Anchor Charts for Math Start with One Chart per Big Idea

Make one anchor chart for each big math idea a grade must master, such as counting in kindergarten or place value in grades 2 and 3. At Chalkbox, we build free classroom tools and guides for kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) teachers, and these anchor charts for math are sorted by grade band.

Kindergarten charts cover counting and number names. Grade 1 charts cover making ten and the equal sign, and grades 2 and 3 cover place value and operation strategies. Every grade shares one problem-solving routine chart.

An anchor chart is a large poster built with students during a lesson and kept on the wall as a reference. Its value comes from building it live with the class, because a chart the teacher makes alone the night before is just a poster. For charts in every subject, see our general guide, Anchor Charts: Types, Examples, and Classroom Setup.

If you want a finished poster to hang without teaching a lesson around it, these ideas will not fit, because every chart below is built in front of students. Pick one chart from the table and build it during a math lesson instead.

Math Anchor Charts by Grade Band

The math anchor charts below are grouped by grade band, with one chart per big idea and one problem-solving routine chart that every grade shares. Each title is a question or a skill, and the last column names the standard a chart supports where one is quoted below.

Two charts show their arithmetic right on the paper. The "Make a ten" chart splits 6 into 2 and 4, so 8 + 2 fills one ten-frame and 10 + 4 gives 14. The "Equal groups and arrays" chart writes 4 + 4 + 4 = 12 beside 3 × 4 = 12, so students see two sentences for the same 3 by 4 array.

How to Build a Math Anchor Chart Live in Five Steps

To build a math anchor chart live, pick one skill students just met, title it as a question, and solve a problem in front of them before they supply the next example. Follow these five steps in order:

1. Pick one skill students just met. One skill keeps the chart to one idea.
2. Write the title as a question. "How do I make ten?" tells students what the chart answers.
3. Solve a problem in front of students. Think aloud as you work, and write only the main steps on the chart.
4. Ask students for the next example. Add their example in a second color so it stands apart from your worked steps.
5. Post the chart and point to it. When a student asks for help, point to the chart and ask, "What does our chart say?"

In a grade 1 class, step 3 could be solving 8 + 6 aloud on two ten-frames. Step 4 then asks students for a second make-ten problem, written in the second color under yours.

Design Rules for Anchor Charts for Math

A math anchor chart should hold one idea, a short title, and one worked example drawn live in two colors. These six design rules are Chalkbox suggestions:

• One idea per chart. A place value chart holds place value and nothing else.
• A title that is a question or a skill. "How do I make ten?" and "Place value" both work.
• Few words and one worked example. Draw the example live while students watch.
• Two colors with two jobs. Write the rule in one color and the example in another.
• Eye level and readable. Hang the chart at student eye level, and check that the writing reads from the farthest desk.
• Retire it and keep a photo. Take a chart down when students stop looking at it, and photograph it first.

Standards That Math Anchor Charts Support

Six standards from the Common Core State Standards line up with charts in the table, drawn from kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 3. Each is quoted exactly.

• K.CC.A.1 (kindergarten): "Count to 100 by ones and by tens." The "Counting to 100" chart shows both counts on one hundred chart.
• K.CC.B.4.b (kindergarten): "Understand that the last number name said tells the number of objects counted. The number of objects is the same regardless of their arrangement or the order in which they were counted." The "How many?" chart circles the last number said and notes that the arrangement does not change the count.
• K.OA.A.2 (kindergarten): "Solve addition and subtraction word problems, and add and subtract within 10, e.g., by using objects or drawings to represent the problem." The "Putting together, taking apart" chart pairs drawn objects with a number sentence.
• 1.OA.D.7 (grade 1) begins: "Understand the meaning of the equal sign, and determine if equations involving addition and subtraction are true or false." The "What does = mean?" chart sorts three true and three false equations.
• 3.OA.A.3 (grade 3): "Use multiplication and division within 100 to solve word problems in situations involving equal groups, arrays, and measurement quantities, e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem." The "Equal groups and arrays" chart draws 3 groups of 4 both ways.
• 3.OA.D.8 (grade 3): "Solve two-step word problems using the four operations. Represent these problems using equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity. Assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies including rounding." The "Two-step problems" chart supports it.

The grade 1 standards also name making ten as a strategy, and the "Make a ten" chart shows it with ten-frames. The place value, fraction, order of operations, and area and perimeter charts have no standard quoted here.

Adjusting Anchor Charts for Math by Grade Band

Anchor charts for math change with the grade band, moving from pictures and few words in kindergarten to a "common mistake" box in grades 4 and 5. Three Chalkbox suggestions by band:

• Kindergarten and grade 1. Lean on pictures, ten-frames, and few words. Read the chart aloud with students.
• Grades 2 and 3. Add more words and a labeled example. On the place value chart, label the hundreds, tens, and ones on the drawn number.
• Grades 4 and 5. Add a "common mistake" box. Two entries to start with are comparing fractions by the size of the denominator alone and confusing area with perimeter.

Put each common mistake box on the chart it belongs to. The denominator warning, comparing fractions by the size of the denominator alone, goes on "Fraction models", next to the number line, bar, and circle showing the same fraction. The area warning goes on "Area and perimeter", next to the labels for units and square units.

How Students Use the Chart After It Is Built

Once a chart is up, give students routines that send them back to it. Four Chalkbox suggestions:

• Chart check. Students do a chart check before asking the teacher.
• Sticky-note examples. Students add their own example to the chart on a sticky note.
• Teach a partner. One student teaches the chart to a partner.
• Notebook copy. A printed small version of the chart goes in each math notebook.

Common Mistakes with Math Anchor Charts

Four mistakes make math anchor charts harder to use, and each one has a direct fix:

• Too many charts up at once. With a full wall, no single chart gets read. Keep up only the charts for the big ideas you are teaching now, and photograph the rest before taking them down.
• Copying a pretty chart from the internet. A copied chart skips the live build with students. Use the five steps above and make the chart with the class.
• Writing in a color students cannot read from their seats. Stand at the farthest desk and read every line. Rewrite any line you cannot read.
• Leaving a chart up long after the unit ends. Photograph it and take it down, then hang the chart for the current unit.

Related Chalkbox Resources

For charts outside math, see the CER Anchor Chart and the Main Idea Anchor Chart. See also the Place Value Chart and the Multiplication Chart.

For practice after a chart goes up, use the Math Worksheet Generator or our Fraction Worksheets. Kindergarten teachers can find more in Kindergarten Worksheets, and see also Fun Ways to Practice Math Facts. For a routine chart built the same live way, see the Voice Level Chart.

Bottom Line on Anchor Charts for Math

Build one chart for each big idea, title it as a question, and draw one worked example live in front of students. Pick one chart for your grade band from the table above, and start your anchor charts for math by building it with students in your next lesson.