Using Graphic Organizer templates for improving reading comprehension and writing skills.
Main, P (2021, August 17). Graphic Organizer Templates: A teacher's guide. Retrieved from https://www.structural-learning.com/post/graphic-organizer-templates-a-teachers-guide
Graphic organizers are great teaching tools because they allow students to organize information visually. They also make learning fun and engaging. But how exactly does a graphic organizer work? In this article, we'll explain why these diagrammatic strategies are such powerful educational tools and how they work. A graphic organizer is a tool that helps students organize information in their minds. Graphic organizers are extremely useful tools when teaching children how to study effectively.
Graphic organizers are visual tools that help students organize ideas and information into meaningful categories. These types of graphic organizers are commonly used in business settings but can also be useful for organizing academic papers. There are several different types of graphic organizers including mind maps, concept mapping, Venn diagrams, and tree maps. Each type of graphic organizer works differently depending on the purpose of the organization. For example, a mind map is ideal for brainstorming while a concept map is helpful for analyzing data.
Students use these visual aids to organize their thoughts before starting to work on assignments. They can then refer back to these images whenever they have trouble recalling what was covered during class. They can be used to help children understand the main idea of an essay, or it could simply be used as a way for you to get your thoughts organized before writing. Graphic organizers have been around since at least the 1950s, and they're still prevalent today.
They work well with any type of text, but we will focus on using them with essays here. Concept maps are different because they are organized visually instead of verbally. When students complete a concept map, they can look back over the map to recall the main points. Both mind mapping and concept mapping are effective teaching tools because they allow students to focus on specific areas of study rather than having to memorize large amounts of information.
Although a graphic organiser can be used as a way to integrate information with others, a graphic organiser can be used individually for independent learning. This is very effective for learning or listening. It can also be a great way to show support to learners who are learning a topic. Your student should not be expected to create a graphic organiser. They can use a blank, single-page form. Choose your form to fit your needs. A very simple type of graphic organiser is a 'mind map'.
Graphic organizers do exactly what they say; they give learners an opportunity to organize their ideas. Why is this so important? Learning is facilitated by organizing information in our minds. To put it bluntly, organizing is learning. A graphic organizer is a visual representation of how knowledge is structured. In psychology, we would call this a schema, this is the foundation of how we build understanding. In this article, we are going to focus on how we would go about organizing our ideas.
Like a carpenters tool kit, each graphic organizer serves a different purpose. Part of the educator's job is to sift through collections of graphic organizers to find the most suitable one for the job. The visual organizer structure determines how we treat the information we are trying to process. We need to make sure we use the right tool for the right job. For example, if we are comparing two things, we should probably use a Venn diagram. If we are organizing information into associated categories, we might want to use the mind map.
The graphic organizer structure is essential and will determine how we eventually write about the content. If we plot historical events using a timeline, we will probably end up using timebase connectives which is central to a recount piece of writing. If students are to be truly independent, they need to understand what the task is asking them to do or, in other words, how are they being asked to organize the information. This metacognitive awareness makes choosing the right cognitive organizer easier.
Organisers may provide information at a glance or allow learners to prepare a discussion or memory exercise. You may want a larger form than a list or list-like organiser and for information to be hand-drawn, on the back of a napkin, or as the exercise progresses. When information is displayed as a visual, it can be easier to keep track of and will give learners an image to work with. A whiteboard may also work if you are willing to supply paper. Organisers help learners focus on what's most important and work through the information as they go.
Other advantages include: Organisers can help with reflection and the creation of content which is relevant for the learners whatever their grade level. The co-creation of a graphic organizer all offers an opportunity in the learning process for discussion points. Providing opportunities for students to use a graphic organizer is seen by some as a gateway to deeper learning.
There are many reasons why teachers like to use graphic organizers when teaching students how to write:
1) Students learn more effectively by organizing ideas visually rather than verbally. This makes sense because our brains process visual stimuli faster than verbal ones. When students create a picture out of words, they are forced to think about what each term means individually instead of just thinking about the whole sentence. The result is that they remember the material better after creating the structure.
