I love graphic organizers for differentiating reading and supporting all my students as they process information. However, I sometimes fall into a rut of using the same organizers for the same ideas over and over again. I’m looking at you Venn diagram.

What if we rethink the organizer’s purpose and put a creative spin on how we use it? Oh, the possibilities!

3 Ways to Rethink Differentiation
with Graphic Organizers

1- Repurposing: How can you use popular graphic organizers in a new way or in a different content area?

Try a Venn diagram for number families or a timeline for understanding story development. You might try a story map to help students understand connections in history by focusing on historical transitions as “plot.” With a popular organizer, you can easily differentiate learning for all students.

Example: Story Map for Social Studies Concepts- Students in my 5th grade social studies class use a modified story map to “map out” World War II from start to finish. First, we broke the standard into the European Front and Japanese Front. Then, they filled in the when, where, who, why and how.

2- Creative Thinking: allow students to create an organizer from their own imagination to support their understanding.

When going the creativity route, insure students follow guide lines when creating their organizer. For example, a main idea organizer needs one main area and three- four supporting parts. Providing students with a checklist or student work sample can offer differentiation and scaffolding for struggling readers.

Example: Main Idea Organizers- Students spent several days reading an informational pieces call “Gulf Spill Superheroes”. When they were ready to organize the main idea and supporting details, I allowed them to choose how they wanted to show their thinking.

3- Discussion– a place for students to process their ideas and feelings before small group or whole group conversations.

Practicing note taking while independently reading can support student comprehension. Similarly, using an organizer during shared reading can support engagement and offer differentiation for all students. Plus, you are differentiating the process by providing more than one way for students to express what they know.

Example: Novel Study Using TQE (thoughts, questions, epiphanies). What is the TQE method? It’s a framework for guided discussion about novels, starting with small group and moving to whole group. For a full run down, check out this post from Cult of Pedagogy.

Graphic organizers are not just for in-class assignments! You can use graphic organizers at home, too, with budgeting, cooking, cleaning, or scheduling. Personally, I have an organizer on my office wall that shows all the resources I want to create and who they will fit best- parents or teachers?