What Are Anecdotal Notes? Why Do We Make Anecdotal Observations?

An anecdotal reading record is an informal assessment strategy used by teachers to track and document a student’s reading progress. It involves assessment by taking notes on a student’s reading performance during one-on-one reading sessions or while the student is reading during class time. These notes might include observations about the student’s ability to decode words, their fluency, comprehension, expression, and any strategies they use to understand the text.

The anecdotal record provides thorough insight into the student’s reading abilities, strengths, and areas for improvement, offering a more personalised view of their reading development over time. This tool allows you to tailor instruction to meet each student’s individual needs.

What Can I Use to Record Anecdotal Observations? You Need an Anecdotal Notes Template!

Some teachers prefer to track their students’ progress in a notebook, while others may type their records into a spreadsheet, but we’ve got a better way! This year, we can help you streamline your reading assessments with a printable anecdotal notes template that’s ready to use! This template provides you with a complete checklist of student reading behaviours, so all you need to do is listen to them read, tick the box, and you’re done! We’ve even included additional space for you to make specific notes about texts, levels, and other observations.

Anecdotal Observation Examples

We’ve included a variety of statements for you to choose from, including the following:

• Monitors reading and self-corrects
• Determines and analyses the author’s purpose
• Uses text features (titles, headings, captions, photos, etc)
• Visualises to make a mental image
• Uses phrasing to enhance fluency
• and more!

Download and Print Your Anecdotal Observation Template Today!

This resource is available as an easy-to-use Google Slides or PowerPoint Resource file. To get your copy, click the dropdown arrow on the download button to select your preferred file format.

This resource was created by Samantha Rose, a teacher and Teach Starter Collaborator.

Before you go, take advantage of even more teacher assessment tools! Explore our related resources to enhance your teaching toolkit.

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