, you will notice there are 3 boxes at the bottom of the page.  Those are there so when students make a connection with the word or see the word in action in the real world, they can grab a sticky note to record their findings.  Students will then place that sticky note on the word wall chart.

#5 Scientific Method and Engineering Design

Students often confuse the Scientific Method and the Engineering Design Process.  By including BOTH kinds of anchor charts on the wall, students can easily differentiate between the two.  Such posters are also an anchor when completing labs or their science fair project.

#6 Variables

One of my favorite items of discussion in ALL the labs we do in class is to figure out the variables.  These anchor charts are by far one of the most used in our class.  Students refer to these daily.  As the year goes on, I see their confidence build as they are able to readily pick out the variables.  

#7 Different graph types

Graphing can be a hard concept to grasp.  Many students struggle with which type of graph is best to use in different labs.  Anchor charts are a great way in helping them to make the decision as to the proper graph.  It also helps solidify their experiment.  Are they seeing growth over time?  Maybe they are needing to compare data or show percentages.  Graph charts are king.

#8  Periodic Table

What is a science room without a periodic table?  As we here @theteachersupstairs stress differentiation in our classrooms, we like to make our periodic table just a bit more awesome!  We include pictures of the elements so students not only get the information to make calculations but can also see the elements in action.  Again, this strategy is perfect for struggling learners, our ELL population, and students under the SPED umbrella.  Here is a quick video giving some more detail.

#9  Lab Rules

Above all, when teaching science, we need to keep our students safe.  What may seem common sense to you may not be so for another.  Having specific rules for lab safety is a must.  If you would like some done-for-you lab safety posters, click here.

What are anchor charts?  In summary…

First, we talked about anchor charts in the science classroom.  Second, we outlined 9 things you should keep in mind when designing and then creating anchor charts.  Third, we discussed 9 ways on how to use them effectively.  Finally, we provided you with 9 different examples that are beneficial in the science classroom.

As a reminder, if you are wanting to spruce up your science lesson with the perfect online simulation, grab our free gift to you.  The Ultimate Guide of Online Resources for teaching science is just a click away.

For those who want to know more:

• Anchor Charts Implementation of the Strategy Research
• Anchor Charts: Making Thinking Visible
• Download your FREE Ultimate Guide of Online Resources for Teaching Science
• July 5, 2021

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Introducing the Scientific Method

This free lesson and anchor chart will help you introduce the scientific method in your primary classroom.

As a part of our partnership with Variquest, we created a lesson and anchor chart for introducing students to the scientific method.  We are sharing this lesson along with the free printable materials below.

Here’s the Lesson: 

(You will find the free materials to download at the bottom of this post.)

Preparation:

Prepare “Steps of the Scientific Method” anchor chart for mini-lesson.

Copy the “My Science Lab Notes” page for each child in the classroom. 

Pass out “My Science Lab Notes” to each student.

Prepare your Smartboard with a copy of “My Science Lab Notes” so students have a model to work from.

Pass around the five pennies and ask students to make some observations about them (round, hard, have writing, flat, dirty, etc).

Next ask the students if they see a problem with the pennies.  Help lead them to the conclusion that they are very dirty and difficult to read.

QUESTION  – Tell the students that the Scientific Method begins with a question to be answered.  What kinds of questions could they come up with about these pennies?  Discuss several of the questions, but help lead them to the question, “What is the best way to clean a penny?” or something similar.  Fill out the Ask Questions section of “My Science Lab Notes” together.

RESEARCH  – Since many primary students are still in the beginning stages of learning to research, at this point ask the class what key words /phrases they can think of to search the internet to find an answer to the question.  Fill out the Research the Problem section of “My Science Lab Notes” together and then do some simple research online.

FORM A HYPOTHESIS  – Ask the class if they have ever heard the word “hypothesis” and discuss answers (if any).  If not volunteered by a student, tell them that a hypothesis is a scientific word for a best guess.  Help them to form a hypothesis similar to “We think that _____________ will clean the penny best because ________________.” Fill out the Form a Hypothesis section of “My Science Lab Notes” together.

