Main Idea

Elephants
Big
Gray
Big Ears
Tusks
Event 1 Event 2 Event 3 Event 4
Episode
Effect
Person
Person Person
Duration
Place
Time
Cause
A graphic organizer, also known as knowledge map, concept map, story map, cognitive organizer, advance
organizer, or concept diagram, is a communication tool that uses visual symbols to express knowledge,
concepts, thoughts, or ideas, and the relationships between them.The main purpose of a graphic organizer
is to provide a visual aid to facilitate learning and instruction.
Graphic Organizers for Classification
1. Classifying involves organizing elements into groups based on their similarities. One of the
critical elements of classifying is identifying the rules that govern class or category
membership.
Descriptive Pattern Organizer
2. Descriptive patterns can be used to represent facts about specific persons, places, things, and
events.
Time Sequence Pattern Organizer
3. Time sequence patterns organize events in a specific chronological order
Graphic Organizers are the most common way to help students generate nonlinguistic
representations
Graphic Organizers combine the linguistic mode in that they use words and phrases and the
nonlinguistic mode in that they use symbols and arrows to represent relationships

1. Descriptive Patterns can be used to represent facts about specific people, places, things and events. This
information does not have to be in any specific order





2. Time sequence patterns organize events in a specific chronological order. For example, the events leading
up to the Vietnam War can be shown in a time sequence pattern organizer



3. Episode Pattern Organizers arrange data about specific events including:
Setting (time and place), Specific People, A specific duration, A specific sequence of events, A particular
cause and effect
An Example would be information leading up to the Civil War






Concept
Characte ristic
Characte ristic
Example
Example
Example
Example
Example
Example
Characte ristic Example
Example
Example
4. Concept Patterns organize information around a word or phrase that represents entire classes or
categories of people, places things or events. The characteristics or attributes of the concept along
with examples of each should be included in this example.
An example would be a teacher asking a student to show the concept of fables along with examples
and characteristics of them.















Nonlinguistic Representations - imaginary forms of knowledge in the mind such as mental pictures
or even physical sensations
Visual Learning - a variety of activities and systems for organizing information graphically or visually
Graphic Organizers - visual depictions of knowledge that help guide the thinking process

Theory statesthat knowledgeis stored in thebrain in two forms- alinguisticformand animagery form

Graphic Organizers are the most common way to help students generate nonlinguistic
representations
Graphic Organizers combine the linguistic mode in that they use words and phrases and the
nonlinguistic mode in that they use symbols and arrows to represent relationships