Graphic Organizers in

Social Studies

By Kelly Thurber
EDUC 6304

Research and Description of

Strategy

The use of graphic organizers in Social Studies

classrooms is important because of the expository
nature of the text.
Expository text has a factual basis and there is a need
to learn to organize the ideas presented.
Four types of graphic organizers work best in Social
Studies classrooms. They are: Main Idea and Detail,
Sequential Organizer, Compare/Contrast, and
Timelines.
The type used in this study was Assume and
Anticipate, which is a form of Main Idea and Detail.
The purpose is to show what is known, taken for
granted, what is probable or possible and what has
captured student curiosity (Galavan, 2007)

Research and Description of

Strategy, cont.
Some Social Studies textbooks
introduce information in the
form of main ideas and details.
Others describe a sequence of
steps or events (Hall, 2013)

In this project, the main idea

and detail organizer was used
to study the Coliseum in
Rome.

Participants and Setting

Participants and Setting, cont.

Classroom: 5th and 6th
Grade students in a
private school
Timing: Two 45
minute lessons
Gender Breakdown:
10 girls, 6 boys
SES: No low SES
students
Ethnicity: 10 White, 3
African American, 2
Asian, 1 Hispanic

Explanation of Procedures
Pictures of the Coliseum in Rome were
posted around the classroom
Copies of the pictures were placed on the
table where students were working
Lecture style instruction on the history of
the Coliseum focusing on three aspects: The
structure, Gladiators, and How Fights were
Staged.
Students were instructed to take notes in
each of the 3 boxes

Explanation of Procedures,
cont.

Explanation of Procedures,
cont.
Students took notes using the graphic
organizer during the first class period.
During the second class period, students
used the notes from the graphic organizer
to write an informative narrative about the
Coliseum.
The materials needed for these lessons:
paper, pencil, pictures of the Coliseum,
graphic organizer, and reference book on
the Coliseum

Results, Cont.

The results of this study were overwhelming in favor of using

graphic organizers to organize historical data and in note taking.
Also, the use of a graphic organizer aided the students in the
writing process.
The timing would be what I would change. Completing this
assignment in two days was difficult. The students wanted to
know more information about the Coliseum, so I would spend
more time on the history next time.
Everything else worked well.
My results do agree with the research that I conducted.
Students need and benefit from graphic organizers in Social
Studies classes. The expository nature and fact finding becomes
difficult for some students, and the organizational tool was
helpful.

Assessment Tools
The assessment for this lesson was the final
draft of the informative narrative.
Students also completed a pre-test and posttest based on lecture notes.
This lesson was taught as an integrated mini
unit in Social Studies and Language Arts

Results and Implications for

Future Use
Results:
The content for Social Studies
had not been taught previously.
Note taking skills had not been
taught before.
The writing process had been
previously taught.
The students had an organized
format to begin their writing.
The students easily
remembered the facts from the
lecture.
The process of note taking was
laborious for 4 students. They
needed reinforcement and
repeating of information.

Implications for Future

Use:
Graphic organizers
proved to be useful in
organizing both the
Social Studies content
and the writing
process.
Graphic organizers will
be utilized more often
in lecture-style
instruction.

Number of Students Passing Pretest and Post-test

18
16
14
12
10

students passing
Column1

8
6
4
2
0

Pre test

Post Test

Discussion of Results and

Implications
The results showed that using the graphic
organizer improved the understanding of the new
Social content.
I would change the timing of these lessons. Two
days was too short a time period because the
students wanted to talk more about the Coliseum.
My results did agree with the research on the
benefits of using graphic organizers in Social
Studies. The expository nature of the factual
material is much easier for the students to
manage when they use a graphic organizer.