One may refer to graphic organizers as an ESL teacher's best friend. This is because graphic organizers are so versatile and functional to many of the needs of and English language learner. Graphic organizers are instructional tools that use visual layouts to express knowledge. They can support learners in organizing, making connections between multiple ideas, and even constructing and deconstructing input. There are endless types of graphic organizers but here are a collection of some common ones utilized by English language teachers and mainstream teachers.
~Fishbone~ ~KWL~
~Problem Solution~
~Story Mountain~
~Venn Diagram~
~Opinion Paragraph~
Ways to Implement
An ESL instructor can implement graphic organizers at various times throughout the learning process. For example, a graphic organizer can be used in the prewriting stage of a writing task. English language learners could use a graphic organizer such as the opinion paragraph above to brainstorm ideas and details during the prewriting stage. English language learners could also utilize graphic organizers during summarization of key events or conclusions made at the end of the learning process. For example, students could share their graphic organizer orally on the sequence of events in the story at the closure of the lesson. Finally, students could implement graphic organizers during the learning process. Graphic organizers are great tools to guide ESL students in monitoring for meaning while reading a text.
Why it's Beneficial to Students
Graphic organizers are beneficial to English language learners because the spatial arrangement helps simplify information into a more visually appealing and understandable form. Since ESL students are still in the process of mastering the language, less informational text will allow them to better focus on the essential information at hand. Because of this, ESL students do not have to process as much information in order to find meaning. Graphic organizers also make remembering the information easier for the ESL student. Due to the precise language graphic organizers often use, students can practice mastering key phrases, vocabulary, and simple sentence structure.
WIDA Standards
Graphic organizers can be used in the language of Math, Science, Language Arts, and Social Studies standards. They are instructional tools used to assist students along the way to mastery of the WIDA and Common Core Standards they must exhibit at their grade level. Using graphic organizers in the ESL classroom can help best prepare students to learn and recognize patterns that can be seen in standardized tests and academic text. Whether they are analyzing a time line in Social Studies, reviewing the cause and effects in the Revolutionary War, or viewing the life cycle of a butterfly, graphic organizers are all around us.
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