Making a Difference

Advance organizers
Advance organizers help students make sense of new information they will be 
learning by focusing on, organizing and connecting important ideas.
“Expository organizers”
• 
use a combination of words and visuals to 
provide students with a description of the new content they will be 
learning. 
“Narrative organizers”
• 
introduce new content about a story. 
“Skimming strategies” 
• 
such as Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review 
or SQ3R are a way for students to preview texts. This strategy is best 
taught through direct instruction, modelling and guided practice of each 
step. A textbook chapter organizer that combines pictures and words 
is another way to engage English language learners in the process of 
skimming.
Graphic organizers
Graphic organizers such as “K-W-L charts”, “P-M-I charts”, “mind maps” and 
others can be used across grades and subject areas to support English language 
learners in developing a deeper understanding of key concepts or ideas. 
Organizers allow English language learners to draw on prior experience and 
knowledge, form connections, and see relationships among ideas, while limiting 
the amount of text students have to deal with. Graphic organizer also provide a 
constant visual reference so students can focus on comprehension and language 
development rather than memory. 
Using graphic organizers to teach new concepts is an effective way to engage 
students in discussions and have them learn the essential vocabulary in a 
meaningful context. At the beginning of a unit of study, give students a graphic 
organizer with main ideas included and ask them to add to the organizer as new 
information is gathered. Alternatively, at the beginning of a new topic, students 
can use their background knowledge and experience to organize what they already 
know about a topic and record it using words and/or pictures. Use this information 
to identify areas of strength and interest, as well as misconceptions related to the 
topic, and to plan learning activities with this information in mind. 
Graphic organizers also can be used to summarize discussions, review key 
information and plan writing assignments and other projects. 
The following sample idea builder shows how English language learners can 
complete graphic organizers using a combination of words and pictures. For more 
examples of graphic organizers to use with English language learners, see 
English 
as a Second Language: Guide to Implementation, Kindergarten to Grade 9
, at 
http://education.alberta.ca/teachers/com/English language/resources.aspx.

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