Scaffolding can assist students' responses to literature, non-fiction texts and poetry. Just as a scaffold holds up a building while it is being constructed, a scaffold assists a student in comprehending, analyzing and sythetizing their learning before, during or after a literacy experience. Graphic organizers are powerful tools to help readers organize their thoughts and visualize them in a written format. They can be used to brainstorm, take notes, summarize, compare & contrast and to perform other higher level thinking tasks. They can be especially useful for ELL's (English Language Learners) whose vocabulary might be limited even though their understanding is great. Graphic organizers can assist an ELL student in reaching more sophisticated levels of written responses to literature, non-fiction texts and poetry.
There are three main things to consider when choosing a graphic organizer to scaffold instruction. First, consider the type of text or genre. Then, consider your grade level and the level of language acqusition of your students. How much modeling and assistance will they need to complete the task? Lastly, keep in mind the outcomes that you desire. What are your standards and objectives? Will this graphic organizer help your students reach these outcomes?
In this blog, I will give some examples of graphic organizers to scaffold instruction. I will indicate the type of text (narrative (fiction), expository (non-fiction) or poetry) which each graphic organizer serves best. Then, I will suggest a grade level or stage of language acquistion for that tool. Lastly, I will give some reflections on the purposes and outcomes of each activity.
Type of Text: Narrative (Fiction)
Comic Strip: All grades, all stages
This tool allows the students to use drawings to depict scenes in a story. Narration can accompany these drawings in the ovals above or they can serve as bubbles for dialogue. This is good for summarizing, visualizing and even predicting.
Three Part Summary: Grades 2-4, all stages
The three part summary assists a student in identifying the three main parts of a story: beginning, middle and end. In many states, this is a standard for the second or third grade, but can be continued to be practiced in the fourth grade. It can be used in all stages of language acquistion because pictures may be drawn or words may be written to depict the three parts of the story.
Character Web: all grades, all stages
This classic web design can be used for brainstorming about a topic, associating traits & actions with a particular character or for multiple other uses. This particular web was designed for defining a character. It can be as simple as pictures around a central name or topic, words or sentences.
Cause and Effect: grades 3-8, stages intermediate/advanced
This tool helps a reader analyze the internal features of the text. Although this graphic organizer begins with "cause," it is often easier to begin with "effect." This is what the reader notices first. Then, the students can go back and find the causes.
Character Chart: grades 1-8, all stages
This tool gives room for pictoral representations of the characters being analyzed, their physical appearance and personality traits. It could be especially helpful for students in stages 2-3 of language acquisiton who are just learning to put words to their ideas. For stage 2, it may only be in words and for stage 3 it may be in simple sentences.
Venn Diagram, all grades, all stages
This classic diagram with overlapping circles assists the reader in identifying similarities and differences. This particular example is for comparing characters, but it can be used for many other story elements or non-fiction topics (such as animal species). Understanding can be reflected with pictures, words or complete sentences on the diagram.
Important Elements, grades 3-8, intermediate & advanced stages
This tool assists the reader in identifying key story elements such as setting, characters and plot. It also goes one step further in requiring the readers to provide evidence (from the text) to support their claims.
Type of Text: Expository (Non-fiction)
Three Main Ideas, grades 3-8, intermediate & advanced stages
This outline guides the reader to identify three main ideas and supporting details. It works especially well when taking notes from reading in social studies or sciences texts or biographies. It can follow the external features of a text (such as titles and subtitles). It is really designed for independent readers although it could be completed during or after a read-aloud. The teacher should pre-view the text and identify how many supporting details are required for each subtopic.
Non-fiction Text Outline, grades 3-8, all stages
Similar to the graphic organizer above, this tool assist the reader in identifying key points during a non-fiction reading. The advange to this format is that pictures may be used to support the learner in expressing meaning or to reiforce new meanings encountered in the reading (as in note taking).
KWL Chart, all grades, all stages (with assistance)
This chart is used before a unit to identify what the students already know about a topic. If a child expresses this information in their native language, a peer or the teacher can translate it into English and write (and draw) the facts on the grid. The second column is for the students to record what they would like to learn. I write this information in a question format. In kindergarten or first grade more pictures and less words will accompany this information. In the younger grades, it may be completed by the teacher in front of the class and in the upper grades, students may complete it individually or in small groups. After reading or finishing a unit, the class returns to the chart to record what was learned. (What questions were answered?) The KWL Chart sets purpose for learning and triggers students' background knowledge before reading.
Type of Text: Poetry
Reflect on the poem: grades 3-8, intermediate & advanced stages
With this tool, the student reflects on each verse in a particular stanza of a poem. It is very non-threatening because there are no "right" or "wrong" answers and it could be a good tool for an initial response to a poem. It could serve to prepare students for discussion. It forces the reader to re-read in order to quote each verse.
Analyze Poetic Elements: grades 4-8, intermediate & advanced stages
First the reader identifies rhyming words and then makes comments about the rhyme scheme of a poem. Then, the student is lead to identify other elements of the poem such as images, shape, sound (rhythm), meaning and form. This can assist language learners in expanding their vocabulary. Unlike "Reflect on the Poem" there are certain responses which could be considered a correct or incorrect analysis of the poem.
As I was collecting some graphic organizers for this blog, I ran into this site:
www.washingtonco.k12.nc.us/siteimages/images/uploads/Graphic%20Organizers
In summary, graphic organizers are extremely handy and helpful for scaffolding responses to literature, reflecting the comprehension of texts and analyzing poetry. I hope this blog can assist anyone looking for some ways to integrate graphic organizers into your instruction, especially for ELLs.
No comments:
Post a Comment