TEST YOUR HYPOTHESIS  – Show and discuss the liquids you have set up to clean the pennies.  Guide them through the steps the class will take to test the hypothesis/clean the pennies.  Fill out the Test Your Hypothesis section of “My Science Lab Notes” together.

SHARE YOUR RESULTS  – After completing the testing portion of the experiment fill out the Share Your Results section of “My Science Lab Notes” together.  Discuss how in this case your results will simply be shared on the notes page in a sentence format, but that there are other ways to share results too – making a visual or display, making a presentation or writing a paper.

CONCLUSION  – As a class practice writing a conclusion based on the research done and the actual experiment involved.  Fill out the Draw a Conclusion section of “My Science Lab Notes” together.

You can download the free resources we have created here: 

Anchor Chart   Print on your poster maker for a great classroom decoration that is meaningful!

Recording Page  This organizer is designed to be used with any science lab.

Quick Check Page  This organizer contains six boxes for students to share their understanding of the six steps.  It could also be used for students to take notes on and then add to their science notebooks.

You might also be interested in our Writing Like a Scientist Unit of Study

You will find more resources on VariQuest’s Blog .

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Designing Science Inquiry: Claim + Evidence + Reasoning = Explanation

The Claim, Evidence, Reasoning framework is a scaffolded way to teach the scientific method.

In an interview with students, MIT’s Kerry Emmanuel said, “At the end of the day, it’s just raw curiosity. I think almost everybody that gets seriously into science is driven by curiosity.” Curiosity—the desire to explain how the world works—drives the questions we ask and the investigations we conduct.

Let’s say we’re planning a unit on matter. By having students observe solids and liquids, we have helped them define matter as something that has mass (or weight—don’t worry about the difference with elementary kids) and takes up space. The next step is to start thinking about air: “I’m curious, is it matter? Or something else?” The students are now driven by a need to explain whether air is or is not matter. The question is clear: Is air matter?

Next, we can ask our students what data they need to answer the question, and how they can collect that data—how they can investigate. Students will need to determine if air has mass and/or takes up space. Perhaps they’ll suggest that they weigh a basketball multiple times as they use a pump to add more air. Once students conduct the investigation and have data, they can create an explanation. But what does a good explanation look like?

According to the Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) model, an explanation consists of:

• A claim that answers the question
• Evidence from students’ data
• Reasoning that involves a rule or scientific principle that describes why the evidence supports the claim

Your students might suggest this explanation: Air is matter (claim). We found that the weight of the ball increased each time we pumped more air into it (evidence). This shows that air has weight, one of the characteristics of matter (reasoning).

The explanation could be made more complete by including evidence and reasoning related to air taking up space.

Introducing CER to your Students

The CER format to writing explanations is not a trivial thing for your students. You will need to explicitly introduce and model it for them. They will need support throughout the year as they get better at writing explanations.

The idea that explanations drive science can be illustrated for students by using NASA’s aptly named Curiosity Mars Rover . After watching the video about the mission’s science goals, ask your students:

• What are these scientists curious about—what do they want to know?
• What data will the rover collect?
• How will this data help scientists answer—make claims about—their questions?

Jeff Rohr, a fifth-grade teacher in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, suggests using an Audi commercial to introduce students to the components of an explanation by asking them to identify the claim, the evidence, and the reasoning—or rule—that connects the evidence to the little girl’s claim that her dad is a space alien.

Let the Inquiry Begin

As you work with your students on CER throughout the year, do the following:

• Introduce CER as the goal of science
• Use concrete (non-science) situations, like mysteries, images, artwork, etc. ( Download an example PDF worksheet )
• Create an anchor chart
• Use a rubric with students to critique examples
• Provide examples from science or scientists
• Create CER worksheets with data provided by the teacher ( Download an example PDF worksheet )
• Connect to other content areas (e.g., argumentation in social studies)
• Peer critique

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Digging Deeper: Teaching Inference in Upper Elementary

By Mary Montero

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Teaching inference is an important skill. Of course, by the time they reach upper elementary, many students are familiar with it, but it’s such a critical one and one that we can continue to hone and develop throughout our entire lives. So whether I’m teaching third or fifth grade, I like to review and extend this critical reading concept every year, all year!

