3 Effective Strategies For Any Language Class: Anchor Charts, Model Texts, and Write & Discuss

In one of our recent hot seat sessions inside GWP The Spanish Teacher Academy, a member asked us this question: “My students need to talk about their ‘plan de vida’, but they’re short on the right language skills and they’re not too excited about talking. What should I do?” The teacher wanted students to create vision boards. We came up with a very effective and efficient solution using 3 main strategies: anchor charts, model texts, and write & discuss.

What’s great about this approach is its straightforwardness. The main thing you need is a clear idea of what you want your students to understand or do at the end of the unit.

This clarity helps you guide them during the process. And here’s the best part – you don’t have to spend hours looking for or making materials before class. All the resources you need can be created right there in the classroom with your students.

This doesn’t mean you don’t have to prepare. In fact, the preparation is very targeted, but it won’t take up much of your time. Ready to find out how you can boost student involvement and language proficiency in your language classes with just a little prep and lots of fun?

This post will highlight episode 65 of Growing with Proficiency The Podcast, and along with episode 65,  it will help you if you’ve ever felt stuck on how to start your curriculum theme, or noticed your students could use a bit more help before jumping into a new unit.

Using Anchor Charts in the Language Class

First, let’s define an anchor chart. An anchor chart is a tool that is going to help you visualize thinking or learning and is really popular. Anchor charts are a tool that we all can use, regardless of the level that we teach. Usually, anchor charts are what you create for your students and put on the wall for them to use to help them as a visual aid. 

However, in episode 65, I talk about co-creating an anchor chart with your students to visualize your thinking. An anchor chart was one of the suggestions for the question asked in the hot seat session inside GWP The Spanish Teacher Academy. In that case, you could use anchor charts to brainstorm vocab related to talents, dreams, and fears for the vision board.

Make Vocab on Anchor Charts Relatable 

For this teacher’s class, they really didn’t have the knowledge of the vocabulary for future tense. So, for these students, posters will go on the wall, and I’ll grab a marker and co-create anchor charts. I would ask students what talents they have. I wouldn’t just give them vocabulary that may not be relatable to them. So, if someone mentions dancing, then I would chat about how I like to dance and write that talent down. 

Even if students say the word in the common language, that’s okay. It is also okay that I give them the target language. I want them to use the language. Now, if your students aren’t ones who would raise their hand and share, then you could put them in groups of three. Next, have them write lists of their talents and then they can share. 

You can also have your students make the posters and make two more copies of the anchor charts to place around the room. Then, have students write and share their dreams and fears. I’m also going to scaffold the target language for my students. I want to hear them use the target language so they need me to model it first. 

Model Texts

Next, we’re going to create model texts. A model text is an example of the piece of writing or speaking that we want our students to produce. Many times  though, we have our students produce a text and they haven’t seen a model. We think they surely know how to write that. However, many times we find ourselves at the end saying no, they surely don’t know how to write that. And that creates a lot of frustration.

When we use a model text, we’re really reducing that frustration, because we’re going to create the model that you want your students to produce later. What I love about co-creating a model test is that when we co-create it, we can stop and really emphasize and be intentional of the structure that we want our students to read, understand, and really comprehend. So then, they will have a much easier time to talk about and write their own text.

You start a model text by writing on the board about something you previously discussed in class. The key is to write it with your students. They get excited and take ownership over what is being written. Let them use their own expressions and comments in the writing. Ask them questions about the topic to guide them.

Write and Discuss

First, we start with our anchor charts. Next, we use model texts. Then, we write and discuss. Staying with the example of creating vision boards, we’re going to write our general vision board. To do this, we’re going to talk about it with students, and then you decide what structures you really want your students to see, read, understand, and eventually produce. 

For example, you want to talk about the future tense for this specific lesson. So, you’re going to start talking about their talents, and you’re going to organize your text in the way that you want students to produce the text. This is very important. But, you are not going to just write on the board, turn to your students, and tell them, “Now, you write”. Modeling is just not going to be enough. 

I would then do an activity or two with the text. In previous episodes of the podcast, I’ve talked about some of these activities. For example, you could use True or False or have them illustrate the text. 

Use a Second Model Text

Next, I would do a second model text with me as an example. I’ll talk about my vision board and my talents, dreams, and fears. You can do this a day or two later. You want to make sure that you are very intentional on using the same structure and language that you want your students to use.

Again, I turn to them and do an activity or two and discuss it with them. You can also have them compare the two texts and do an activity where they have to decide which is the false information. After all of this, the anchor charts, model texts, and discussions, then you tell your students that you want them to now write their own vision board. 

You can use this method for any topic and level. To hear more details on these three strategies, listen above, on your favorite podcast player, or here.