Building Brain Power with Graphic Organizers

Are you looking for some ideas that incorporate graphic organizers? This post has a variety of graphic organizers and how to use them with young children.

“….these tools are some of the best friends of a teacher who desires to facilitate the comprehension of students. They address both the left and right hemispheres of students, so they are beneficial to all.”
This is  quote from Marcia’s book! Doesn’t it feel great when we can find a strategy that is helpful to all of our kids?
Here’s what else she says:

• “Because the brain remembers images more easily than just words, graphic organizers are one of the tools that are effective for organizing patterns.”
• “Graphic organizers are powerful tools for instruction since they enable students to organize data into segments or chunks that they can comprehend and manage.”

So here some of the ideas we have used in our classes. These were some circle maps we made during our Thanksgiving. The kids brainstormed words that were all about Thanksgiving. They loved the craft…remember chapter 2?

This is an example of a bubble map. On this map we brainstormed words that described plants.

This is an example of a Venn Diagram we made during our Bats Unit to show the difference and similarities between bats and birds.. A great non-fiction activity for Stellulana.

This is an example of a double bubble map we made during our farm unit. We made the craft earlier in the week. Then the kids answered the question to decide where to glue their face.

This an example of a tree map. I LOVE tree maps for writing! They are a great way to get your kids writing!

Having kids sign-in using this 2 column tree map is another example.

This is an example of a brace maps. Brace maps are used to show the parts of a whole. The slide below is another example of a brace map.

This is an example of a flow map. These are also great for retelling stories, sequencing events, and for concepts that show change over time.

This is an example of a double bubble map that is great for cause and effect!
So….how are you getting your kids thinking organized? Hop on over to Michele’s Blog and see what other teachers are doing! I am loving this book study! Not only has it given me great content for a blog post, it has affirmed us of many of our practices as well as showing us some new ones we want to try!