Making inferences is something that all good readers do. Helping students learn to intentionally make inferences as they read will make them stronger readers, as well as help them focus throughout the text. So, how do we get students to go deeper than the obvious when teaching inference in upper elementary? I break teaching inference down into 4 steps.

Step 1: What’s the difference between Literal and Inferential?

I always start by activating students’ prior knowledge and building on the inferencing skills they’ve already developed in lower elementary. Typically I like to equate making an inference to making a hypothesis in science class.

Before you do an experiment, you look at all these factors and you decide what you think will happen using logic and evidence. You have to ask yourself what happens when you mix these components and what evidence you have that this reaction would be consistent.

This is the same when you make an inference in English class. The conclusions you draw in your head lie inside the story as you read, whether you realize it or not.

I teach my students to “collect evidence” for inferences as they read, which also helps guide students toward making accurate inferences instead of just guesses. In lower elementary grades, a lot of inferences are drawn from clues in the illustrations or very basic clues like weather clues and specific adjectives the writer uses.

As we move into the upper grades, students need to pay closer attention to the text itself. One tip is to pay attention to small vocabulary differences. For example, did the author tell us the character was sad or was the character devastated ? Did someone speak with clenched fists, tears stinging at their eyes? Did someone’s eyes grow wide? As students begin to pay attention to these small details and specifically call out the inferences they are making based on them, their comprehension improves and the book becomes more of a “movie” in their minds.

This is also when I discuss the difference between literal and inferential observations . This is a crucial, not-to-be-missed step in teaching inferences that I feel can easily be overlooked. We MUST make sure our students understand the difference between a literal observation and how those literal observations lead up to make excellent inferences. Be sure to click the link above to see the lessons I use for teaching this, and when in doubt, START THERE when teaching inference!

Step 2: Practice Making Simple Inferences Using Pictures

Even though upper elementary students are familiar with making inferences, they still need opportunities to brush up on their inferencing skills. We always, always, always start by making inferences using pictures . The best way to get instant engagement is to have your students bring in pictures to make inferences about. It will be really easy at first… You will hear things like, “Oh, she’s wearing a short-sleeved shirt, so it must be warm out!” but as those right there inferences are done, the really deep ones start to come out! We do this type of inferencing pretty extensively, and we do it all throughout the year, and I am constantly incorporating it into my literacy centers for review.

Don’t forget about using wordless picture books to teach inference! After we do a lot of work with pictures, I move to wordless picture books. Two of my favorite pictureless books for teaching inference are Flood and Tuesday (Amazon affiliate links).

In addition to discussing inferences within texts students are already using during read alouds or guided reading, using shorter texts can make practice more efficient for independent practice.

I like to model and practice as a class first. I start by giving students a very basic paragraph scenario and asking them to make inferences about it. Sometimes there is one “best” answer that we discuss as the most correct inference, but other times there are lots of answers that could be correct (as long as it is logical and backed up by evidence). I love using these task cards to get students started.

Are you looking for a super consistent way to review? I love how people use “inference of the day” as a daily challenge for students! Leslie from LaLaTeacherLife shared this image of how she uses them every single day! I have an entire year-long bundle of inference task cards that you can use to accomplish this. There are different cards and riddles for each season, which students just LOVE!

Step 3: Draw Out Specific Ideas from a Text to Analyze

Once we’ve worked with brief texts and pictures to make inferences, we begin working with longer texts as a class. When we are working in small groups, I start pulling out longer texts to make inferences with. I highlight areas of the text for students to analyze by doing a guided reading practice together. I make sure to model all of my thinking out loud and discuss why certain details jumped out at me. This is a great opportunity for students to ask questions and get clarity about what they are looking for.

Here is another great opportunity to incorporate picture books into your lessons! I chose four of my very favorite picture books for teaching inference and added guided inference questions for each of them. Although I can usually come up with decent inference questions on the fly, I really took the time to come up with specific, digging deeper inference questions to use with these books. These are NOT your average inference questions, and they are meant to be used with upper elementary. I provided them in either a discussion guide style or worksheet style if you’d like students to write their answers. 🙂

This differentiated pack of inference activities is great for independent practice. It is super scaffolded so you can use it in guided reading groups and then have students complete the tasks independently and without the scaffolding supports as well.

