Differentiating with Graphic Organizers: Tools to Foster Critical and Creative Thinking

Graphic organizers have proven to be successful tools for helping students develop their critical and creative thinking skills. This research-based resource shows how graphic organizers can improve teaching practices, help differentiate instruction in the classroom, and raise learning outcomes for all students, including English language learners and students with learning disabilities.
The author presents graphic organizers for nine types of thinking processes based on Bloom’s taxonomy and offers examples of how to apply the graphic organizers in different subject areas and grade levels. This hands-on guide demonstrates how teachers can:
Promote the critical thinking processes of assuming, inferring, analyzing, prioritizing, and judging
Encourage the creative thinking processes of brainstorming, connecting, creating, and elaborating
Modify graphic organizers or create their own to meet individual learning needs

With assessment rubrics for providing quality feedback included, Differentiating With Graphic Organizers addresses ways to promote and build students’ creative reasoning, communication, and problem-solving skills and make the learning process a success.