Graphic Organizer Resources from TeachersFirst
Whether you call them concept maps, mind maps, KWLs, or graphic organizers, these visual diagrams show relationships between concepts and provide a powerful tool for learning and connecting new ideas. Creating graphic organizers also helps today's visual learners build reading comprehension. This collection of reviewed resources includes tools for creating graphic organizers and many suggestions for ways to use them in teaching almost any subject or grade. Be sure to read the "In the Classroom" suggestions for examples of ways to use graphic organizers as part of a lesson or unit.
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Let's Talk About Insects - University of Illinois Board of Trustees
Grades
3 to 5
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Get into the world of insects with a museum like presentation featuring insects! Start by choosing your language: English or Spanish. Uncover an animated, comprehensive, and informational...more
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Get into the world of insects with a museum like presentation featuring insects! Start by choosing your language: English or Spanish. Uncover an animated, comprehensive, and informational guide on insects. The text is read aloud paired with accompanying photos, sounds, and creepy crawlers!
tag(s): insects (72)
In the Classroom
Use this site as an informational text and audio visual presentation on insects. Share on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Share as an example for an informational report to meet Common Core standards. Analyze the presentation and create a graphic organizer to explore the main ideas and details for increased comprehension. Use the graphic organizer as an example for taking notes. Continue to use the format as an example to make multimedia presentations on other content area subjects. Have cooperative learning groups create podcasts using a site such as PodOmatic (reviewed here). Challenge gifted students to take their research to the next level!
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Ask Smithsonian - Smithsonian Institution
Grades
3 to 12
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Ask Smithsonian answers fascinating questions via videos that are less than two minutes long. There is a new video each week. Find out if your interesting science question has an ...more
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Ask Smithsonian answers fascinating questions via videos that are less than two minutes long. There is a new video each week. Find out if your interesting science question has an answer here. Sometimes you may think your question is not scientific, such as "Will Chicken Soup Cure a Cold?" or "How Do People Get Phobias?" Well, the answer to those questions is at Ask Smithsonian. Give it a try and see if your question has an answer.
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tag(s): animals (319), bacteria (30), human body (131), insects (72), plants (173), space (232), time (140), video (265)
In the Classroom
Share a few of these short videos on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Choose a video and have students complete a quick write or Know-Want-to-Know-Learned (KWL) chart to put down what they THINK they know about the topic. Find a ready-made KWL chart at 25 Language Arts Graphic Organizers, reviewed here. Show the video and have students write about what they learned. Use some of them as a segue into a subject you will introduce in class or for mini-research.
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Cool Kid Facts - CoolKidFacts
Grades
1 to 7
2 Favorites
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Visit Cool Kid Facts to find information for just about anything in this world or even out of this world! Select from Geography, History, Science, Animals, and Human Body. There...more
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Visit Cool Kid Facts to find information for just about anything in this world or even out of this world! Select from Geography, History, Science, Animals, and Human Body. There are also topics in the right menu on the home page that range from Albert Einstein to Volcanoes and nearly everything else you can think of (alphabetically) in between. There are articles, videos, pictures, and quizzes, too. The videos are from various outside sources and are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable. You could always view the videos at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as Tube Offline, reviewed here, to download the videos from YouTube.
tag(s): animals (319), australia (36), brain (67), china (65), deserts (18), earth (224), egypt (61), greek (41), heart (41), human body (131), italy (15), magnetism (40), mars (41), mexico (31), moon (78), newton (25), photosynthesis (34), rainforests (20), rome (25), sun (71), tornadoes (17), tsunamis (18), volcanoes (65)
In the Classroom
Share this site with students on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) and show them all the different subjects available. Challenge students to find a topic about which they know nothing (or barely anything). This site will give them experience reading informational text on a topic they wonder about. Partner weaker readers with others who may be able to help them read the text-heavier articles. Have students read and research individually or in small groups taking notes using a simple graphic organizer from 25 Language Arts Graphic Organizers, reviewed here. Use this opportunity to teach summarizing, and citing sources. Cool Kid Facts is a great tool to build background knowledge about all sorts of topics!
