Teacher-Created Examples Using Graphic Organizers for Visual Learning
Students of all ages make connections with prior knowledge and build literacy skills with visual scaffolding/organizing tools such as Inspiration® and Kidspiration software. Here are some of the best teacher-created examples to serve as starting points for developing visually-based literacy lessons:
Make Children’s Books Come Alive With Technology
Mindy Ramon and Debbie Blake of the Cobb County Public Schools (GA) have assembled a group of creative Inspiration® and Kidspiration™ examples to enhance the teaching of K-5 literature comprehension skills.
T.O.G.E.T.H.E.R
Patti Weeg of the Global Classroom Project has gathered a group of exemplary ready-made Kidspiration™ templates to support literacy instruction. Topics include; identifying fact and opinion, matching synonyms, and using vowels. *Kidspiration software required to view diagrams.
Read Write Think Student Materials
The International Reading Association (IRA) presents a quality collection of online graphic organizer creation tools with excellent accompanying lessons to support K-12 literacy.
Inspiration and Kidspiration Teacher-Created Projects
Examples of graphic organizers created by students in UW-Stout’s online class Inspiration® and Kidspiration: K-12 Strategies to Build Study Skills and Comprehension.
March 6th, 2008 at 4:16 am
Although I have read plenty of information on the benefits of graphic organizers, I would be interested in knowing, if from a teachers viewpoint has any significant increases in comprehension/learning been gained through the use of these among their students. Any thoughts? Thanks for the great resources here.
March 7th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
I have a wireless keyboard/mouse in my room. When we begin to brainstorm ideas I give the my TWiT (technology worker in training) the keyboard and another the mouse. Immediate ownership – whenever someone gives an idea I add their name or initials to the idea. That really catches them.
Then as a class, we brainstorm ideas – for instance VODcasting. They each had to research a hotlist I sent them via email (I didn’t want them lost on the web). They then put five ideas about videoing they found into a forum on our class Moodle page. From there we pulled out the main ideas and placed them into four categories. (I am making a presentation in Kuala Lumpur later this month. Slide 16 of the power point details more of the process.)
For other essays we write I go through the same process but then switch the Inspiration from the graphic organizer to “outline” form. Then I walk them through the process asking if it is organized the way we want it. Highlight where paragraphs would be put into place and then have them write.
All in all I would say I have had an increase in student comprehension and quality of writing. MOST students get it, but I wouldn’t say all of them. One note of caution – I don’t let them change the graphics/icons until all the work is done. Too often they spend more time playing with the icons rather than completing the task at hand.
March 7th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
The powerpoint can be viewed at http://dragonnet.hkis.edu.hk/up/g5/earcos/index.htm