The Teacher's Big Book of Graphic Organizers, Grades 5-12: 100 Reproducible Organizers That Help Kids with Reading, Writing, and the Content Areas

The first time I have been disappointed with my purchase. I am surprised this book was even sold, I can’t use it. The content promises to be very useful, but I am going to have to buy one that I can use.

A graphic organizer is a visual learner's best friend. It helps students organize data, remember facts, and explain concepts. If you have a student who learns best from reading charts and graphs, I highly recommend The Teacher's Big Book of Graphic Organizers published by Jossey-Bass. Included are 100 reproducible organizers for all subject areas. For instance, the Carousel Brainstorm organizer helps students create a book report by filling in boxes of information. After the boxes are complete, they can take this information and easily write their final report. The report can be on the book itself or the topic discussed in the book, whether it be literature, history, science, or any other subject. The Hypothesis Guide helps students visualize the scientific method. Students are directed step-by-step through the process from asking a question, writing down what they know, proposing a hypothesis, documenting the lab process and results, and preparing a conclusion. The Six Column Vocabulary Organizer is a great tool to help students learn new vocabulary words. The student charts the definition, part of speech, synonym, antonym, and even draws a picture or icon to represent the word. I love the writing organizers, which include a writer's checklist, sensory starter (helps them add sensory details to their writing), character creator, and story map (helps with plotting). There's also an organizer that focuses on persuasive writing. Whether you teach in a classroom or at home, The Teacher's Big Book of Graphic Organizers is a tool you should not do without.

As a homeschooling parent of a child on the autism spectrum, I am excited as I flip through the pages of this book and see the possibilities. McKnight has turned so many "invisible" concepts in to CONCRETE VISUALS for *any* learner, and in my opinion, students of a broader age/grade range that the author recommends. Some of the pages are familiar to us. The Venn Diagram, for example. Many are new to me, and are quite creative. I really like the way a concept is broken down into parts and visually arranged on a page, adding a rich element, something tangible, that is missed with a verbal description, alone. Each of the 100 graphic organizers is presented over two pages, with one page offering a grade range (which is 4-12; 5-12; or 6-12 in the book, but I can see many uses for my child who is working at lower grade levels); a meter that lets the user know whether each organizer is easy, medium, or hard; a list of subject areas to use with each organizer; a list of what skills and functions the students will practice and develop with each organizer; and finally, a copy of a completed page with examples of "tips for classrooom implementation". For all students, but especially for a student in the autism spectrum, there are quite a few pages that visually scaffold steps to inferencing, to perspective taking, to visualization, to predicting, to using prior knowledge. For a visually-impaired student or a student with fine-motor challenges (which make staying within the lines difficult), I would consider raising the lines on the pages by adding a "bead" of liquid white glue and allowing it to dry prior to using a page with that student. This is a book that every homeschool parent, every school-building school teacher, every special ed teacher would be able to use. I imagine even church staff would appreciate this book for Bible studies with students of all ages.

I am a secondary social studies education professor that has spent the last decade teaching, research, and working in low performing city high schools. Over that time, I don't know how much time I've spent "reinventing the wheel," either trying to imagine a good graphic organizer, recreating one I had seen a hard copy of, or searching the internet for good quality adaptable version. But the "Big Book" brings together so many good organizers, collects them into chapters by their best function, and offers easily reproducible formats. This book has already found a spot in my courses, both for my own use as well as a resource for my pre-service candidates. I highly recommend this book for all middle an high school teachers as well as teacher educators.

I love this book! I am a junior high teacher who teaches Literature and Grammar/Writing/Vocabulary seperately to both 7th and 8th graders, and these graphic organizers are fantastic!! The "tips for classroom implementation" are really helpful, and I love the spedometer that rates the difficulty of each aid!!! All the graphic organizers in chapter 3 on Vocabulary development are GREAT supplementals for my curriculum, and the entire book is like that!! Dr. McKnight truly understands what it's like for the teachers "in the trenches" every day... so many of these authors are too far removed from the every day "in's and out's" of the classroom, but not Dr. McKnight!!!

Dr. Katherine S. McKnight complies a fabulous book of graphic organizers to aid teachers for all Language Arts courses. Graphic organizers are a great visual aid, particularly for those children and adolescents who find the brainstorming process in writing so difficult. Cool graphic organizers make writing more fun! I also suggest her book, "Teaching Writing in the Inclusive Classroom." Another great tool in aiding with struggling writers.