For upper elementary students, this is also a good time to discuss the elements of suspense and surprise compared to the students original inferences. We are often misled by authors to keep mystery alive in stories. This is a great place to talk about author intent as well as how authors can manipulate readers. For example, you can relate it to how J.K. Rowling kept Snape a mystery throughout the Harry Potter series.

Step 4: Independent Practice with Differentiation

The final step is to promote independent practice. Of course, we focus on making inferences with our novels ALL YEAR LONG, but I insist on incorporating specific inference practice as well. I do this with short differentiated texts that have been explicitly designed for students to make inferences with. For some students, it can also be helpful to provide sentence starters or sentence frames to form their inferences.

Inference Topple Blocks Game

I have blogged quite a bit about using Topple Blocks for review, and this one is no exception! It’s super easy setup and super impactful for students. The premise is simple: they have to earn their turn! Roll the dice, and whichever color they roll is the color section they need to complete on the game board. Once they have answered one of the questions (ALL students in the group answer it so nobody is ever just sitting around and waiting), they confer to see if they agree on the answer, then the player gets to pull their block. See? Super easy, but FULL of inference practice!

You just need to purchase the blocks HERE (Amazon affiliate link) and print out the Inference Topple Blocks Game . If you don’t have topple blocks, no worries! I also provide ideas for how to use the games without any extra supplies HERE .

Inference Paired Passages

These inference paired passages are a MUST during our inference unit. I created them because it was so important to me that students were able to make connections between related texts, and they accomplish that exactly.

Inference Project Cumulative Activity

What better way to practice inferencing than a highly engaging and real-world inference project?! Your students will have a blast tagging along on a camping trip while practicing their inferencing skills along the way. Each activity reviews inferencing in a different way, allowing for easy differentiation. You can easily create different packets based on the ability of the different students in your class. It’s perfect for small groups, centers, whole group work, morning work, homework, enrichment, etc. I usually use this at the end of our official inference unit as an assessment.

FREE Inference Lesson

Finally, here’s a quick lesson you can use while teaching inference to help your students make observations from pictures using a simple chart.

Still looking for more? Here are links to previous inference posts!

• Teaching students to use observations
• Literal and inferential observations
• Using pictures to teach reading (part one)
• Using pictures to teach reading (part two)

Mary Montero

I’m so glad you are here. I’m a current gifted and talented teacher in a small town in Colorado, and I’ve been in education since 2009. My passion (other than my family and cookies) is for making teachers’ lives easier and classrooms more engaging.

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Hello! I bought Milo Imagines the World, based off of your book list. Do you have an activity and/or questions to go along with that one? I’d happily purchase!

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Engaging Resources for Teaching Literacy

Scientific Method Posters and Anchor Charts

Teaching my students the scientific method is always one of the first things we cover in science class at the beginning of the school year. These posters clearly outline and explain each step of the scientific method using kid friendly language. These ready to print anchor charts will save you a ton of time and are a great resource for your students.

Filed Under: *All Non SLC Resources , 3rd , 4th , 5th , Anchor Charts and Posters , Homeschooler , Printables , Science , Under $5

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*This resource also comes in a digital version that is created using Google Slides.

Product includes:

• Black and white anchor charts
• Color mini anchor charts
• Fill in the blank templates
• Full page (all styles)
• Half page for journals (all styles)

Poster Titles:

• The Scientific Method
• Ask a Question
• Gather Information
• Make Hypothesis
• Conduct Experiment
• Collect and Analyze Data
• Make a Conclusion

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With over a decade of experience working as a classroom teacher and school administrator, I understand the joys and challenges of teaching. That’s why I’m on a mission to make an impact by serving stellar upper elementary teachers just like you. Get ready, because I’m pulling out all the stops to ensure that you have the tools and confidence you need to build a literacy block that you’re proud of. One that excites you and your students while also meeting the standards. Oh yes, it’s totally possible to have both!

