Clock Diagram: The clock diagram is a variation of a pie chart that can be used for diagramming the
use of hours in a day. For example, it can be used to illustrate how time is
spent during a school day or the sequence of events in a story.
T-Chart: A T-Chart is used for listing two separate viewpoints of a topic.
Topics can include anything that can be cleanly divided into two opposing
views. For example, evaluating the pros and cons of a major decision is a
common use of T-Charts. Other opposing views that work well include facts vs. opinions,
advantages and disadvantages or strengths and weaknesses.
Y-Chart: A Y-Chart is a three-part graphic organizer that is used for describing three aspects of a topic.
Examples include observations of an object (looks like, sounds like and feels like) or the characteristics
of the three branches of the United States Government (executive, legislative and judicial branches).
Venn Diagram: A Venn Diagram shows the logical relationships between groups of
things. They are most often shown as two circles that intersect in the middle of the page.
Attributes that are exclusive to each group are listed in the circles, and attributes that
are shared by both groups are listed in the intersecting space. The diagrams can be used
in the classroom as a tool to help students compare and contrast two objects or
concepts. The Venn diagram can also be used in teaching mathematics. For example, one
circle can represent numbers which are multiples of two, and the other multiples of
three. Students can then start counting from 2 and add numbers to the relevant sections of the diagram in order to
visualize how the multiples are related.
Star Diagram: A star diagram is used for organizing the characteristics of a single topic. A
central space is used for displaying the topic, with each "point" of the star listing some fact,
attribute, or trait about the topic. As an example, a central character in a story can be the
topic, and each point around the topic can describe some part of that character's life or
relationships.
Pie Chart: A pie chart is useful for showing how a set is a composite of many differently sized
parts. As an example, teachers often introduce pie charts by having a classroom full of students
(the set) identify some attribute of themselves (favorite food, month born, etc.) and document it
with a pie chart. For such an example, specify the number of students in your class in the form
below so that the students can build their pie chart by coloring in the slices that make up each
part.
Fishbone: A fishbone diagram is used to identify the causes or composition of some complex
system or event. Each bone coming off of the spine of the diagram is then broken down into
more details. Examples of topics that fit well into fishbone diagrams include the causes of major wars, the manufacture
of automobiles or the factors that influence juvenile delinquency. A lesson plan utilizing a fishbone diagram might
include brainstorming sessions or group research tasks.
KWHL Chart: A KWHL Chart allows a student to document their own learning process from
start to finish on a particular subject. The letters stand for the steps in the process, which are
what I already know, what I want to learn, how I will find out, and what I have learned. The
how step is sometimes not part of a KWHL chart (reducing it to a KWL chart) so we made
that step optional. You may also enter a subject title for the worksheet, the number of rows
of cells in the chart and the orientation of the chart on the page.
Decision Making Diagram: A decision-making diagram provides a visual layout for organizing
the possible alternatives to a problem along with their advantages and disadvantages. You
can specify how many alternatives are available for the problem being investigated.
PMI Chart: The letters in PMI stand for the three sections of the
PMI chart: Plusses, Minuses and Interesting things. (The I can also stand for Implications for
some topics.) The debate over a difficult decision makes for a good topic of a PMI chart since
such decisions come with many plusses and minuses. In a brainstorming session, there will
invariably be ideas that don't really fit in as either a plus or a minus column, so the I column
comes in handy.
Cycle Diagram: A cycle diagram is used to show how a series of events interact repeatedly
through a cycle. Some examples of topics that work well with cycle diagrams include the
cycle of life, the flow of money in an economy and the carbon cycle in nature. A typical
lesson plan using this diagram would have students identifying the critical events that make
up the cycle, determining the relationship between cycle events and explaining how the
cycle is self-reinforcing.
Frayer Model: The Frayer Model is a vocabulary development tool. In contrast with a straight
definition, the model helps to develop a better understanding of complex concepts by having
students identify not just what something is, but what something is not. The center of the
diagram shows the concept being defined, while the quadrants around the concept are used for
providing the details. Words that work well with the Frayer Model include quadrilaterals, insects
and democracies. We have included two variations of the model that we have seen used in school
settings.
http://www.worksheetworks.com/miscellanea/graphic-organizers.html