Creating your own graphic organizers gives you a lot of freedom. You can design organizers that fit your instructional goals, student needs, and context better than most ready-made graphic organizers.
Of course, this takes time, and you may find that you’re not so good at the design-y element. Well, neither am I. Designing resources for TpT has forced me to improve in this respect.
Here are three simple things I’ve learned about designing graphic organizers without spending too much time or money:
When I began making graphic organizers I tried to dress them up with purchased borders. I felt the same way I did about font–cute font/border makes the page exciting! But a lot of times it just makes it busy.
Now I always begin by creating a rectangle, selecting “no fill” and bumping up the line thickness to somewhere between 5-10. I also paste my customary “Copyright Teacher In Exile 2020” to the bottom. Here’s the drill:
This is a really simple tip…I feel silly typing it at all. But the truth is, it took me a long time to catch on to simple borders. Here’s a little before and after:
We spend a lot of time telling students that they don’t have to fill the top of their notebook paper up with a title. But, when it comes to designing graphic organizers, I do just that. The reason is twofold:
- An attention-catching title focuses students on the topic or concept you want them to think about.
- If this is a resources for TpT, an attention-catching title lets potential buyers know if this particular resource contains what they need. These large titles photograph really well and show buyers what you’re offering.
I usually use PT Sans, and bump the size up as far as it can go while still taking up only one line.
Once again, simplicity is the name of the game. Color is appealing (as long as it won’t interfere with printing in black and white), and images can focus student attention. BUT I only include images that are actually helpful. I no longer include images, borders, or backgrounds for solely decorative purposes, because they tend to distract from the content.
I hope you find these tips helpful the designing graphic organizers for your classroom, or your TpT store. Let me know in the comments!
