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.
162 Results | sort by:
U.S. Capitol Tour - U.S. Senate
Grades
6 to 12
tag(s): house of representatives (7), senate (11)
In the Classroom
Use this site as a learning center or station during a unit on the branches and houses of government. Students will be able to connect the visual images with the content, and also gain more insight from the text. To highlight whats more important from the site, have students complete a follow-along guide of questions. For help creating one, we recommend using Graphic Organizer Maker, reviewed here.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
What's That Stuff? - Chemical and Engineering News
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): chemicals (37)
In the Classroom
Use these articles to show how chemistry affects students' everyday lives. Once a week, select a product and show it to students via a printed article or via an interactive whiteboard. Have students create concept maps or Graphic Organizers, reviewed here, showing how chemistry led to the creation of the product.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Mysterious Mummmies of China - PBS Nova
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Use this site as a learning center or station during a unit on Ancient China in a World History classroom. Because there's a lot of content on this site, try creating a guide to help students understand what's the most significant. For help creating graphic organizers easily, try Graphic Organizer Maker.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Read Write Think - NCTE
Grades
1 to 12tag(s): literacy (124), resources (80), thinking routines (42)
In the Classroom
Within the classroom resources are plenty of lesson plans that are aligned to National standards. Save this site as a favorite to allow for easy reference whenever you're in need of fresh ideas and lesson plans. There are many resources available on ReadWriteThink for teaching literacy. Choose from lesson plans and units sorted by grade level, or narrow down your search to specific objectives including fluency, text structure, and more. In addition, ReadWriteThink offers almost 60 interactives including graphic organizers and tools for word work. Be sure to browse through the Printouts portion of the site; these aren't boring fill in the blank activities. Printouts include book reports, writing tips, and card games.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
The War After the War - American Radioworks
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): iraq (26)
In the Classroom
Use this site as a learning center or station during a unit on the Iraq war and the War on terror that has pervaded US foreign politics for the better half of a decade. Because there is a lot of information on this site, this activity would work best with a follow-along or guide. For help creating easy graphic organizers, we recommend using Graphic Organizer Maker.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Who's Who in Post-War Iraq - BBC
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): iraq (26)
In the Classroom
Use this site as a learning center or station during a unit on the War on Terror and the fighting in the Middle East. Because there is a lot of information on this site, this activity works best with a follow-along or guide to highlight for students what's most important. For help creating easy graphic organizers, we recommend using Graphic Organizer Maker, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Churchill - PBS
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 20th century (169), churchill (7), england (49), middle east (51), world war 2 (168)
In the Classroom
Use this site as a learning center or station during a unit on WWII. Because there is a lot of information on this site, it would probably work best if students had a graphic organizer to guide them through. For help creating graphic organizers, we recommend using Graphic Organizer Maker, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
English Literature - the Seventeenth Century - Luminarium
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): literature (214), poetry (195)
In the Classroom
Use this site as a learning center or station during a unit on this time period within a Language Arts or Social Studies class. Create a "scavenger hunt" through the site, guiding students through the various authors and statesman that had lasting impact on literature. We recommend using a graphic organizer to guide students through the site, using a tool such as Mindomo, (reviewed here).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
What Did T. rex Taste Like? - U.C. Berkeley
Grades
7 to 12In the Classroom
Use this activity as a learning center or station during a unit on cladistics or evolution. Save this site as a favorite on classroom computers and have students complete the activity in pairs or cooperative learning groups. This would be a great activity during a Biology class. As an extension, students can summarize what they learned in an flow chart or graphic organizer such as Holt Interactive Graphic Organizers, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Star Spangled Banner - Smithsonian
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): national anthem (2), war of 1812 (14)
In the Classroom
Use this site as an introductory activity for a lesson on the Flag's creating during a unit on the American Revolutionary War. Introduce the site on the interactive whiteboard before allowing students to explore it in cooperative learning groups on classroom computers. Have the students search the site with, answering specific questions on a follow-along (created by you) that encourages them to explore the site in depth. For help with making that follow-along, we recommend using Graphic Organizer Maker, (reviewed here). Afterward, have a class discussion or some sort of reflection piece to allow students to vocalize questions and opinions about the information presented.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
FireWise
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): ecosystems (108), environment (249), fire (23), fire prevention (16), fire safety (16)
In the Classroom
