The Learning Classroom Program - Strategy on a Page: Graphic Organizers

Here is a resource designed and used by the Learning Classroom Program on Differentiated Instruction and Assessment.  This one-page reference talks about Graphic Organizers and how they can be used to help differentiate instruction in the classroom.  We briefly outline and describe 5 common graphic organizers.

Find this one-page reference sheet plus many others on our Learning Classroom Resource Page.

Strategy-on-a-Page: Graphic Organizers

Web 2.0 Tools from Recipes 4 Success

Two interesting tools from the website Recipes 4 Success. (Thanks to Digygogy for their post on webstuff.)

Recipes 4 Success gives some online tools which could be helpful for the classroom. Another 'plus' is that you do not require a login account to use these tools.

Rubric maker - a fairly simple rubric maker but it may be useful in making a quick rubric or to allow students an opportunity to make their own.

Graphic Organizer tool - this quick and easy tool allows you to add a title and instructions to some common graphic organizers. This can be helpful if you to quickly print off a customized organizer.

Check it out

Visit the Learning Classroom Webpage
http://www.tvdsb.ca/programs.cfm?subpage=82973

Make Interactive Timelines on Dipity

Here is a webapp which allows you to make nice looking timelines and enables you to make links to other websites and media.  Using these timelines presents a very interactive and informative experience.  For students it can serve as another great way to organize and connect events as they create their own timelines.

Check it out...  Dipity.com

Here is a timeline (from Dipity) outlining the events and efforts around Haiti...

Haiti Earthquake on Dipity.

Teacher Tools from Scholastic Canada

Check out this site for a variety of tools and templates of organizers (Venn Diagrams, KWL chart) as well as resources on reading comprehension, story elements and assessment.

Teacher Tools from Scholastic Canada

Thanks to Sandra B for the link (follow Sandra on Twitter).

Graphic Organizers - from Classroom Toolkit

A wide array of organizers and templates organized by subject area in this visual organizer 'starter kit'.  This 'starter kit' is a section from this online e-book.  Check out the rest of the sections on this website for more information on Higher-Order Thinking, Multiple Intelligences as well as a variety of links to free and trial software.

Graphic Organizer Starter Toolkit

Lexipedia - defining words and terms through mindmaps

A great way to visually show the meaning of words and terms through their connection to other words.  Great for the visual learner...

http://www.lexipedia.com/
 
Showing a few examples from this site also serves as a great way to start discussion and to have students generate their own definition from the mindmap.  Constructing mind maps can be challenging for many students - particularly when they are just starting out with this type of visual organizer. Lexipedia offers students the opportunity to see mind maps in action and also highlights the benefit of using visual organizers to help deepen understanding and retention.

Graphic Organizer Templates

Graphic organizers present another way for students to arrange and organize ideas, concepts and terms.  These tools present a wide variety of uses in the differentiated classroom.

Graphic organizers can be used to:
-  identify relationships and connections between terms and concepts
-  provide a visual alternative to written notes
-  promote understanding and retention
-  generate and brainstorm new ideas

Freeology has posted a number of free resources for educators including printable graphic organizers.

Web Resource - Wallwisher (an online, interactive bulletin board)

I'm just playing around with this web 2.0 app and it is pretty cool.

www.wallwisher.com

Quick to set up and the interface is easy to use. You can send out the 'wall' as a link and have students post ideas, words, etc. on the wall without having to login or open an account. As an adminstrator of a 'wall' you can select the option to have all posts approved by you first. The wall itself can be made public or only visible to you. You can also embed it or follow it via an RSS feed.

A great little tool - it will be interesting to see how teachers can use this in the classroom.

Here is one that I have started...

My wall on Differentiated Instruction