How to Use Graphic Organizers Effectively This three-step process is great for developing a sense of purpose and helps students become more engaged in the topic they are learning. Then, after the concept is learned, students write down “what they learned” in the third column of the chart. Before learning, students write down “what they want to know” and “what they already know” about the topic. This organizer is used both before and after learning a concept. This is a great graphic organizer for activating prior knowledge. This visual learning tool consists of three questions, each in their own column (‘what I Know’, ‘what I Want to know’, and ‘what I Learned’). KWL ChartĪ KWL chart is another popular graphic organizer, especially in the elementary classroom. For example, a topic is written in the center circle and students write in the details in the surrounding smaller circles. This type of organizer is mainly used to help students brainstorm story ideas. Much like a concept map, an idea web is comprised of circles that are connected. Idea WebĪn idea web is a graphic organizer that is used for brainstorming and helps students organize ideas or concepts. For example, in social studies students can compare two different political candidates, then use the chart to help them in a class debate. Students can use a T-chart to make comparisons related to a variety of topics or subjects they can also be used in any content area or genre. T-ChartĪ T-chart is a graphic organizer that is used to compare and contrast two different things. Many teachers like to use it to assess students’ prior knowledge on a topic. Students can show relationships between specific concepts, characters in a story, or even vocabulary words. There are a variety of ways this type of organizer can be used in the classroom. It can be used to help visually organize thoughts as well as illustrate hierarchical information. This type of map helps students identify a main concept as well as sub-concepts. Concept MapĪ concept map is a graphic organizer that looks like a web with arrows connecting each circle. Then, students can use this graphic organizer to help them write an essay about each character. For example, students would write how each character is different in the outer spaces and how they are the same in the overlapping space in the middle. Venn diagrams can be used to compare and contrast two characters. Students write details about how the topics are different in the outer parts of the circles and how they are the same in the shared inner space of circles. This type of organizer is used to identify differences and similarities. Venn DiagramĪ Venn diagram is a graphic organizer that has two interlocking circles. While there are several types of graphic organizers, each with a specific purpose, we will briefly go over the top five most popular used in the classroom. What are the Different Types of Graphic Organizers? They can also be used to clarify or simplify complex concepts, help with problem solving or decision making, or be used to plan research or brainstorm ideas. What is a Graphic Organizer?Ī graphic organizer is a powerful, visual learning tool that teachers like to use to help students organize their ideas.
Here we will take a brief look at what a graphic organizer is, the different types of graphic organizers that you can use, as well as how you can use them effectively in the classroom. A visual guide, such as a graphic organizer, can do just that, as well as help students plan and structure their ideas in an organized manner. As educators, we’re always looking for new ways to help students classify and communicate their ideas more effectively.