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Anchor Charts 101: Why and How To Use Them

It’s the chart you make once and use 100 times.

Anchor charts are a way to make a lesson stick around long after you’ve taught the skills. The idea is that you create them as part of a lesson or unit, then students have the chart to anchor their work with those skills. Here’s our ultimate guide to anchor charts, from how to make them to when to use them. Plus we offer examples from classrooms just like yours.

What is an anchor chart?

An anchor chart is a tool used to support instruction (i.e., “anchor” the learning for students). As you teach a lesson, you create a chart that captures the most important information, the strategies, and content that you want students to refer to later. Then, hang it in a space where students can see it and refer to it when they are practicing the skill.

Types of anchor charts

You can make an anchor chart for literally everything, but there are three main types:

• Procedure: Think routines and procedures that you want students to refer to as they work in your classroom.
• Strategy or process: These are for strategies you want students to remember and apply in their work. Things like how to create Cornell notes, how to break apart multisyllabic words, or how to solve a geometric proof.
• Vocabulary: Anchor charts can also prove helpful in reinforcing vocabulary since students need lots of practice with words for them to “stick.”

How do I create anchor charts?

Making a chart is the best way to put your teaching, creativity, and smelly markers to work.

• Start with an outline: You know what you want students to learn, so create the frame ahead of time if you need to. For example, you might create boxes for a process or draw a snowman to write about.
• Add a heading: Make sure the purpose is clear.
• Fill it out: Work with students to model the strategy or content and take their ideas for completing the chart. While you should know what needs to be included, be open to student suggestions. Filling out a chart may take one lesson or an entire unit.
• Hang the chart: Display the chart where students can see it when they need the information.
• Refer to the anchor chart: Students need to learn how to use anchor charts just like any other tool in your classroom. So, when students have a question or when giving directions for a task, refer them to the chart.

Some charts may stay up all year, while others are switched out when students have mastered that content. In that way, posting anchor charts keeps relevant and current learning accessible to students, reminds them of prior learning, and encourages them to make connections as new learning happens.

How to maximize anchor charts

Use our tips to learn how to use anchor charts like a pro!

Use color strategically

Use different colors and bullet points to help students quickly access the information you want them to see.

Keep them simple and neat

Use easy-to-read graphics and clear organization. Don’t allow distracting, irrelevant details or stray marks, such as too many arrows or overemphatic use of underlining that undercuts your message.

Use visuals

Use drawings and other visuals to show what happens in a process or procedure, like this example that explains how sound waves travel.

Don’t over use them

While anchor charts are a super-useful tool, don’t feel as if you need to create one for every single lesson. Choose carefully so the ones you create have the greatest impact. ADVERTISEMENT

Have students do the work

Create a living anchor chart by having students add to it with sticky notes of examples from what they read or research they do.

Get inspiration

Teachers always get their best ideas from other teachers. If your teammate has already tackled a topic, use the same format. Just make sure you create your own version from scratch so your students experience the learning as you go.

Aim for maximum engagement

When students are involved in the process of creating learning tools, they are more likely to comprehend more deeply and remember more of what they learn.

Bring lessons to life

If you are studying a topic that lends itself particularly well to a visual aid, create an anchor chart! If you are studying how animals develop, for example, draw a visual of what happens inside an egg when there is and is not a chick.

Support independent work

Anchor charts provide students with a source to reference when working on their own, like this model of how and when to round.

Use anchor charts as classroom references

To help students keep information straight, create charts for each topic. For example, if you’re teaching math concepts, create a chart for geometric shapes, the difference between perimeter and area, and how to multiply and divide fractions.

Reinforce classroom procedures

Provide students with a visual to remind them of routines, like these anchor charts about how to do independent reading and get new books. The poster doesn’t have to be huge, but it does have to be helpful.

Use anchor charts as a companion to read-alouds

While you’re reading, stop, observe, and record. At the end, you’ll have a chart to remind students about the main vocabulary, ideas, and structure of the story.