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Holt Interactive Graphic Organizers - Holt
Grades
2 to 12
4 Favorites
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Interactive Graphic Organizers help to gather thoughts, visualize, understand, or organize. Find interactive graphic organizers from categories such as identifying/organizing details,...more
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Interactive Graphic Organizers help to gather thoughts, visualize, understand, or organize. Find interactive graphic organizers from categories such as identifying/organizing details, order and sequence, cause and effect, process diagrams, persuasive position support, vocabulary, and many others. The selected organizer will download in PDF format. The features of the form are: interactive form fields, highlighting, adding mark-up, commenting, and saving it all. Find accompanying teaching notes for each organizer by clicking on the link in the paragraph at the top of the page. The teacher guide has detailed lessons and suggested uses.
tag(s): concept mapping (18), graphic organizers (42)
In the Classroom
Mark this site on your class web page, put it on your task bar, and add to all student computers. Demonstrate by using and creating your customized graphic organizer. Turn it into PDF format and save or print. Get students in the habit of using graphic organizers to improve achievement, organization, and details.
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TUZZit - Christophe Fruytier
Grades
4 to 12
1 Favorites
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TUZZit is an online graphic organizer with several options for organizing information. Choose from the canvases in the library or start with a blank board. Use TUZZit's tools to add...more
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TUZZit is an online graphic organizer with several options for organizing information. Choose from the canvases in the library or start with a blank board. Use TUZZit's tools to add text, images from Flickr, stickers, maps, and more. When finished, save your work. Share using the export option to receive the URL for your board. Add a password for privacy if you wish. Account registration isn't required to create a graphic organizer, but it is needed to save and share any projects.
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tag(s): brainstorming (21), concept mapping (18), graphic organizers (42)
In the Classroom
Have student groups create presentations on TUZZit. The subtopics can serve as talking points. Have students begin projects by making an outline with TUZZit and sharing it with the teacher. As a whole class create a TUZZit organizer at the beginning of the unit showing what the class knows. Add information to the TUZZit throughout the unit. Create lesson plans on TUZZit by outlining the order of topics, links, and documents you will be using. Take notes about lessons/units using TUZZit. Hand out (or provide a link to) the organizer as a visual guide and summary of what they have learned, including documents and links. Share completed organizers with learning support teachers and parents to help struggling students. Ask students to create an organizer of a book or a chapter. Outline characters, setting, and events taking place in stories. Use TUZZit to create a graphic organizer or timeline of important historical events.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Rootbook - Rootbook
Grades
2 to 12
1 Favorites
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Rootbook is a choose your own adventure interactive story reading and writing program. Without signing up, you can read Game Books and add what is called a Bookmark (a branch) ...more
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Rootbook is a choose your own adventure interactive story reading and writing program. Without signing up, you can read Game Books and add what is called a Bookmark (a branch) to the stories. Once registered (requires an email, player name & password), you can create your own stories to save. You can also save the bookmarks you add to other stories. Registering allows you to submit reviews of the interactive stories available on the site. Rootbook says they will soon have filters to monitor inappropriate language. Until then, read stories and branches prior to sharing with young people. Leave a comment if you find anything offensive, and they will remove it.
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tag(s): creative writing (163), digital storytelling (143), interactive stories (32), narrative (19), writing (365)
In the Classroom
To use Rootbook and save work, students will need an email account. If students cannot have their own email accounts, consider using a "class set" of Gmail sub-accounts, explained here. This will provide anonymous interaction within your class, and you (as the Gmail account holder) will be able to go into each Rootbook account to check progress. Begin by choosing a story and reading it as a class. Give the students scratch paper to create storyboards and have them continue the story. Then collect the papers and have them write their continuation again on someone else's paper. Next, ask students to end the story and switch again, and write their ending on this new paper. Doing this will help younger students understand the "branching" story line. If students are sitting in groups of four, they can just rotate the papers around for this activity. When students want to create their story on Rootbook, be sure to have them upload an image for the cover first and plan the story using a graphic organizer! As subject matter for stories in any curriculum area, tell a science story, such as the life of a butterfly or a history story such as what happened (and could have happened) at the Boston Tea Party.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Lucidchart - Karl Sun and Ben Dilts
Grades
7 to 12
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Lucidchart is a free (and fun!) diagramming tool featuring drag and drop features. Try out the tour to view all the features available such as simple line drawing from the ...more
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Lucidchart is a free (and fun!) diagramming tool featuring drag and drop features. Try out the tour to view all the features available such as simple line drawing from the edge of any object, color themes, and online collaboration. Create flow charts, mindmaps, graphic organizers, timelines, and more. Share your diagram using social networking links or with your diagram's unique URL. Registration isn't required, but is necessary if you want to save your diagrams for future use. Storage is limited to 25 MB for free accounts. The Pro version is free to K-12 teachers. K-12 educators use this link to sign up for the Pro version: Lucid Pro for K-12 Educators. To make sure you receive the news about activation of your Pro version put these two address in your email contacts: education@lucidchart and support@lucidchart.com
