Anchor charts are a great way to make thinking visual as you teach the writing process to your students. We searched high and low to find great anchor charts for all age levels. Here are some of our favorites. Hopefully they help you develop strong writers in your classroom.

1. Why Writers Write

Source: The First Grade Parade

First and second graders will draw inspiration from this fun-filled anchor chart about why we write. Make this chart applicable to older students by expanding on each aspect with a specific audience or goal. “To share experiences” can become “to share experiences with friends, in a postcard, or with readers of a memoir.”

2. Personal Narrative

Source: Rachel’s Reflections

Personal narrative is a style that all students will practice in elementary school. This website has some great worksheets to use with your students to prepare them to write their personal narrative. Then all your students can reference this anchor chart to keep them on task.

3. Organized Paragraph

Anchor Chart: How to Write an Organized Paragraph So fun! Check out our other favorite anchor charts to teach writing. –––> http://bit.ly/2xwtyNZ Posted by WeAreTeachers on Wednesday, September 20, 2017

The video shows how this stoplight anchor chart can be used to help early elementary students understand and write clear paragraphs. As students are editing their work, have them read with green, yellow, and red pencils in hand so they can see how their paragraphs are hooking and engaging readers.

4. Practicing Transitions

Source: Unknown

Here’s another stoplight anchor chart, and it’s perfect for helping students learn and practice their transition words. Draw the stoplight first and then invite students to help come up with different words. Then encourage students to put the transition words into practice.

5. Writing Pie

Source: Unknown

This is a quick and easy anchor chart to help students see different types of writing. It’ll also help them do a quick check to make sure their writing aligns.

6. Dig Deeper

Source: Mrs. Hiner’s Headlines

Keep going! Sometimes it’s hard to express what you mean by certain writing and revision requests, so this is an anchor chart that shows exactly what you mean. Now students can get a good look at what it means to dig deeper.

7. Alternatives to Said

Source: ESL Amplified

If your students are learning about writing dialogue, an anchor chart like this could really come in handy. Encourage students to try other ways to have their characters respond.

8. Understanding Character

Source: Teacher Trap

Before you can write about character, you first have to understand it. This anchor chart will help your young writers understand the difference between inside and outside characteristics.

9. Diving Deeper into Character

Source: Crafting Connections

Now that your students understand the difference between inside and outside characteristics, dive deeper into describing a specific character. This anchor chart is a wonderful idea because students can write their idea(s) on a sticky note and then add it.

10. Six Traits of Writing

Source: Working 4 the Classroom

This anchor chart is jam packed with things to help fourth and fifth grade writers remember the six traits of writing. Use the chart as a whole-class reference or laminate it to use in small groups. When it’s laminated, students can check off each aspect they’ve included in their own writing. Meaningful dialogue? Check! Problem and solution? Check!

11. Writing Realistic Fiction

Source: Two Writing Teachers

This anchor chart reminds upper elementary students how to create realistic stories. It really walks your students through the process, so they have all the elements they need to create their own story.

12. Sequence of Events

Source: Life in First Grade

Help early elementary students stay organized with an anchor chart that’s focused on order-of-events language. Tactile learners can write their first drafts on sentence strips and use this format to put the events in order before they transcribe their work onto writing paper.

13. Informational Writing

Source: Teaching with a Mountain View

Focus upper elementary students on the most important aspects of informational writing while keeping them organized. This chart could be used to support paragraph writing or essays.

14. OREO Opinions

Anchor Chart: Opinion Writing Anchor chart, I'm in love. 😍 Find them all here: http://bit.ly/2xCx0qL Posted by WeAreTeachers on Monday, September 25, 2017

Here’s another how-to video! This deliciously inspired opinion anchor chart can be used by students in grades 3–5 during writers workshop or when developing an opinion for discussion or debate. To build out student writing, have them “double-stuff” their Oreos with extra E examples.

15. Student Reporters

Source: Joyful Learning in KC

This anchor chart, best for K–2, is made relevant with examples of student work, in this case a fantastic ladybug report. Keep this chart relevant by updating the examples with student work throughout the year. In kindergarten, this will also showcase how students move from prewriting and pictures to writing words and sentences.

16. Write from the Heart

Source: First Grade Parade

Sometimes the hardest part about writing is coming up with whom and what you should write about. This is the fun part, though! Use this anchor chart to remind your students that they have lots of good writing options.

17. Get Argumentative

Source: Literacy & Math Ideas

Use this anchor chart with middle schoolers to make sure they’re considering all sides of an argument, not just the one that matters the most to them. One way to adapt this chart, as students develop their understanding of argument, is to write each element—claim, argument, evidence—under a flap that students can lift if they need a reminder.

18. Writing Process

Source: Mrs. Skowronski

This is an anchor chart you’ll likely direct your students to again and again. The writing process has several steps, and it’s good to remind students of this so they don’t get frustrated.

19. Writing Checklist

Source: Kindergarten Chaos

For those young writers in your class, these cover the basics in a clear way.

20. It’s a RACE for Writing

Source: Mrs. Puffer

Mrs. Puffer on Instagram writes that she uses this with her fifth grade students. She says it’s a good strategy to help give her students a mini checklist when they’re writing.

21. Cause and Effect