2) Using graphic organizers forces students to make connections between different parts of the paper. For example, if I ask my student to draw a Venn diagram showing where he/she has learned about the topic from his/her textbook, then I am forcing him/her to connect all these pieces together into one coherent piece. If I were only asking them to list everything without connecting anything, then there would not be much learning going on.
3) By having students create them first, they can see exactly what needs to go where. In other words, they know exactly which part goes next to another part. Without doing this step, they may end up putting things down randomly and never really knowing where to put something until later.
4) Graphic organizers provide an opportunity for students to build knowledge. Fundamentally, they are used to aid the comprehension of students. As a reading comprehension tool, they scaffold the process of making meaning (which is fundamentally the act of organizing).
5) Visual tools promote the knowledge of students. When we use these tools we are building schema, organized packets of information that make retrieval easier. Providing an opportunity for students to get their ideas out of their head and onto paper bypasses the limitations of their relatively small working memories.
The three most common types of graphic organiser are the hierarchical diagram, the flow chart and the connector form. A hierarchical diagram is a structure that begins with the most general information or concepts in the centre and progress through to the detail or other more specific things down a vertical or horizontal axis.
A flow chart is a diagram that shows the way in which a range of things work together. It might be time-based, for example, or the way that a spreadsheet works. A connector form is the most flexible of the graphic organisers and could be a list of different kinds of information, a specific diagram, or even just a picture. Whether you students are creating a pie chart or documenting historical events using a timeline, the visual nature of the organiser makes complex concepts more accessible.
As we mentioned, choosing the right type of organizer is a skill in itself. Many websites are offering pre-formatted graphic organizers, but simply having a large selection won't help teachers and children. The good news is that there are a few central ways to organize our ideas, and these have corresponding graphics. You don't need anything elaborate, simple black-and-white graphic organizers will do the job. We don't want to distract the learner away from the content, any extraneous load on the working memory might act as a distraction.
How can we organize information?
There are other organizer types, but the four listed above will cover most writing assignments and child encounters in the curriculum. Specialist tools include:
David Hyerle created a wonderful book entitled 'Visual tools for constructing knowledge. The version that I am looking at now from 1996 looks a bit dated, but the content remains highly relevant. When your students are using a visual tool, they are indeed constructing knowledge. In other words, they are using this pedagogical tool for generating meaning.
In many cases, educators see the graphic organizer as a bridge between brainstorming and pre-writing tools. A child is effectively taking their ideas out of their head and manipulating them in a visual space. This is why tools like a concept diagram or cluster diagram are so powerful. Once a learners ideas are outside of their head, their working memory has been freed up for the essential higher-order thinking needed for generating meaning. The humble graphic organizer will always remain a vital teaching tool.
What sort of diagrams could you use in the classroom?
Using educational tools such as graphic organizers promotes critical thinking skills. Learners are not simply putting their ideas into boxes, when these challenging activities are facilitated collaboratively, students engage in many types of thinking. The map acts as a central point for a purposeful discussion activity. As the learners talk through their visual tools, they make links between ideas.
This type of creative thinking is a form of structured idea generation. The learner is effectively in a feedback loop of thinking, talking and connecting. All academic topics will have a productive way(s) of organizing the content; with practice, students can identify the main organizing principle. Even a complex topic can be broken down into several visual representations, which will help a student to build robust knowledge.
For example, when tackling a history project, you could start with a flow diagram. Students could then use a triple Venn diagram to compare the topic with two other historical events that they are familiar with. Using these popular thinking maps will enable your students to quickly get out of the starting blocks and start creating knowledge.
What can you do to create a graphic organiser? Mind maps and relationship charts are just a few of the different types of graphic organised. Think about the information to be presented and the concept of your course before you make a decision about a graphic organiser. It's a good idea to think about the purpose of the graphic organizers.
The goal is to show the information presented in the lesson in a visual way. A mind map provides a clear structure for your students to put ideas in order to understand them and to see how the information connects with each other. The graphic organizer is viewed as an essential tool for writing projects in many classrooms.