Helpful Anchor Chart Resources

Inspired? Check out these anchor chart compilations for ideas:

• Fraction Anchor Charts for Your Classroom
• Anchor Charts That Nail Reading Comprehension
• Fantastic Sustainability and Recycling Anchor Charts
• Anchor Charts To Teach Place Value
• Classroom Management Anchor Charts
• Must-Have Anchor Charts for Teaching Writing of All Kinds
• Fabulous Fluency Anchor Charts
• Close Reading Anchor Charts That Will Help Your Students Dig Deep
• Get Your Facts Straight With These Nonfiction Anchor Charts
• Perfect Anchor Charts To Teach Phonics and Blends

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Plus, check out awesome ideas for anchor chart organization and storage ..

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The Anatomy of an Anchor Chart

I get asked about anchor charts all the time. It seems to be a thing a lot of teachers dread making because they think they aren’t good at it. But anchor charts are an important part of any classroom. They contain key information about the concept you want children to learn. They represent the learning going on in the classroom and they foster independence, so they need to be posted where kids (and yes… anyone who comes into your classroom – GASP) can see them. These are the three roadblocks I hear most often from teachers: 1.  I can’t draw.  2.  My handwriting isn’t pretty. 3.  I can’t fit everything onto the chart. Let me throw #2 out right away. Your students’ handwriting isn’t pretty either. It’s ok. And perfection just makes your kids uncomfortable anyway, like they’ll never be as good as you. So let them in on this one flaw of yours. However, if you really feel that strongly about it (and your handwriting is truly impossible to read), my tip for that is to print titles and labels from your computer and glue them onto your chart paper. But seriously, just write with your own hands. It’ll be fine. I promise. Alright, I know all you OCDers – I’m one too – are annoyed that I started with #2, so let’s go in order now. About #1, I am not an artist… at all.   Stick Figures: But I can draw stick figures which is all an anchor chart really needs. If you’ve seen samples of my charts in other posts, you’ll see little stick figures and other VERY PLAIN drawings are pretty standard for me. And, if it makes you feel better, I learned this strategy from super smart teachers who were actually paid to write professional books about anchor charts. Check out Smarter Charts  by Marjorie Martinelli and Kristine Mraz or The Reading Strategies Book  by Jennifer Serravallo. These are my go-to books.   Clip Art: If you need something more complex than a stick figure though, use clip art or images from the Internet. I do this when I need an image that represents a more complicated concept or idea. Real Artifacts: Sometimes, the best visual for an anchor chart is a real sample of something, such as a piece of student work, a chart from a nonfiction text, an annotated article, or a page from a piece of literature. Use the actual sample, if possible, or make a copy of it and attach it to the chart.

Ok, #3…  If you can’t fit everything onto the chart, then you are trying to put WAY too much information on there. I went to a PD session once where the presenter told us to think of anchor charts the way ad agencies think of billboards. A driver has about 3-5 seconds to see the content of a billboard while driving by, so the advertisers know their words and images have to be brief, but memorable. Anchor charts are the same way. Think of the most important thing you want the children to remember and then figure out how to say it with as few words as possible, using images to help convey ideas.   If this makes you uncomfortable, remember that the anchor chart “anchors” the lesson, but you’re still teaching. You’ll be using the chart during your lesson, so you’ll be explaining and facilitating rich discussions to elaborate on the chart… especially if you’re using it for several days. The children will understand and remember the important point from the chart if you take the time to explain it. Still not sure if “less is more?” Have you ever been to a training where the presenter had Power Point slides that looked like novels? (I know you have.) Don’t do that to your anchor charts. The kids will never use them. Other Anchor Chart Tips You can use anchor charts year after year, as long as the content is still up-to-date. Laminate them for durability and label the standard or topic in the bottom corner so you know how you used it.

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Home » Anchor Charts » 19 Fantastic Inferencing Anchor Chart

19 Fantastic Inferencing Anchor Chart

Inferencing is a critical thinking skill that means drawing conclusions based on schema, or background knowledge, and evidence. It’s important for students to learn how to read between the lines as well as make predictions when it comes to reading texts, and moving through life in general. This can be a tricky skill in the beginning, so help your students out by providing them with an inferencing anchor chart.

