Category: Nonlinguistic Representations

Tite: Graphic Organizers

Time Needed: Varied
Room Arrangement: No change needed.
Materials: Graphic organizer, one for each student, pencils, book, textbook, or other research
material.
Process/Directions: Hand out graphic organizer to each student, have one on the projector to
show students how to fill one out. Explain the process as you go through each section with them.
Example of when I would use this: For the sandwich example below, after a lesson on how to
write a narrative or even an expository text, fill out an example as a class. You could choose a
topic, or have the class choose one. Write the topic in the first bun. Then ask the students for
examples for the three details, or give the details if they cannot come up with them, or give
minor corrections to theirs. Then put the concluding sentence in the bottom bun. Then have the
students write their own short story or paragraph. After filling out the graphic organizer, the
students can write their final draft much easier.
For the timeline graphic organizer, students would use this to take notes on a persons life events.
This could be themselves, an historical figure, a famous person, or someone they know. The
students can use this graphic organizer as a tool while watching a biography on a person, reading
a biography, doing research for a paper or presentation or while studying for a test.
*There are many more graphic organizers that can be utilized for a multitude of reasons within a
classroom.
Source: Common Knowledge