If you are still unsure how graphic organizers help learners with curriculum content, hop over to our extensive organizer library and see how they are categorized. Depending on the type of thinking you want to promote, you will be able to choose from a comprehensive set of effective learning tools that are free from distractive pictures and emojis. If your school is interested in developing a clear agenda for using visual tools, please do get in contact with us. We can talk about developing a strategic approach together.
Teachers often use graphic organizers to teach students how to understand and communicate simple concepts. Whether your class are engaged in essay writing or persuasive writing, using some form of knowledge map will help them uncover the meaning within the curriculum.
Tip #1: Embed Visual Tools
Visual tools are one of the most powerful learning strategies available. If you want to improve student performance, then you need to incorporate visual tools into your lesson plans.
For example, if you want to teach students how to write a persuasive essay, then you can show them examples of persuasive essays online. Students can see these persuasive essays and decide whether they agree or disagree with the author's point of view.
This strategy works particularly well for students who struggle with reading comprehension.
Tip #2: Make Them Easy to Understand
When you're trying to teach students how to use graphic organizers, you'll want to make sure that they understand exactly what you mean.
So, make sure that your graphic organizers are clear and concise. For example, if you want students to use a tree diagram to organize information, then make sure that the tree diagram is clearly labelled and that the labels are written in plain English.
Tip #3: Provide Multiple Examples
Students should be given multiple opportunities to practice organizing information using graphic organizers. This helps ensure that they really understand how to use graphic organizers correctly.
For example, you could ask students to create a simple tree diagram to represent a list of items. Then, you could provide them with another set of instructions asking them to create a tree diagram to represent a shopping list.
Afterwards, you could ask them to compare the two trees and explain why each item was placed where it was.
Tip #4: Give Students Time to Practice
It's important to allow students time to practice using graphic organizers. They may not grasp the concept right away. But, over time, they will become proficient at using graphic organizers.
Give students ample time to practice using graphic organization techniques. Allow them to complete several assignments using graphic organizers.
Tip #5: Be Flexible
Sometimes, students won't follow directions precisely. That's okay. Just don't let this discourage you. Instead, simply remind yourself that you've provided them with plenty of opportunities to practice using graphic organizers successfully.
Remember, you're not going to force students to master the skill overnight. Rather, you're helping them develop the ability to think critically about information.
By following these five tips, you'll be able to teach students how to organize information using graphic organizers.
Graphic organizers are great teaching tools because they allow students to organize information visually. They also make learning fun and engaging. But how exactly does a graphic organizer work? In this article, we'll explain why these diagrammatic strategies are such powerful educational tools and how they work. A graphic organizer is a tool that helps students organize information in their minds. Graphic organizers are extremely useful tools when teaching children how to study effectively.
Graphic organizers are visual tools that help students organize ideas and information into meaningful categories. These types of graphic organizers are commonly used in business settings but can also be useful for organizing academic papers. There are several different types of graphic organizers including mind maps, concept mapping, Venn diagrams, and tree maps. Each type of graphic organizer works differently depending on the purpose of the organization. For example, a mind map is ideal for brainstorming while a concept map is helpful for analyzing data.
Students use these visual aids to organize their thoughts before starting to work on assignments. They can then refer back to these images whenever they have trouble recalling what was covered during class. They can be used to help children understand the main idea of an essay, or it could simply be used as a way for you to get your thoughts organized before writing. Graphic organizers have been around since at least the 1950s, and they're still prevalent today.
They work well with any type of text, but we will focus on using them with essays here. Concept maps are different because they are organized visually instead of verbally. When students complete a concept map, they can look back over the map to recall the main points. Both mind mapping and concept mapping are effective teaching tools because they allow students to focus on specific areas of study rather than having to memorize large amounts of information.
Although a graphic organiser can be used as a way to integrate information with others, a graphic organiser can be used individually for independent learning. This is very effective for learning or listening. It can also be a great way to show support to learners who are learning a topic. Your student should not be expected to create a graphic organiser. They can use a blank, single-page form. Choose your form to fit your needs. A very simple type of graphic organiser is a 'mind map'.
Graphic organizers do exactly what they say; they give learners an opportunity to organize their ideas. Why is this so important? Learning is facilitated by organizing information in our minds. To put it bluntly, organizing is learning. A graphic organizer is a visual representation of how knowledge is structured. In psychology, we would call this a schema, this is the foundation of how we build understanding. In this article, we are going to focus on how we would go about organizing our ideas.
