A graphic organizer is a visual tool that helps students see how different facts, ideas, or concepts are connected. It guides their thinking as they organize and analyze the information while completing the graphic organizer.
How to create an activity using graphic organizers
Think about a main idea, topic or concept. This will be the topic of the activity.
Determine which type of the graphic organizer to use.
Determine and fill in the key pieces of information.
Invite students to contribute with their ideas. Contributions can be done individually, in pairs or groups.
There are five different types of Graphic Organizers to choose from on Engagemo.
These are:
KWL Chart
K-W-L is an acronym that stands for “Know,” “Want to Know,” and “Learned.” There are three boxes in the KWL chart-one for each letter and used for the following purposes:
Elicit background knowledge before introducing a new topic, concept or
“What do you already know?”
Set a purpose for learning.
“What do you want to know?” or “What questions do you have?”
Help students recall what they have learned after completing the learning process.
“What have you learned?”
*As the topic sections of the graphic organizers are editable, KWL Chart can be used for any idea generation activity requiring three boxes. Possible variations may include:
Setting, Characters, Plot of a story
Main ideas, Details, Examples of any topic
Causes, Effects, Solutions of a problem
Introduction, Body paragraph, Conclusion of an essay
three aspects of any topic
Definition, Synonym, Example sentence of a word
Synonym, Antonym, Collocation of a word
Physical, Mental, Emotional state of a character
What, So what, Now what of any reflection
Facts, What others think, What I think about a topic
Venn Diagram
A Venn diagram is a visual tool that uses overlapping circles or shapes to show how two things are similar and different at the same time.
T- Chart
It is a “T” shaped graphic organizer used to separate information into two categories which allows for a side by side view of two aspects of a topic. Possible uses include:
Comparing and contrasting two things
Advantages or disadvantages of a topic
Main ideas and supporting details of a text
Past and present of a topic
Similarities and differences between two things
Fact and opinions about a topic
Causes and effects of a topic
*As the topic sections of the graphic organizers are editable, T-Chart can be used for any idea generation activity requiring two boxes.
Seed Discussion Chart
With Seed Discussions in education, students can look at new concepts and relate them to what they know. They search for things they recognize, things they find hard to understand, and things that interest them, like new words. Seed Discussions help students find and develop important topics for their thinking.
*As the topic sections of the graphic organizers are editable, Seed Discussion Chart can be used for any idea generation activity requiring four boxes.
WH- Chart
A WH-chart graphic organizer is a type of chart or diagram used to organize and analyze information related to the "wh" questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how. It helps students to collect and categorize information about a topic or subject by answering these key questions. Each section of the chart corresponds to one of the "wh" questions, making it a structured way to gather and present information comprehensively.
*As the topic sections of the graphic organizers are editable, WH-Chart can be used for any idea generation activity requiring six boxes.
Now, let's look at how to add a sample graphic organizer.
Click on ADD GRAPHIC ORGANIZER on the Create Lesson page.
Choose the type of graphic organizer you want to use. We will choose a KWL Chart as an example here:
In the next page, you will be asked to enter the number of students that will work on this graphic organizer. The number of users for graphic organizers on Engagemo is limited to fifty. The reason for this is that as the number of students increases, the answers collated on the graphic organizer cannot be represented in an organized manner.
Now you may edit the "Enter Your Topic sections on the graphic organizer.
An edited version will look like the following:
When you finish editing the graphic organizer, click 'Next,' and you will be prompted with a successful addition of the graphic organizer.
The finished graphic organizer will appear like the following:
Student Interface
Teacher Interface
By clicking on Show Names, you will see detailed answers given by each student.
