Graphic Organizers or thinking maps are structured, visual representations that are used to organize information and provide students with a template for capturing ideas during an activity. They allow students to discover patterns and relationships they may have otherwise missed. Graphic Organizers can be teacher- or student-created. There are a variety of templates available, and they can be used across content areas.

• Identify the classroom objective/concept to be taught.
• Identify the key relationships or ideas that should be emphasized within the concept or learning task, such as:
  • Compare/Contrast
  • Cause and effect
  • Generating unique ideas for a project
  • Linking background knowledge to a new concept
  • Organizing ideas with supporting details
• Select an appropriate graphic organizer to support the learning. Some options include:
  • Venn Diagram for compare/contrast
  • Fish Bone for main idea and details
  • KWL Chart for linking background knowledge
• Model and practice the use of selected graphic organizers with students.
• Provide opportunities for students to practice and utilize the graphic organizer to support their thinking during the lesson.