Using Graphic Organizers for Sensemaking

Prepare your class for argumentative writing with a close inspection of the controversy surrounding Theodore Taylor's novel, The Cay. All necessary articles and materials are linked at the beginning of the resource. Kids use the provided...

Your class has finished reading The Cay. Now what? Try out this idea, which invites learners to examine the author's values and how they relate to the novel. Pupils watch a quick video about the author and take notes in a provided...

Build understanding of theme with an activity designed for The Cay and the Common Core. Small groups or pairs use graphic organizers to determine themes, find and record related details from the text, and formulate theme statements. In...

Support your young writers as they explore the freedom and creative potential of a free verse poem. Based on a model poem written by Maya Angelou, this graphic organizer does an excellent job of helping learners form their unique ideas...

Can the events of a story's plot reveal the literary theme? Discover the theme of four of Aesop's fables with the help of a graphic organizer that examines the stories' plots and main ideas. 

Whether or not you are new to using graphic organizers with informational or expository text, the materials in this guide will prove useful. 

Examine one of the main events in Willa Cather's O Pioneers! with a graphic organizer that focuses on cause and effect. Pupils go back into the text to track moments leading up to the event in question and discuss their findings with a...

It's time for your class to literally show what they know! Pupils illustrate what they learned about the causes and effects of climate change by filling out a graphic organizer to complete the 5-part series of lessons. They discuss them...

Help your pupils grow the reading strategies they need to succeed by supporting them with various graphic organizers. This packet includes a wealth of attractively formatted graphic organizers for predicting, keeping track of plot,...

What an awesome resource to have on hand. With very useful graphic organizers, youngsters can display their comprehension of text. Designed specifically for expository text, these worksheets can also be used for any type of text and...