As your students study about safety or environmental issues, include this site as a resource. Ask students to create a fire pro and con list as they discuss the more obvious safety issues of fire and the balancing role that fire can play in renewing habitats and nature's cycles. Extend learning by using an online graphic organizer tool such as bubbl.us, to map out the many impacts that wildland fires can have.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
50states.com
Grades
4 to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): states (128)
In the Classroom
There are a lot of ads from this site, so if using be sure to forewarn students not to access any of the side links. Use this site if creating state profiles during an American History class. This activity works best if accompanied by a guided graphic organizer or worksheet - we recommend using Graphic Organizer Maker.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Red Files - PBS
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): cold war (39)
In the Classroom
Use this site as a learning center or station during a lesson or unit on the cold war. There is a LOT of information on this sites so teachers can either try to incorporate on several different days or tailor the center to focus on one specific aspect of the KGB. In order to better guide students through the site, we recommend creating a follow-along. For help making easy graphic organizers, try Mindomo, (reviewed here).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
The Wars for Vietnam - Vassar College
Grades
9 to 12In the Classroom
This site hosts a TON of information about the Vietnam war - from overviews to primary sources! During a unit studying the Vietnam war, have students use this site as a means to learn some of the basic concepts in a non-lecture format. Create a follow-along for this site using a tool such as Graphic Organizer Maker. Have students read through the overview offered on classroom computers, while filling out their organizers.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
The Seneca Falls Convention - Library of Congress
Grades
9 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): women (189)
In the Classroom
Introduce the copy of the Seneca Falls Declaration to students via projector before covering the topic deeper with the newspaper clippings hosted on the site. Assign cooperative learning groups a newspaper article, making sure that every group has a different article. Have students analyze their articles, preferably with the help of a guided worksheet. (For help making graphic organizers, try Graphic Organizer Maker. After students are done, have them present each of their articles, focusing on bias and perspective as well as facts covered in the story. This is a great way to teach students how to analyze and summarize as well as indirectly cover the important content. American History teachers will appreciate this one!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Attack on Pearl Harbor - National Geographic
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): pearl harbor (16), world war 2 (168)
In the Classroom
Use the "aerial view of Pearl Harbor" on this site as a learning center or station during a lesson on the attack on Pearl Harbor. Students can view the image and read the information in cooperative learning groups or individually, although because there is a lot of information - we recommend creating a follow-along to highlight for students what's most important. For help creating graphic organizers, we recommend trying Graphic Organizer Maker, (reviewed here).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
California As I Saw It - Library of Congress
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): california (18), explorers (65), gold rush (18)
In the Classroom
This would be a very useful site for covering the Gold Rush in a US history classroom. Select several documents and images that could be used for a document-centered activity in your classroom. Assign students to groups, with each receiving a different document and/or image. Have students fill out graphic organizers about each document, with the intentions of rotating all until students have received every one. At the end of the activity, have a class discussion of what students found and what their answers indicate. A refreshing way to teach Gold Rush history without another lecture.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Daniel Boone - University of Virginia
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): heroes (22), westward expansion (41)
In the Classroom
Use this site as a learning center or station during a lesson on the famous character. Because there is a lot of information on this site, we recommend creating a follow-along to highlight for students what's most important, as well as provide you with some assessment of their participation. For help creating graphic organizers, try Mindomo, (reviewed here).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Along the Chisholm Trail
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): westward expansion (41)
In the Classroom
Use this PDF to teach about the "wild west," and how it was affected by the pioneers who settled it. Use this site as a learning center or station during a unit on the West and Westward Expansion. The information given would probably work best with a graphic organizer to accompany it. We recommend Graphic Organizer Maker.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
African American Odyssey - Library of Congress
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): africa (162), african american (129), black history (131)
In the Classroom
Use the images on this site for a picture-walk during a unit on African American History, from slavery to Emancipation. Print and hang pictures around the classroom, with students assigned to different stations. Have students rotate around the classroom, looking at a new image every minute. Once students have walked through everything, have a class discussion about what students saw and learned. This activity works best with a graphic organizer - to create one, we recommend using Graphic Organizer Maker. Lots of excellence historical info and pictures.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
Close comment form