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tag(s): brainstorming (21), charts and graphs (203), graphic organizers (42), mind map (24)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the "ease" of this fabulous site! Have your class create organizers together, such as in a brainstorming session on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Assign students to "map" out a chapter or story. Assign groups to create study guides using this tool. Use this site for literature activities, research projects, social studies, or science topics. Use this site to create family trees or food pyramids in family and consumer science. Have students collaborate (online) to create group mind maps or review charts before tests on a given subject. Have students organize any concepts you study. They can color code concepts to show what they understand, wonder, and question. Have students map out a story, plot line, or plan for the future. Students can also map out a step-by-step process (such as a life cycle or how to solve an equation).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Online Tools: Suggestions from TeachersFirst - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12
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This editor's choice collection offers timesavers and organizational tools for teachers. They include "utility" sites for teaching tasks such as seating charts, rubrics, and certificates....more
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This editor's choice collection offers timesavers and organizational tools for teachers. They include "utility" sites for teaching tasks such as seating charts, rubrics, and certificates. Other tools facilitate parent communication, such as text messaging or online conferencing. Our editors have also hand picked simple, timesaving, creative tools from the TeachersFirst Edge. These tools organize to-do lists (for yourself or for students), convert files, remove ads from web pages, check web site readability, write a one-time blog, generate an online sign up sheet, make a simple graphic organizer or chart, create online corkboards or stickies, and much more.
tag(s): classroom management (155), rubrics (30)
In the Classroom
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Nazi and East German Propaganda Guide Page - Randall Bytwerk
Grades
8 to 12
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The Nazi and East German Propaganda Guide Page offers a massive collection of resources demonstrating the use of propaganda leading up to and throughout World War Two. Explore categories...more
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The Nazi and East German Propaganda Guide Page offers a massive collection of resources demonstrating the use of propaganda leading up to and throughout World War Two. Explore categories such as posters, essays, and other reading materials. Each resource includes a short explanation of the source and how the material was used to promote the Nazis. For a full explanation on the background of the site and options for using materials included make sure you read the FAQ section. Although the presentation of this material is plain vanilla, the actual artifacts are powerful.
tag(s): germany (26), history day (24), holocaust (41), nazis (10), primary sources (97), propaganda (11), world war 2 (142)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site for use throughout your World War Two unit. Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students explore this site independently or in small groups. Challenge students to find examples of the Allies' use of propaganda and exchange paper and pen by using an online tool such as Canva, reviewed here, to create diagrams, mindmaps, and other visual graphic organizers comparing the uses of propaganda. Enhance learning by having students create a word cloud of the propaganda terms they learn from this site using a tool such as Wordle, reviewed here, or WordItOut, reviewed here. Save this one in your favorites to suggest if you have students who need primary sources projects for National History Day.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Science Fair Coach - Maille
Grades
3 to 12
3 Favorites
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Looking for some new ideas (and tips) for the science fair? Check out the free material available on this blog created by a PhD in Oceanography who works as an ...more
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Looking for some new ideas (and tips) for the science fair? Check out the free material available on this blog created by a PhD in Oceanography who works as an environmental microbiologist. She created the site to coach parents and kids through the science fair process. You will not only find ideas to use for a science fair project, but also the steps to follow to complete a project successfully. Find some great ideas that you can tweak to fit your needs and interests. Find many great ideas for data to collect and explanations of the variables involved in the scientific method. There are great tips for students doing projects, including questions to expect from judges!
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tag(s): science fairs (25), scientific method (68), STEM (209)
In the Classroom
Use information from this site to help students who struggle with te concepts of creating and carrying out a good science fair project. Assign science fair projects as extra credit for students to pursue individualized experiences and knowledge or as a regular part of the curriculum for scientific method. Even if you don't do a full science fair, use ideas form this site to help students envision scientific method through specific examples. Have them make a graphic organizer that shows the progression of steps involved in science investigations. Use a site such as Canva, reviewed here, to create visual graphic organizers. Share this link on your class website during science fair time.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Graphic Organizers for Reading Comprehension - Scholastic.com
Grades
1 to 12
11 Favorites
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Looking for ready-made graphic organizers? This time-saving site has numerous organizers available to print in a pinch or to use on an interactive whiteboard. Use these versatile learning...more
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Looking for ready-made graphic organizers? This time-saving site has numerous organizers available to print in a pinch or to use on an interactive whiteboard. Use these versatile learning tools with any book across all grade levels. The categories on the site provide efficient and effective searching. Find graphic organizers for assessing students, plot and sequence, character analysis and setting, reading comprehension, and organizing patterns. Find idea webs, Venn diagrams, timelines, KWL charts, story trains, reading records, and more. Integration ideas accompany each organizer.
