Often, these classroom materials include a graphic organizer (GO) of some kind. Recently I reviewed several different “graphic organizers” and was struck by the breadth of what that term seems to mean to teachers. Some of the GOs were very detailed, while others were minimalistic. Reflecting, I wondered if educators need a rubric of some kind for what an effective GO looks like. (A web search led to several rubrics to use after a student has designed and completed a GO, but none for teachers to use in designing or choosing a GO to provide students. If you know of one, please share.)
Here is my first attempt at the criteria to include in a GO Rubric. Please let me know what you think!
· The format allows for relationships or patterns to be clearly seen
· Illustrations/graphics support the learning objective
· Prompts are provided in a simple but clear manner
· Scaffolding (as necessary) provides access to the concepts
· Once complete, the graphic organizer can be interpreted in a meaningful way
The GO on the left was provided to me, designed for a lesson on the Civil War, in which the primary objective was for students to be able to identify multiple perspectives on a topic, especially that of the African American soldiers. The GO on the right shows my redesign, based on the above rubric, including supports for struggling students. It is generic enough to be used for any discussion of multiple perspectives. Feel free to download it here.