Like a carpenters tool kit, each graphic organizer serves a different purpose. Part of the educator's job is to sift through collections of graphic organizers to find the most suitable one for the job. The visual organizer structure determines how we treat the information we are trying to process. We need to make sure we use the right tool for the right job. For example, if we are comparing two things, we should probably use a Venn diagram. If we are organizing information into associated categories, we might want to use the mind map.
The graphic organizer structure is essential and will determine how we eventually write about the content. If we plot historical events using a timeline, we will probably end up using timebase connectives which is central to a recount piece of writing. If students are to be truly independent, they need to understand what the task is asking them to do or, in other words, how are they being asked to organize the information. This metacognitive awareness makes choosing the right cognitive organizer easier.
Organisers may provide information at a glance or allow learners to prepare a discussion or memory exercise. You may want a larger form than a list or list-like organiser and for information to be hand-drawn, on the back of a napkin, or as the exercise progresses. When information is displayed as a visual, it can be easier to keep track of and will give learners an image to work with. A whiteboard may also work if you are willing to supply paper. Organisers help learners focus on what's most important and work through the information as they go.
Other advantages include: Organisers can help with reflection and the creation of content which is relevant for the learners whatever their grade level. The co-creation of a graphic organizer all offers an opportunity in the learning process for discussion points. Providing opportunities for students to use a graphic organizer is seen by some as a gateway to deeper learning.
There are many reasons why teachers like to use graphic organizers when teaching students how to write:
1) Students learn more effectively by organizing ideas visually rather than verbally. This makes sense because our brains process visual stimuli faster than verbal ones. When students create a picture out of words, they are forced to think about what each term means individually instead of just thinking about the whole sentence. The result is that they remember the material better after creating the structure.
2) Using graphic organizers forces students to make connections between different parts of the paper. For example, if I ask my student to draw a Venn diagram showing where he/she has learned about the topic from his/her textbook, then I am forcing him/her to connect all these pieces together into one coherent piece. If I were only asking them to list everything without connecting anything, then there would not be much learning going on.
3) By having students create them first, they can see exactly what needs to go where. In other words, they know exactly which part goes next to another part. Without doing this step, they may end up putting things down randomly and never really knowing where to put something until later.
4) Graphic organizers provide an opportunity for students to build knowledge. Fundamentally, they are used to aid the comprehension of students. As a reading comprehension tool, they scaffold the process of making meaning (which is fundamentally the act of organizing).
5) Visual tools promote the knowledge of students. When we use these tools we are building schema, organized packets of information that make retrieval easier. Providing an opportunity for students to get their ideas out of their head and onto paper bypasses the limitations of their relatively small working memories.
The three most common types of graphic organiser are the hierarchical diagram, the flow chart and the connector form. A hierarchical diagram is a structure that begins with the most general information or concepts in the centre and progress through to the detail or other more specific things down a vertical or horizontal axis.
A flow chart is a diagram that shows the way in which a range of things work together. It might be time-based, for example, or the way that a spreadsheet works. A connector form is the most flexible of the graphic organisers and could be a list of different kinds of information, a specific diagram, or even just a picture. Whether you students are creating a pie chart or documenting historical events using a timeline, the visual nature of the organiser makes complex concepts more accessible.
As we mentioned, choosing the right type of organizer is a skill in itself. Many websites are offering pre-formatted graphic organizers, but simply having a large selection won't help teachers and children. The good news is that there are a few central ways to organize our ideas, and these have corresponding graphics. You don't need anything elaborate, simple black-and-white graphic organizers will do the job. We don't want to distract the learner away from the content, any extraneous load on the working memory might act as a distraction.
How can we organize information?
There are other organizer types, but the four listed above will cover most writing assignments and child encounters in the curriculum. Specialist tools include:
David Hyerle created a wonderful book entitled 'Visual tools for constructing knowledge. The version that I am looking at now from 1996 looks a bit dated, but the content remains highly relevant. When your students are using a visual tool, they are indeed constructing knowledge. In other words, they are using this pedagogical tool for generating meaning.
