Observation Charts are a great way to promote academic discussions in your classroom so that all students are successful. This BeGLAD strategy makes it super simple to get ALL your students listening, speaking, reading and writing about content! Students look at visuals from a unit of study and ask a question, make a prediction and write an observation. This strategy is done at the beginning of a unit of study, therefore it also builds background knowledge and interest for students.
Prepping Observation Charts
You will need:
- Construction paper (9X12 or 12X18 can both work). Rule of thumb is enough for each pair to have one chart, even though they’ll be rotating to many different charts. For example, if I have 24 students, I’ll prep at least 12 charts. I also prep one more to use for modeling.
- Photos or illustrations from the unit of study. Retelling cards or picture cards that come with your curriculum can work well here.
- White printer paper
- Pencils
Steps to prep:
- Attach one photo to the top of each piece of construction paper. You can decide if you would like your charts to be vertical or horizontal. I put one picture on top of an 9X12 piece of construction paper or two pictures on top of an 12X18.
- Laminate (optional). If you are only using your photos & illustrations for observation charts, I laminate after step 1 so that I can reuse the charts each year and just add new printer paper.
- Tape a piece of white printer paper underneath each photo.
- Spread the charts out all around the room. Think doors, desks, floor and anywhere else that is accessible.
Implementation
First, model the expectations. I think aloud throughout the entire modeling process and complete all three sections. Then, I choose another photo and ask a student to join me to model the partner/discussion expectations.
This looks and sounds like this:
Partner A: What do you observe?
Partner B: I observe… What do you observe?
Partner A: I observe….
After their discussion, each partner takes a turn drawing/writing their observation. They repeat these same steps for predictions and questions.
Finally, students are paired with another student. They share one pencil and rotate around the room with their partner to complete the observation charts. Remind them to move on to another chart instead of waiting on others if two people are already at an observation chart.
This strategy can be done whole class, during centers, as an extended activity or at home!
Assessment
For the observation charts, students can draw, write words or write complete sentences. Use this as an assessment. Which of your students are drawing? A possible next step for those students would be adding labels. Which students are writing in complete sentences? A possible next step for these students is to add descriptive language, or perhaps they need support with writing conventions. Differentiation and assessment are embedded in this strategy so that all students feel successful and so you can best meet their needs.
Observation Charts Support ALL Language Domains
Write observations, predictions and questions.
Read observations, predictions and questions of peers.
Listen to their partner speak.
Speak to their partner.
Helpful Resources
- I created these Observation Chart Templates as a resource to support implementation. Students can also use this resource at home and discuss with a family member or guardian as opposed to a classmate. This resource includes both PDF and Google Slides versions.
- Read my blog on this simple and effective classroom management strategy to promote even more language into your day and provide students with clear expectations as they are moving around the room. There is a free resource that goes along with this post for you to use as well.
- You might also like these Accountable Talk Resource Cards to further support language development.