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tag(s): graphic organizers (42), guided reading (46), independent reading (122), reading comprehension (133)
In the Classroom
Print and save the graphic organizers for use throughout the year. The organizers also work well on interactive whiteboards or projectors. These organizers are especially helpful when teaching different text structures found in informational text as required with Common Core. Use the organizers for writer's workshop or reading instruction. Share organizers when preparing for standardized tests to help students organize information. Use the organizers to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your student's thought process.
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Intel Education Units - Intel
Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites
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Find engaging, challenging units to begin your Common Core journey. Intel Education Units are complete and include assessment tools. Search by grade level or subject. Find the basics...more
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Find engaging, challenging units to begin your Common Core journey. Intel Education Units are complete and include assessment tools. Search by grade level or subject. Find the basics for planning units. Also find sequencing maps, sequencing activities, classification charts, and prioritizing listings. Instructional Strategies include activating prior knowledge, graphic organizers, cooperative learning, and questioning strategies.
tag(s): literacy (107)
In the Classroom
Begin your curriculum planning here. After reviewing exemplary units, use as they are, or modify to fit the needs of your students, content, or even resources adding your own personal touch. They will inspire you to dig deeper and go further with Common Core! Be sure to bookmark this site (or save in your favorites) as your go to resource for Common Core.
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Vaccine Preventable Outbreaks - Council on Foreign Relations
Grades
9 to 12
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Find the numbers of preventable diseases that have been confirmed in various areas around the world using this visual map. The preventable diseases shown include Measles, Mumps, Rubella,...more
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Find the numbers of preventable diseases that have been confirmed in various areas around the world using this visual map. The preventable diseases shown include Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Polio, and Whooping Cough. Each of the diseases is completely preventable by vaccine. Click on each circle to see the number of cases, date range, and a link to the source data.
In the Classroom
Use this tool during a unit on infectious disease in biology or health classes. Identify the difference between a cluster outbreak, secondary transmission, epidemic, and other categories of outbreak. View the various diseases and have students research each to report to the class about the transmission and dangers of each of the diseases. Identify the prevalence of various diseases in certain parts of the World compared to other locations. Identify why certain diseases are found in each of these areas. Research various ways to prevent further epidemics from occurring as well as the various social, religious, and political issues. Assign cooperative learning groups a disease to investigate. Use an online tool such as Canva, reviewed here, to create diagrams and other visual graphic organizers.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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25 Language Arts Graphic Organizers - Daily Teaching Tools
Grades
K to 9
11 Favorites
0 Comments
Find ready-made graphic organizers for Language Arts at this site. View organizers through the quick links containing titles such as 3 column notes, main idea web, or character map....more
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Find ready-made graphic organizers for Language Arts at this site. View organizers through the quick links containing titles such as 3 column notes, main idea web, or character map. Scroll down a bit further to see images of each of the organizers. Right click and save each image or choose the link provided at the very end of the page under "Free Download" to access and easily print the files in PDF format for all of the graphic organizers listed. The permissions say you can use them for one teacher. Tell your teaching colleagues to download for themselves.
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tag(s): graphic organizers (42), process writing (43), writers workshop (36), writing (365)
In the Classroom
Many of these organizers are useful for Common Core standards. Print and save the graphic organizers for use throughout the year. These organizers should be especially helpful when teaching different text structures found in informational text as required in Common Core. Use as part of your writer's workshop or guided reading instruction. Share organizers when preparing for standardized tests to help students organize and understanding test materials.
