25 Graphic Organizers
Definition
Visual tool such as a Venn diagram or charts that visually organizes information and illustrates relevant relationships.
In action
Graphic organizers can be fully completed or in a fill-in format with headings. Teachers can allow students the option to organize their thinking with digital or print graphic organizers when working on a task.
Support Strategies
- Give students the option to hand in graphic organizers as part of an assessment (i.e., handing in a mind map in addition to a written response).
- Model use of graphic organizers when presenting new content
- Create a variety of graphic organizers, teach students how to use them, and make them available on a regular basis.
- Present information in a graphic organizer when teaching a lesson.
- Ensure graphic organizers contain sufficient space for students to record their thoughts.
- Teach students to create their own graphic organizers to summarize complex information
Case Study
Student: Grade 10 student in an English class.
Content: Students have a work period to write a response to the short story they read as a class.
Problem: The student is unsure where to begin and is writing down their thoughts out of order.
Solution: The teacher provides all students with concept maps to help them organize their ideas before writing.
Additional Resources
- Article describing how graphic organizers can be used to scaffold learning in the classroom from Edutopia
- List of resources that teachers can use to create graphic organizers for students from the Inclusive Schools Network
- Five types of graphic organizers to support students with writing
- Succinct research summary outlining the benefits of using graphic organizers from the IRIS Center
