Practical Strategies Guide
Unit Organizer
Data Driven:
Graphic organizers have long been proven to benefit student achievement and although no data could be found on the benefits of unit organizers specifically, there are plenty of studies that conclude graphic organizers in general are beneficial in organizing student thoughts about critical concepts. According to Robinson (2010), students who fill out at least part of an organizer score, on average, five points higher on the quiz than students who are given a completed organizer covering the same material.
Robinson, D. (2010). Increasing text comprehension and graphic note taking using a partial graphic organizer. The Journal of Educational Research, 100(2), 103-111.
A unit organizer is a tool that allows both teachers and students to plan and work through a unit together. This organizer lets students visually see where they are going, where they are, and where they have been within the overall course structure. It also acts as a scheduler and task manager for important dates, such as quizzes and tests. The organizer also uses a concept map to visually represent the areas covered in the unit and "big idea" questions the students should be able to answer when they are done with the unit.
Unit organizers are very helpful for students who need a visual representation of content or have a trouble connecting themes and ideas to the overall goals of the class. These specific organizers should only be used with middle or secondary students who can grasp the basic idea of the organizer.
This is one of the easiest strategies to determine student progress. Can the student fill out the organizer alone? Does the student keep to the schedule and task manager? Is the student able to answer the unit questions and draw connections between previous and future units? When the class is able to do all of these things, the unit organizer has been a successful tool.
The following images are taken from the University of Kansas, Center for Research on Learning.
The following images are taken from the University of Kansas, Center for Research on Learning.
Again, no research has been explicitly conducted on the effects of unit organizers specifically. However, graphic organizers have been shown to assist students in activating prior knowledge and connecting main ideas over the span of a course together. Although research strong supports graphic organizers, there is still room for debating whether or not these organizers are successful in language teaching courses such as Spanish or French.
Manoli, P. (2012). Graphic organizers as a reading strategy: Research findings and issues. Creative Education, 3(3), 348-356.