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Introducing Text Structures in Writing (5th Grade) - Utah Education Network
Grades
4 to 6
9 Favorites
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Introducing Text Structures in Writing is a comprehensive lesson plan to introduce the idea that science writing organizes in identifiable patterns called text structures. Common Core...more
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Introducing Text Structures in Writing is a comprehensive lesson plan to introduce the idea that science writing organizes in identifiable patterns called text structures. Common Core Reading/LA Standards focus on these text structures in informational texts. Use the provided links to many materials such as word cards, sentence strips, definitions, and graphic organizers to print materials in PDF format. Lists include suggested books for different text structures such as sequence, description, and compare and contrast. Use extension and assessment ideas as additions to the lesson plan. Although labeled for 5th grade, this lesson would be appropriate for use in any classroom learning to read and understand non-fiction and informational text.
tag(s): process writing (43), reading comprehension (133), reading strategies (57), sequencing (29), writers workshop (36), writing (365)
In the Classroom
Print materials included with this lesson and use as an addition to a current writing and reading comprehension units. This would make an excellent addition to standardized test preparations to help students analyze and assess readings provided during testing. Extend this lesson beyond science texts. Use lesson components and ideas for social studies and all other non-fiction reading materials.
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inklewriter - Joseph Humfrey and Jon Ingold
Grades
4 to 12
10 Favorites
0 Comments
Create interactive, choose your own adventure (branching) style stories with inklewriter. This site is ideal for anyone to create a story and then share with others via a unique URL....more
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Create interactive, choose your own adventure (branching) style stories with inklewriter. This site is ideal for anyone to create a story and then share with others via a unique URL. These stories allow for others to create their own path or choose an existing one. Begin by choosing to read stories or create your own. Type parts of the story including the title, author, beginning, introduction, and add sections as needed. After each paragraph is the option to create different outcomes of the story, offering choices the reader makes. The site contains excellent tutorials for getting started with stories. When finished, share the URL for your story using Twitter or Facebook or copy the URL to share and bookmark as you wish. Of course, your "story" need not be fiction! You could also write an opinion piece with branches for people to ask click on questions about facets of your argument! NOTE: When you click to begin writing, you should click SIGN IN and choose to make a new account. Do this before you start writing in order to be able to save. The tool will then save your work as you go along. Although you do not HAVE to sign in before you start, it is risky to sign up later! Here is a sample to show just ONE way to use Inklewriter besides the obvious use for storytelling. Inklewriter has also made it easier for teachers to sign up students WITHOUT student email addresses. Read the directions about how to do this on the landing page by scrolling down and finding "Sign-up and email addresses."
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tag(s): creative writing (163), digital storytelling (143), narrative (19), persuasive writing (52)
In the Classroom
View stories on the site together to understand the components of the site and discuss how different choices in characters and settings lead to different story outcomes. (Be sure to preview stories before sharing, since there is "public"' content.) Watch the tutorials together on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) before students begin to write stories. Use a graphic organizer to "map out" the story before writing. Create a short story together as a class to become familiar using the site. Assign a group of students to create an interactive story each week to share on your classroom website or blog. Have students create a story map before beginning a story on inklewriter; use a tool such as 25 Language Arts Graphic Organizers, reviewed here. Create class stories to teach about literature, geography, reading comprehension, history, science concepts, and more. As a more "serious" approach, use Inklewriter to present opinion pieces where you take a position and allow readers to click on questions about it. They could also click on statements expressing opposing views so you can write counterarguments to their points. This could end up being a powerful way to present an argument and evidence as required by Common Core writing standards. A graphic organizer for planning and organizing evidence is a must! Teachers of gifted could use this for students to develop elaborate fictional or informational pieces. If you work with students who struggle, scaffold with a template for them to organize their thoughts.Edge Features:
Includes an education-only area for teachers and students
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Products can be shared by URL
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Famous Scientists - famousscientists.org
Grades
6 to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Know your Einstein from your Eddington with this informative site that profiles some of the greatest scientists. Learn about their contributions to science and society and how their...more
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Know your Einstein from your Eddington with this informative site that profiles some of the greatest scientists. Learn about their contributions to science and society and how their discoveries affect us today. Don't click on the underlined words; this does NOT provide definitions. Instead it brings up advertisements.