Table of Contents

Elements of a good inferencing anchor chart, inferencing anchor chart resources from teach simple, inferencing anchor chart examples from other teachers, final thoughts on inferencing anchor chart.

Giving examples is always a great idea for an anchor chart. Consider providing example sentences of inferences, observations, and predictions, or the type of language we use to phrase any of these. You can also show examples of other things that commonly get confused with inferences to illustrate the difference. 

The primary goal of an anchor chart is to function as a quick reference guide , so make sure that the wording you use is brief and easy to understand for your students’ reading and comprehension levels. Avoid lengthy explanations and complicated sentences. 

Lastly, make it visual . A fun drawing, or smart use of color pulls the eye in. It can also make information easier to digest and recall. Have fun with it and make your inference anchor chart creative, beautiful, or funny!

Take a look at the following examples to inspire your own classroom’s inferencing anchor chart.

Making Inferences Anchor Chart by First in Line

This printable contains three pages. One is a complete anchor chart that defines what inferencing means, along with four puzzle pieces explaining what we use to make inferences. The second page of this set is the same anchor chart, but with a few keywords left blank for students to fill in themselves. The last page includes examples of what an inference may sound like when spoken aloud or written out. A few blanks are left here as well for students to fill in.

Making Predictions Anchor Chart by First in Line

In this PDF set, you can print off four different pages about making predictions. Again, one is a complete anchor chart. It defines what a prediction is, and then provides guidance for how to make predictions when reading a text. A second anchor chart goes into a little more depth, giving sentences for students to complete as they approach a text. The last two pages of this package include a copy of both with blanks left for students to complete.

A Simple Inference Definition by Simply Kinder

“Inferencing” is a bit of a big word, that comes with a somewhat tricky definition. This anchor chart makes the process as bare bones as it gets. It simply asks, “what’s an inference?” and shows a drawing of a book labeled “clues from the text,” and a drawing of a lightbulb containing the words, “what I already know.” 

An Alternative Simple Inference Chart by First Grade Fresh

Here’s another easy-to-digest explanation of inferencing. There are just two bullet points on this anchor chart: “figuring out something that wasn’t completely explained in the story.” What a perfect definition! The second bullet point explains we can do that by “using clues to make a good guess.” The word “guess” is highlighted in green.

Read Like A Detective by Grade School Giggles

This anchor chart looks great with its fantastic drawing of a detective and its strong use of color. At a glance, the phrases that pop out to the viewer are “look for clues,” “ask questions,” “make your case,” and “prove it.” Further reading provides the student with examples of how to follow each of those steps to make inferences.

Our Schema’s Like A Web by Happy Literacy!

Studying inferences is a good time to introduce the juicy vocab word, “schema.” This anchor chart begins with a learning objective: “I can understand what schema means.” Below that, three bullet points list out what makes up our schemas. The fun part comes next: a big drawing of a spider web with sticky notes stuck inside. Each sticky note contains a specific example of schema. The sticky notes make it possible to redo with every new text you want students to practice making inferences. 

Infergram by Hillary’s Teaching Adventures

A cute idea, this printable includes an Instagram picture and caption for students to make inferences about. While this falls more under the worksheet category, this fun activity could be hung on the wall or kept in notebooks afterward as a quick reference for students.

What’s In My Purse? by Melissa Dawn

Become the character your students make inferences about! Melissa Dawn took a creative approach with her inference lesson. Her chart is titled, “What’s in my purse?” Underneath which it reads, “and more importantly, what does it all mean?” From there, the chart is divided into two sides: Sticky notes listing what’s in her purse, and sticky notes of inferences her students made about her based on the items.

My New Neighbor by Mrs. Richardson’s Class

Similar to the what’s in my purse anchor chart, this one involves the teacher “digging through their neighbor’s trash” to make inferences about them. A project to be done with some levity! This example includes actual trash (in this case, what Mrs. Richardson cobbled together from her classroom and purse. We have an empty bottle of medicine, a coupon for yogurt, a Starbucks bag and napkins, and a clothing spot remover box. Beside each item is an inference, such as “they go to Starbucks for breakfast.”

