About the Graphic Organizer Generator
Some thinking is easier to do once it has a shape: two overlapping circles for comparing, a web for branching ideas out from a center, three boxes for a beginning-middle-end story. This generator builds six of those shapes — a two- or three-circle Venn diagram, a T-chart, a KWL chart, a concept web, and a story map — each with its own editable labels.
Switching organizer type swaps the whole layout, and only the label fields that type actually uses appear in the panel. A KWL chart, for instance, doesn't ask for circle labels because it doesn't have any.
How to use it in your classroom
- Choose an organizer type from the list.
- Fill in whichever labels appear for that type — topic names for a Venn diagram, or a center topic for a concept web.
- Print the organizer blank for students to fill in by hand.
Tips from the classroom
- A two-circle Venn works for comparing any two things — characters, animals, historical figures — while the three-circle version suits a slightly more complex compare-and-contrast.
- Use the KWL chart at the start of a unit for the Know and Want-to-know columns, then come back to the same sheet at the end to fill in Learned.
- The story map's beginning-middle-end box is the largest section on purpose, since that's usually where the most writing happens.
- A concept web works well as a pre-writing step before an informative or opinion piece — the center topic becomes the thesis, and each spoke becomes a paragraph.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between the T-chart and the two-circle Venn?
A T-chart lists separate, non-overlapping ideas side by side, while a Venn diagram specifically shows what two things share in the overlapping middle section.
Does every organizer type need the same number of labels?
No. A Venn diagram needs two or three topic labels depending on the version, while a KWL chart or story map needs none, since their sections are fixed.
Can I relabel the KWL chart's column headers?
The K, W, and L headers themselves are fixed, since they stand for Know, Want to know, and Learned, but everything below them is left blank for students to fill in.