USING A GRAPHIC ORGANIZER

A graphic organizer is a visual display that organizes ideas and shows the relationships between concepts or information.

Graphic organizers are also an important tool for guiding student writing.

Students should become proficient in using one organizer before working with another.

Graphic organizers are most frequently used to…

Graphic organizers help visualize or present information in a way that is easier to comprehend, by breaking down larger or complex concepts or ideas into smaller and simpler parts.

Graphic organizers help recall prior knowledge about a subject and quickly connect it to new information.

There are many types of graphic organizers for teaching and learning.

Story map, Biography graphic organizer, KWL chart are graphic organizers for reading.

A story map can be used to identify the different elements such as characters, character plots, themes, techniques, in a book students are reading.

Biography graphic organizer is a tool that assists with understanding a character from a novel, autobiography or movie or a historical figure more in-depth.

KWL chart is used for gathering information from student’s prior knowledge or experience.

KWL chart captures the before (what the reader already knows), during (what the reader wants to learn) and after (what the reader learned) stages of reading.