In many cases, educators see the graphic organizer as a bridge between brainstorming and pre-writing tools. A child is effectively taking their ideas out of their head and manipulating them in a visual space. This is why tools like a concept diagram or cluster diagram are so powerful. Once a learners ideas are outside of their head, their working memory has been freed up for the essential higher-order thinking needed for generating meaning. The humble graphic organizer will always remain a vital teaching tool.
What sort of diagrams could you use in the classroom?
Using educational tools such as graphic organizers promotes critical thinking skills. Learners are not simply putting their ideas into boxes, when these challenging activities are facilitated collaboratively, students engage in many types of thinking. The map acts as a central point for a purposeful discussion activity. As the learners talk through their visual tools, they make links between ideas.
This type of creative thinking is a form of structured idea generation. The learner is effectively in a feedback loop of thinking, talking and connecting. All academic topics will have a productive way(s) of organizing the content; with practice, students can identify the main organizing principle. Even a complex topic can be broken down into several visual representations, which will help a student to build robust knowledge.
For example, when tackling a history project, you could start with a flow diagram. Students could then use a triple Venn diagram to compare the topic with two other historical events that they are familiar with. Using these popular thinking maps will enable your students to quickly get out of the starting blocks and start creating knowledge.
What can you do to create a graphic organiser? Mind maps and relationship charts are just a few of the different types of graphic organised. Think about the information to be presented and the concept of your course before you make a decision about a graphic organiser. It's a good idea to think about the purpose of the graphic organizers.
The goal is to show the information presented in the lesson in a visual way. A mind map provides a clear structure for your students to put ideas in order to understand them and to see how the information connects with each other. The graphic organizer is viewed as an essential tool for writing projects in many classrooms.
If you are still unsure how graphic organizers help learners with curriculum content, hop over to our extensive organizer library and see how they are categorized. Depending on the type of thinking you want to promote, you will be able to choose from a comprehensive set of effective learning tools that are free from distractive pictures and emojis. If your school is interested in developing a clear agenda for using visual tools, please do get in contact with us. We can talk about developing a strategic approach together.
Teachers often use graphic organizers to teach students how to understand and communicate simple concepts. Whether your class are engaged in essay writing or persuasive writing, using some form of knowledge map will help them uncover the meaning within the curriculum.
Tip #1: Embed Visual Tools
Visual tools are one of the most powerful learning strategies available. If you want to improve student performance, then you need to incorporate visual tools into your lesson plans.
For example, if you want to teach students how to write a persuasive essay, then you can show them examples of persuasive essays online. Students can see these persuasive essays and decide whether they agree or disagree with the author's point of view.
This strategy works particularly well for students who struggle with reading comprehension.
Tip #2: Make Them Easy to Understand
When you're trying to teach students how to use graphic organizers, you'll want to make sure that they understand exactly what you mean.
So, make sure that your graphic organizers are clear and concise. For example, if you want students to use a tree diagram to organize information, then make sure that the tree diagram is clearly labelled and that the labels are written in plain English.
Tip #3: Provide Multiple Examples
Students should be given multiple opportunities to practice organizing information using graphic organizers. This helps ensure that they really understand how to use graphic organizers correctly.
For example, you could ask students to create a simple tree diagram to represent a list of items. Then, you could provide them with another set of instructions asking them to create a tree diagram to represent a shopping list.
Afterwards, you could ask them to compare the two trees and explain why each item was placed where it was.
Tip #4: Give Students Time to Practice
It's important to allow students time to practice using graphic organizers. They may not grasp the concept right away. But, over time, they will become proficient at using graphic organizers.
Give students ample time to practice using graphic organization techniques. Allow them to complete several assignments using graphic organizers.
Tip #5: Be Flexible
Sometimes, students won't follow directions precisely. That's okay. Just don't let this discourage you. Instead, simply remind yourself that you've provided them with plenty of opportunities to practice using graphic organizers successfully.
Remember, you're not going to force students to master the skill overnight. Rather, you're helping them develop the ability to think critically about information.
By following these five tips, you'll be able to teach students how to organize information using graphic organizers.