Traffic Light Inferences by Rockin’ Resources

The traffic light drawn onto this anchor chart provides a cute visual for how to infer. Red symbolizes stopping to think back to schema. Yellow encourages students to cautiously consider evidence from the text. Green gives the ok to make an inference based on the two previous steps. 

Foreshadowing Anchor Chart b Jennifer Findley

Foreshadowing is a good thing for students to keep a lookout for when making inferences. This anchor chart defines foreshadowing as “when the author hints or mentions something about to happen.” The bottom of the anchor chart provides some further insight, breaking down the word foreshadow by explaining that “fore” means “ahead,” while a shadow is “a glimpse of something without full detail.”

Types Of Context Clues by Teaching With a Mountain View

A little different from the other anchor charts on this list, this one is more about making inferences about the meaning of words rather than what’s going to unfold in the plot or what a character is feeling. The chart is labeled “Types of Context Clues” with four quadrants for each type: “definition,” “example,” “antonym,” and “synonym.” The chart explains that we can infer the meaning of a word by its definition included in the words around it, examples listed of what that word describes, and other words around it that appear to be an antonym or synonym. A great example sentence is given for each.

What An Inference Is Not by Classroom Nook

Going off the idea of antonyms as a context clue, this anchor chart uses a scenario to contrast a concrete observation against an inference. First, we get a definition of what an inference is, and second, we get an example of something easily confused for an inference: an observation. Below that, we see a drawing of a girl in a dress holding flowers. The description next to her reiterates this, pointing out that this is not an inference. Underneath that, there is an inference that because she’s wearing a fancy dress and holding flowers, she could be a flower girl in a wedding.

The Difference Between Inference & Prediction by TeachThought

Speaking of synonyms, “inference” is not necessarily a synonym for “prediction.” The anchor chart explains that making predictions is part of inferring, and you can find out if you were right or wrong as you read. It lists examples of things good readers do, such as reading between the lines. Finally, the chart lists many example sentences for expressing inferences, such as “the story said ___, which made me think…”

Observation VS Inference by Cooties And Cuties

This display gives a list of observations on one side, and a list of inferences on the other. For example, “I observed a man jumping into water,” corresponding with, “I infer it is hot outside because the man is jumping into water.” This anchor chart is similar to number 13, but with a lot more examples.

Further Explaining Inference And Prediction by Jenny Creasy

This chart makes the difference between inferences and predictions even more clear by breaking down the two categories with examples of what can be inferred and what can be predicted. For example, we can infer feelings, where characters are, or why things happened. We can predict what will happen next. Two connecting puzzle pieces are taped under the infer column adding “what we know” and “what the author tells us.”

Implicit VS Explicit by Jenn Keller

Students may struggle with the idea of what information is being implied vs given directly. It may help to teach the words ”implicit” and “explicit.” This anchor chart gives a definition for both words. It also illustrates the shared beginnings of the words “explicit” and “explained,” as well as “implicit” and “infer.” A few examples of the types of questions that come up for both explicit and implicit information are given as well.

Rockin’ Readers Infer by Miss Rainbow’s Class

This anchor chart shows a rockin’ reader holding her magnifying glass, ready to do all the things listed around her in order to be an excellent reader. Some things include, “use pictures to infer,” and “use diagrams to infer.” At the bottom is a simple definition of inferring. 

Free Resources

Inference worksheet by lucky little learners.

This worksheet gives students a space to organize thoughts into three steps: basic knowledge + text clues = inference. There is space for three inferences. This would be a good activity for each text read, and could also be hung on the wall or kept in folders for students to refer back to later. 

Both a big word and a big concept, inferencing is important for our students to learn and practice. Help them out by providing an inferencing anchor chart. You can display one on your classroom wall, or have students complete a worksheet to keep in their folders for later reference.

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Laurie H. was a fulltime teacher for over a decade and now enjoys using her experience in education for writing.

We have a lot of interesting articles and educational resources from a wide variety of authors and teaching professionals.

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Scientific Method Poster and Anchor Charts

Subject: Primary science

Age range: 5 - 11

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Last updated

5 July 2018

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