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tag(s): inventors and inventions (83), scientists (69)
In the Classroom
The reading level of this site is rather challenging. Have weaker readers work together with stronger ones. While discussing scientists and inventors, use this site as a resource for gathering information. Have small groups of students research scientists from the same time period. Have them research their contributions including reactions of others to their discovery or invention. Research why these inventions were particularly important and the scientific knowledge that changed as a result. Have them present their findings to the class by creating a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here. Then, if you would like to take your students critical thinking up a notch, you could have the small groups compare the different inventions and decide how and why the earlier inventions had to come before a later invention could be developed. For this you might want to have students use a collaborative graphic organizer like Canva, reviewed here, and have them report out their thoughts and discoveries to the class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Night Zookeeper - Joshua Davidson
Grades
K to 5
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Enter a fantastical online world in which you create your own magical animals. Read and create stories, play games, create fascinating (and funny) facts about your new animal, and more...more
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Enter a fantastical online world in which you create your own magical animals. Read and create stories, play games, create fascinating (and funny) facts about your new animal, and more while learning about animals. Explore creative writing and art activities. Read the story of the night zookeeper or listen by choosing the audio play button. Your completed animals can be uploaded to include with the story and suggestions are offered for describing the animals such as where does the animal live, and tell about what makes it special. You can also download a sample unit that includes literacy and art lesson plans. Simple registration of a username and password is required to access activities.
tag(s): creative writing (163), creativity (117), digital storytelling (143)
In the Classroom
Share this site on classroom computers for students to read and listen to the Night Zookeeper story then encourage students to create their own animal to be added to the zoo. Use the included graphic organizer to help students design their animal. Create a link to the site on classroom computers and allow students to explore and discover site activities. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram (reviewed here) to create a visual comparison of animals included in the zoo or imaginary animals vs. real animals.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Draw.io - JGraph, Ltd.
Grades
4 to 12
8 Favorites
0 Comments
Take a look at this online graphic organizer creator/drawing tool that requires NO membership. Although a bit "plain vanilla" in appearance, this is a wonderful tool! Research shows...more
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Take a look at this online graphic organizer creator/drawing tool that requires NO membership. Although a bit "plain vanilla" in appearance, this is a wonderful tool! Research shows that graphic organizers promote strong thinking skills and comprehension for all ages. Draw.io is a simple, free online tool for creating mind maps -- or diagrams for any purpose -- using shapes and arrows. Just drop and drag the shapes (or nodes) you want to the panel, connect the nodes by dragging the arrow, and double-click in the shape to add text. Use the simple toolbar at the top to insert images, change, bold, color and enlarge text, etc. Printing and exporting is also an option. If you click on the "Help" tab at the top, you will see "Video Tutorial" which uses flash. Draw.io uses JavaScript, not Flash, so it works on iOS devices.
tag(s): brainstorming (21), concept mapping (18), graphic organizers (42), mind map (24), venn diagrams (18), visual thinking (10)
In the Classroom
Demonstrate creating a mind map or other diagram on an interactive whiteboard or projector, and then allow students to try to create their own. Use this site for literature activities, research projects, social studies, or science topics of study. Use Draw.io to create family trees or flow charts. Learning support students could team up to map out the important concepts from a unit visually as a review activity. Use this mapping website as an alternative to a traditional test, quiz, or homework assignment in literature, social studies, or science. Have students demonstrate their understanding by creating a graphic organizer about the main points or map out a step-by-step process (life cycle). Be sure they name their organizer BEFORE they start work with their name --or code name-- so you know who did it (they could EMAIL it to you!) or have them print their results to turn them in. Anonymously share and compare different students' "views" of a unit so students can "see it through someone else's eyes."Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Algalita - Plastic Ocean Pollution - Algalita Marine Research Foundation
Grades
4 to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Explore plastic pollution in the North Pacific Ocean at this terrific site. Click Take Action on the top menu, then click "Share our program with a teacher or student+" and ...more
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Explore plastic pollution in the North Pacific Ocean at this terrific site. Click Take Action on the top menu, then click "Share our program with a teacher or student+" and scroll down that page to find Educator Resources to get the free Science Investigation Kit. Be sure to check out the Projects and Solutions to explore accomplishments of students from around the world.
tag(s): environment (322), oceans (165), plastics (9), pollution (66)
In the Classroom
Use your interactive whiteboard and projector to introduce this site. Use the Trash Tracker lesson as is or adapt for your own use. Consider having students work in groups of four, and have each group explore a different expedition (listed by year and selected by you). Have the small groups of students investigate the first several days of the selected expedition together. After that, have pairs take notes about what they learn, using Memo Notepad, reviewed here, then have partners compare notes for the days they investigated. Once they've investigated their expedition, remix the groups so you have one student from each of the different expeditions together. Have them share information and determine what was alike and different for each year. Use a graphic organizer or mind mapping tool such as WiseMapping, reviewed here, to help students keep track of the information. Once done have students access the additional resources pages (the blogs will often have more information for the expeditions), and look at the maps. Older students may want to investigate information about careers related to GIS, Conservation, and Marine Biology by using the link at the bottom of the page.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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