Enhancing reading comprehension can be greatly achieved through the use of graphic organizers. These diagrams and charts help to visually structure information, making complex ideas more accessible and easier to understand. By breaking down text into organized sections, graphic organizers allow you to identify key concepts, relationships, and patterns. Whether you’re summarizing a chapter or brainstorming ideas for a project, incorporating graphic organizers into your reading strategy can significantly boost your comprehension and retention. Learn the benefits, how to create a graphic organizer, and access pre-made templates!
The benefits of using graphic organizers:
- Writing in a graphic organizer helps you make connections between pieces of information
- Aids in deeper understanding of the information
- Visual representation assists in remembering and recalling the information
To create a graphic organizer, you can use Drawing tools in document applications. However, my suggestion is to use existing templates (don’t miss the resources at the end of the article for free downloadable graphic organizers). Also, check out the graphic organizer workbooks on the offline solutions page.
To learn how to create a graphic organizing using Google Drawings, log into your free Google account.
Google: Google Drawings in Drive
- Open Google Drive.
- Press New.
- Select More from the drop down.
- Click Google Drawings.
- Start creating a graphic organizer by clicking the Shape button and select a shape. Click and drag the mouse cursor to insert the shape.
- Continue to insert shapes and arrows or lines.
- Click the Text Box button to add a text box inside each shape. Now, you can type information into each text box to fill out the graphic organizer.
Google Help article: Create, insert & edit drawings
Graphic organizer templates for Google already exist! Here is one created by Eric Curtis of Control Alt Achieve. Check out all the websites with templates (listed at the end of the article).
Microsoft: SmartArt tool
A drawing tool is not included in the free productivity applications by Microsoft. If you have a Microsoft 365 subscription or a paid desktop application, you can use the SmartArt tool to create your own graphic organizer. Instructions can be found in the Microsoft Support article: Create a SmartArt graphic.
Remember, you can also use free downloadable PDF templates. Check out the resources below.
Graphic organizer templates
Download a graphic organizer template. Filling in a graphic organizer helps you to make connections with the information; thus, helps to understand and remember the reading material.
30 Free Google Drawings Graphic Organizers – free downloadable graphic organizers (Google Drawing) from Control Alt Achieve
Download: Graphic organizers to help kids with reading – free downloadable PDF graphic organizers from Understood
Free Graphic Organizer Templates – list of free downloadable graphic organizers (PDF files) from the textbook company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Graphic Organizers – free downloadable graphic organizers (Google Drawing) from Driving Digital Learning
Additional reading comprehension tools
Explore 5 more reading comprehension strategies and technology tools that help with focus, identifying key concepts and, most importantly, understanding and remembering the information.
- Chunk text using a digital reading window
- Highlight key information with a digital highlighter
- Insert comments to restate and remember the main concepts
- Create an outline of the reading material
- Try a summary tool or text simplification tool
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