Strategy #4 - Graphic Organizers
Graphic organizers are a visual representation of knowledge that has been constructed and organized to better help students. They can be used at the beginning of a unit, during a unit, or even at the end. They are used to scaffold language and content and are especially helpful for english language learners. It may just seem like a piece of paper with some boxes and circles but it helps the students separate the important information and to make connections between concepts. It is especially helpful for struggling readers and writers to visually see how the concepts connect to one another without having to read through complicated text. Graphic organizers are a helpful tool for brainstorming, demonstrating their thinking process, and increasing reading comprehension. They are so versatile that they can be used in many different ways and for so many different purposes.
A specific example in my classroom is the graphic organizer that my students create to help them separate and organize the different volume and surface area formulas for prisms, cylinders, cones, pyramids, and spheres. The names of the figures, pictures of the figures, and the formulas are included in their graphic organizer. It is a great study tool for them.
Renee,
ReplyDeleteI really like how you share about the importance of graphic organizers. I agree that sometimes people only think that they are just some boxes on a sheet of paper, but in reality they help for students to be able to group information and draw conclusions. I also like how you pointed out that these can be used as a study tool for students. I think that this is one of the great uses of graphic organizers that they allow a built in study method for students to practice their skills. Again, as you stated they are very versatile and can be created uniquely for certain students. This strategy is also one that stretches across different content areas for different purposes.