Thanks to Amanda Pogany for contributing this article
“In this class, we are never finished. Learning is a process that never ends.”
Carol Ann Tomlinson
Anchor Activities are designed for students to work on once their class work is completed. The intention is to maximize instructional time and deal with the challenge of different students completing their work at different times. Anchor activities are intended to review or extend learning of the subject matter, not to be busy-work. Activities may be designed for students to complete on their own or in small groups. The goal is to have students move independently to the next task.
Ideally, you can set up an area for anchor activities in your classroom that students know how to use. It is intended as low prep DI (differentiated instruction) strategy. Try to stock your anchor activity center with a series of ongoing projects, so that you don’t have to work on it regularly.
You may choose to assign particular students to specific tasks or allow them to choose, when appropriate. All tasks should be relevant to the concepts being developed in class, but some may be more complex than others; there are times when students need the opportunity to do something that is low-stress and less demanding.
Ideas for Anchor Activities:
Silent Reading
Brain Teasers
Puzzles
Vocab practice
Interest Centers
Creative Writing
Pirkei Avot
Word puzzles
Creating a mind map of a concept
Art project
Journals
Parsha work
Practice finding parsha, perek, pasuk in a Tanakh
Practice finding a daf in a Gemarah
Links to learn more about bringing anchor activities into your classroom:
