Supporting Stop & Jots with Anchor Charts

Hi everybody!  This fall, I worked with a number of teachers on utilizing stop and jots in Reading Workshop.  Our goals included:

• What is the purpose of stop and jots?
• Supporting the objectives of the unit
• Preparing for book clubs / partnerships
• Carrying ideas across the text
• How might students use their stop and jots?  Why and when might a student stop and jot?
• Finding / carrying ideas across multiple texts (intertextuality)
• Practice comprehension skills and support unit goals
• Write long from jots - elaborating in a notebook to explore topics
• Monitor comprehension
• How to raise the level of student stop and jots?
• Model, Model, Model!
• Exemplars
• Student-facing rubrics
• Anchor Charts (see below!)
• How might teachers use the stop and jots to help form instruction?
• Formative and summative assessing
• Develop strategy groups
• Determine next steps for whole group

One of the exercises the participating staff members engaged in was looking closely at their unit of study and considering what kids should know and be able to do.  This consideration is followed by determining how will you be able to tell if they are understanding the concept. 
While digging into their units, teachers developed potential anchor charts that could be created with students to support student responses that connect to the unit goals. 
We displayed our charts and did a Gallery Walk to share out:

    

It was really energizing to see the creative ways the group was considering how to support students in their jots.  Some teachers developed chart ideas to support students in:

• When to jot... ("To jot or not to jot...")
• How to start jots... ("Jot starters")
• Jotting specific to a genre

It is powerful to come together collaboratively and discuss teaching points and unit objectives through this lens. When planning together, it is helpful to consider the work our students will be doing and discuss the scaffolds we can provide to help students find success.