Lesson 8 — Activity 3: Using Text Organizers
Completion requirements
Lesson 8 — Activity 3: Using Text Organizers
Another reading strategy to consider is the use of text or graphic organizers. These can be very helpful visual aids. They allow us to arrange the information we find in a reading in ways that help us remember what we have read. They also allow us to
use that information to answer questions or write a response to the reading later.
There are many types of graphic organizers. Three examples are described below:
1. Webbing refers to the process of beginning with a topic or main idea in a circle in the centre of a page and drawing lines out to connect various concepts to that main point.
1. Webbing refers to the process of beginning with a topic or main idea in a circle in the centre of a page and drawing lines out to connect various concepts to that main point.
2. A timeline is used to put events in the order in which they happened. This might be very useful when studying events in history. To make a timeline, we draw a line (either horizontally or vertically) and label the dates on which important
events happened.
3. A KWL Chart is very useful if we are reading for research purposes. We create a chart with three columns:
- In the first column, we write all of the things we already know about the topic.
- In the second column, we write questions that we hope to answer in our research.
- In the third column, we write the answers to the questions in the middle column as well as other important information we found in our reading.
No matter what type of graphic organizer you choose to use, it's important to use various tools so that your ideas come across in a clear and organized way.
Using size (of shapes or text), colour, spacing, labelling, etc. can all help you to create an effective graphic organizer. Always be certain the main idea is easy for your audience to spot. If your graphic organizer groups ideas into categories, make sure your audience can easily spot the categories when looking at your paper.
Graphic organizers can also be used to help organize ideas for writing, as you will see in an upcoming lesson.
Using size (of shapes or text), colour, spacing, labelling, etc. can all help you to create an effective graphic organizer. Always be certain the main idea is easy for your audience to spot. If your graphic organizer groups ideas into categories, make sure your audience can easily spot the categories when looking at your paper.
Graphic organizers can also be used to help organize ideas for writing, as you will see in an upcoming lesson.