Three Easy Ways to Create Digital Anchor Charts

If you are like me, you love using anchor charts as a visual aid when teaching your lessons.  Anchor charts are a great way to display relevant content, group important information, and display learning strategies to support students.  Anchor charts are also a great way for teachers to get creative and design things for their classrooms.  Paper anchor charts are great when you are building them with students or want to post them on the walls throughout your classroom.  However, these anchor charts can be hard for students to access when they are outside of the classroom, hard to used in blended and digital lessons, and can be damaged over time if they are not stored properly.  Lucky for us, anchor charts are really easy to create in a digital format!  Here are three easy ways to create digital anchor charts.

1: Using Microsoft Publisher

Microsoft Publisher is a great app to use if you want to create anything in a "document style."  Everything you create in Publisher can be printed and exported as different file types.  This means that you can create something in Publisher and save it as a PDF or image file so you can share it easily with others.  This is great because it can be easily sent to students, uploaded into Google Classroom, and sent to a copier or printer if you want to have a hard copy in your classroom.

Here are some useful features in Publisher that can help you develop your anchor charts:

• You can create in portrait or landscape
• Grid lines to keep everything centered
• You can use multiple text boxes to place information anywhere on the chart
• You can insert images, tables, and icons in the chart
• You can use different shapes throughout the chart

2: Using Microsoft Powerpoint

Microsoft Powerpoint is also a great app to use when creating digital anchor charts.  Powerpoint has many features that go beyond it being a presentation app.  Powerpoint can be used to create worksheets, edit videos, and create images like digital anchor charts.  Like Publisher, Powerpoint files can be exported as PDFs, image files, and video files.  You can even export individual slides if you have multiple in a given presentation.

Here are some useful features in Powerpoint that can help you develop your anchor charts:

• You can alter slide size in the "Design" tab
• You can use multiple text boxes to place information throughout the slide
• You can insert shapes, images, tables, 3D objects, and screenshots on the slide
• You can use the equation function to place math problems in your slide
• You can screen record in Powerpoint if you want to make a video out of your anchor chart

3: Using Paint

Paint is another great feature to use when you are creating digital anchor charts.  Paint automatically saves creations as image files so they are easy to share.  Paint is a great option if you want to draw your own images.  If you have a touch screen, you can draw directly in the app, or you can use your mouse to create images.

Here are some useful features in Paint that can help you develop your anchor charts:

• You can easily crop pieces to copy them, resize the chart, or remove them from the chart
• You can draw the exact items, shapes, and equations you want in the given chart
• You can add text boxes with information throughout the chart
• You can add shapes and use eye droppers to color coordinate information
• You can use Paint 3D to create 3D shapes in the chart