Graphic organisers engage students with online content by helping to apply learning, organise ideas, classify information, sequence events, or compare and contrast.
We’ve produced a set of 30 graphic organisers which, if you have a BrainPOP UK login, you can start using in class today. We’ve outlined a few examples of how to use them below but they’re a flexible resource so it’s entirely up to you how you choose to use them.
By making use of the blank graphic organisers and other BrainPOP tools students can express their ideas in many ways. When students explain ideas and processes in their own words, it encourages higher level understanding. You can also rely on graphic organisers as a tool to encourage less-able students to get started.
A few essential tips:
- Have a completed example ready to give students an idea of the answers/ideas you’re looking for
- Watch the movie beforehand so you get a good idea of pause points for note taking
- Save your favourite graphic organisers to a file folder or integrate into your already existing lesson plans
Literacy – Prewriting movie
In writing, a little organisation can go a long way! In this movie, you’ll learn how to get your thoughts down on paper, as Tim and Moby introduce you to some organisational strategies for writing.
- Find out Five Questions to ask yourself before you start writing, plus three different methods of organising and focusing your thoughts (Main Idea & Supporting Details can help with this!).
- Learn how to use a Word Web to narrow your field and why it helps to have your thoughts in sequence (the Story Mountain is handy for this).
- See how a Story Map can make your writing more exciting.
Geography – Water Cycle movie
Tim and Moby show you how water is transferred from lakes and seas, to the atmosphere and back to the ground. Graphic organisers can help students classify the information and apply a sequence to events.
- Pause the movie at significant points so your class can record the basic process in the Flowchart – it might be more fun to draw diagrams of each process.
- Learn what powers the water cycle and use Cause & Effect to show how important processes work. For example, heat from the Sun breaks down water molecules causing them to evaporate.
- You’ll also see how our water supply is kept fresh and plentiful! Use Balloons to jot down a few of Tim’s suggestions.
Scientific Investigation – Kinetic Energy movie
In this movie, Tim and Moby tell you all about the energy of motion.
- You’ll learn essential differences between kinetic and potential energy. Why not have the kids use the Compare graphic organiser at this point?
- See how kinetic energy can be transferred from one object to another and how it can even be transformed into electricity. Have your students use Cause & Effect to record different examples of kinetic energy being transferred.
- After watching, conduct an experiment to demonstrate potential and kinetic energy. Have the kids note down the details of the experiment on Experiment Observations.
If you incorporate our graphic organisers into lessons we’d like to hear how you use them. We’d also love it if you could help us grow our library of resources by submitting your own graphic organisers.
Email info@brainpop.co.uk with your classroom stories and your own graphic organisers and we guarantee you will be warmly rewarded!
