Graphic Organizers Guide: Definition, Benefits, & Examples

All about graphic organizers. You'll learn what graphic organizers are, what their main purpose is, and the benefits of using graphic organizers. You'll also find lots of great graphic organizers for kids.

If you're familiar with hyperlexia at all, then you know that supporting their comprehension should be a priority. Hyperlexic learners also often need support with writing assignments (tips here). One important tool that can help with both of these support needs is to use a graphic organizer.

Graphic organizers have been incredibly useful tools for my hyperlexic son over the years. And we're a huge fan of them for both writing and comprehension.

Below you will learn all about graphic organizers, what they are, what their main purpose is, and some of their benefits.

You'll also find lots of great examples of graphic organizers to help support both comprehension and written expression.

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What is a Graphic Organizer?

A graphic organizer is a visual learning tool, aid, or support. It uses visual symbols to show how concepts or ideas relate. Basically, it's a tool to display information visually.

You've likely used graphic organizers yourself before. They just might go by another name such as a flow chart, diagram, story map, concept map, Venn diagram, chart, taxonomy...and so on.

Usually, graphic organizers are used in classroom settings to help kids with writing and comprehension, which is our focus here. Especially since hyperlexic learners benefit from using graphic organizers for support in these areas.

What is the Main Purpose of a Graphic Organizer?

The main purpose of a graphic organizer is to make learning and teaching easier.

In other words, they are a tool to aid in learning and understanding.

To expand further, graphic organizers can break down tasks and simplify complex information. They can also provide clarity and boost understanding. They can also help an individual stay organized and plan out certain tasks or assignments. And they do all that by using visual cues and supports.

As you'll find out below, there are lots of benefits to using graphic organizers.

The Benefits of Graphic Organizers

There are tons of great benefits of using a graphic organizer, including, but not limited to:

Makes it easier to communicate ideas

Improves reading comprehension - a big one if you have a hyperlexic child!

Can be used to introduce a topic and/or activate prior knowledge or schema (learn more about schema here)

Teaches cause and effect and allows kids to see relationships between different elements or pieces of information

Allows kids to compare and contrast ideas

Helps with organization information and planning out an assignment or task

Simplifies complex information or tasks into small steps or parts

Improves focus and executive functioning

Great for kids of all ages and/or abilities

Builds independence

Improves critical thinking, reasoning, and problem solving skills

Allows kids to brainstorm ideas

Provides structure

Helps kids know what information is important and what information they need to pay attention to

Makes things easier to understand and learn by breaking it down into smaller parts, highlighting what's important, etc.

Reduces demands

Helps with writing assignments

Now that you know about some of the benefits of graphic organizers, let's take a look at some examples, both free and paid.