Graphic Organizers
Literacy-Focused PD @ Lindley Park
Keep in Mind...
The primary goal of using graphic organizers is to make abstract ideas and relationships clear.
Graphic Organizers as a Learning Tool
Why Are Graphic Organizers Important?
- Graphic organizers show students how to think about the information they are learning.
- They make new information manageable by enabling students to chunk it to fit into their existing memory.
- They help students build connections and explore relationships to what they already know.
- Organizers also help students recall information more readily.
How Can Students Use Them?
- structure their note taking
- generate ideas
- record key text information
- guide reading
- organize ideas as a prewriting tool
- select, sequence, restructure, and store information
- create a visual model to understand or explain
- connect ideas or concepts
- focus on what is most important
- summarize their learning
What Should Teachers Consider When Selecting Graphic Organizers?
- Understanding text structures is critical to comprehending what you are reading and to logically organize new information. Choose a graphic organizer based on how text is organized.
- Choose a graphic organizer to facilitate how you want your students to think about content of your lesson.
- Be sure there is an intended purpose for the graphic organizer and that the students understand that they will be using the completed organizer for a specific purpose.
Gradual Release of Responsibility
- Demonstration: I do, you watch.
- Guided Practice: I do, you help.
- Independent Practice: You do, I help.
- Application: You do, I watch.
Where Are Some Samples to Get Started?
Popplet
http://popplet.com/ allows the creator to design a graphic organizer with many options such as video, pictures, text, or drawings.
Read Write Think
Log on to http://www.readwritethink.org/ to find several student interactives and blank graphic organizers.
Bubbl.us
Ideal for older students, https://bubbl.us/ is ideal for brainstorming and concept maps.
I hope this page will be a great resource to you!
Chandra Manning
Lead Teacher for Secondary Literacy
Email: cmanning@asheboro.k12.nc.us
Website: http://manning-literacy.wikispaces.com
Twitter: @digital_apple