Literacy Strategy 1

One reason I want to use an analytic graphic organizer for struggling readers is that I had problems using them myself. Essentially, a graphic organizer helps students make a visual representation that helps them organize their thoughts. Instead of just having written notes, they create a pattern that helps them remember the information. They can be used at any time during the reading of a text, but they are most often used as pre or post reading techniques.

Students that struggle with reading may not be able to go back and simply look at written out notes or sit down and organize their thoughts. There were many students I had that had difficulty sitting down, much less go back and stare at words on a paper that they may not comprehend on their own. The organizer makes things more visual for them, which I think helps them understand, since, for whatever reason, they have problems with words and reading. Like most strategies, the graphic organizer can benefit everyone, not just those struggling with reading.

My second semester-first block class was filled with students that needed a graphic organizer as part of their IEP. My co-teacher was familiar with many of the graphic organizers, but I could never seem to make them work in an effective way for the students. For instance, I should have used a sequence graphic organizer when we read “The Most Dangerous Game,” so students could have scene the chain of events. Rainsford did this, then Zaroff did that, this led to this and etc. Had I done that, it might have helped some of the student’s remember the story when we took the test.