Using a Graphic Organizer

Graphic organizers are very helpful for organizing data. This may be a good tool to use with students who have a hard time recognizing the relationship between ideas, summarizing what was read, etc. For example, I could use a graphic organizer to outline the differences between two different animal groups. I could also use a graphic organizer to illustrate the plot of a story. Students can benefit greatly from the use of graphic organizers. However, I also think that students should be taught how to make their own graphic organizers. Teachers should not simply create them and hand them out to the students. Instead, students should actively take part in creating them. In doing this, the students will retain the information better and will improve their own critical thinking skills.