Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Graphic Organizers

Graphic organizers are like gold in third grade. We use them all the time in reading, writing, and small group. I enjoy them because they provide a platform for students who aren't strong writers to show their ideas. In my class I've noticed a modest group of students who are able to list and organize their ideas with a graphic organizer, yet have a little bit of trouble using the graphic organizer to write the final piece. Most of the time the disconnect comes from the students needing to be reminded that they can use the ideas from their organizer to write their BCR, summary, or other reading response. Sometimes the problem lies in taking the lists or bulleted ideas and making them into complete sentences.

I've noticed some graphic organizers are better in certain situations than others-- sometimes you need more lines, and sometimes you need fewer. Oftentimes adding picture cues is also a great way to keep the kids connected to the task at hand. Here are a few different types of graphic organizers and the ways in which we use them:

Jellyfish Organizer: The jellyfish organizer looks sort of like its namesake. The body is used to write the main idea or topic sentence. The legs are used to write supporting sentences. Our classes uses this organizer when we're writing summaries. One way to make this a little more fun is to actually shape it like a jellyfish. The kids enjoy writing on the squiggly lines.

Add 'em up organizer: We also use this organizer for summarizing. It's a neat concept for the kids to think of all the important facts coming together to make the main idea. 

Web: The web is great for making lists. There typically isn't much room to write complete sentences on a web, so it is nice for quick ideas and keywords. Most recently, our class used a web to generate keywords for five senses writing.


T-charts and Venn Diagrams: We use T-charts and Venn diagrams in whole and small group reading lessons. They're helpful for critical thinking questions that ask the class to make comparisons between characters, settings, and other story elements. This week, we used a t-chart to compare our lives to those of Pilgrim children in the 1620s. 


These and several other graphic organizers can be found at: http://www.buddies.org/articles/edschool.pdf

2 comments:

  1. I completely agree that organizers are an excellent resource for student who have difficulty organizing their thoughts. I have 3 students who need to use organizers for everything. They are articulate enough to tell me what they are thinking but when they try to transfer their thoughts onto paper they lose it. Often times after I have worked with these students in small groups on their organizers, they go back to their seats and forget to use the organizer to help them. The result is sentences that are not written in a logical order and/or there is no detail. Reading a to z has a wide selection of organizers that can be used for writing, whole group follow-up lessons and guided reading. I try to keep several copies in folders at the ready. They are great to use at my listening and buddy reading station as informal assessments.

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  2. Erin-
    Thanks for including such a great variety of graphic organizers in your entry. I agree with Ursula that graphic organizers are an excellent resource for students who have difficulty organizing their thoughts.I also think they are a useful check for understanding for all students. I teach science for a 45 minute period. I teach across 4 grades (at different times!) but the classes are back-to-back and really packed in there. I have been trying to come up with new ways to get checks for understanding beyond the turn & talk, checking in on discussions at tables, and/or having students give a thumbs up. I think that incorporating graphic organizers might be really useful, especially for the 1st and 2nd grade students (whose writing is more advanced). We have used t charts to compare & contrast 2 things and I sometimes (maybe too often?) have students draw their observations, but the organizer will broaden my ability to check that information--and keep it fresh for the students!

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