How to Tackle Questions with Anchor Charts
If you’re a special educator, you already know this: Wh-questions are HARD. Asking the question, “Where is your hat?” and getting the response, “head” is a common occurrence in our classroom settings. Often, our students know exactly what they’re looking to communicate, they just need the structures to do it functionally. That’s where these visual Questions with Anchor Charts come into play! You can grab them in my store here.
I created these anchor charts with my students and my classroom in mind, but knowing that so many classrooms can benefit from these simple, yet powerful, supports. The set comes with full-color, visual based anchor charts for the wh-questions of: who, what, where, when, why, and how.
So, how do these charts get the most use? I thought you’d never ask! The beauty of these anchor charts is their simplicity. I use them during whole group activities, as individual student prompts, or for a lanyard as an on-the-go support – but the possibilities are endless. Let me walk you through it.
Why do I love using Questions with Anchor Charts?
I love to use these charts during structured language lessons, reading groups, and during our morning meeting time. I build in a lot of question-asking during these times, specifically to target this skill. These anchor charts are perfect for a quick review before the lesson (pointing to each chart and reviewing with the visual prompts what each question word is asking students to elicit), and to point to as students answer one of our posed questions. They can also be great for students to point to as they answer questions as an extra way to show comprehension.
What size should Questions with Anchor Charts be?
While the charts come in 8.5×11 size, they can easily be resized when you change your printer settings. Why? To make desk visuals! Adding smaller versions of these anchor charts to student desks/work areas (after they are taught and introduced to the students) can be amazing for independent use. Your staff or yourself could also refer to them to help prompt students along as they complete independent work that requires these skills.
One of my favorite ways to use these visuals after they have been resized is adding them to a binder ring and hanging them on my lanyard! Wh-questions occur naturally throughout the day ALL the time. What better way to attack this tricky skill but in its natural, generalized state?! When a wh-question pops up in conversation, I can easily show students the correct visual prompt as needed. These would also be great to pass out to families, paraprofessionals, related service providers, and any other staff member that works with your students so that they consistently have access to the prompts they need to communicate effectively!
While I love clip art, real life pictures can’t be beat! Check out this version to see this resource, but with real life photos to make wh-questions even more accessible for your unique learners.
