Using Graphic Organizers for Writing Essays, Summaries and Research

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Ask any student – essay writing is one of the most despised tasks of their educational career. Perhaps there is so much displeasure associated with the task because it’s perceived as too linear – there isn’t enough visual and creative appeal. But if you use graphic organizer for writing essays then you can make writing enjoyable – or at least less terrible.

Not only enjoyable but graphic organizers (or diagrams) can make the writing process a snap. They’ll help you think outside the box, draw conclusions you wouldn’t normally observe, and make the entire process faster and more efficient.

Why Use Graphic Organizers for Writing

The phrase “graphic organizer” is just a fancy way of saying “diagram” or “visual aid.” Basically, they are a visual representation of the information you’ve acquired in the research process. There are quite a few reasons why you should use them when writing essays or summaries.

  • Helps you visualize your research and how elements connect with each other
  • Enhance your essays, summaries and research papers with visual elements
  • Track correlations between your thoughts, observations, facts or general ideas

When it comes to essay writing, the most common graphic organizers are webs, mind maps, and concept maps .

Using Webs for Brainstorming

Webbing is a great way to see how various topics are interrelated. This graphic organizer is particularly useful during the brainstorming step of the writing process.

A web can sometimes get a bit messy. Usually, there are lots of arrows to connect overlapping ideas. However, even with lines crisscrossing every which way, it is still a great way to visualize your thoughts. If you’re using an online diagramming software like Creately you can overcome some of this because we automatically arrange the object for you.

Once you’ve created a map to document all your ideas and establish connections, you can easily transition to other forms of diagramming to better organize the information.

For example if you’re writing a research paper about the food web of the Australian bushes you can start creating a food web diagram similar to the one below. This way you can easily visualize the web while writing the paper. This is a simple example but graphic organizers become even more important when the subject gets complex.

Food Web - Graphic Organizers for Writing

Although simple this example shows the importance of using graphic organizers for writing summaries. A comprehensive diagram pretty much does the summation for you.

Using Mind Maps as Graphic Organizers

Mind maps are a great way to depict a hierarchy. What is hierarchical organization ? The concept is simple: a singular topic dominates with each subsequent idea decreasing in importance.

Usually, the mind map starts with the thesis (or main idea) at the center.  From there, you can branch out with your supporting evidence.

Use this process to replace your traditional note taking technique – note cards, outlines, whatever. You’ll quickly realize a mind map is a great way to formulate the structure of your essay. The thing to note here is that the nature of the mind maps force you think about sub topics and how to organize your ideas. And once the ideas are organized writing the essay become very easy.

A mind map is a useful graphic organizer for writing - Graphic Organizers for Writing

Above is a mind map of a research proposal. Click on it to see the full image or you can see the fully editable template via this link . As you can see in this mind map the difference areas of the research proposal is highlighted. Similarly when your writing the research paper you can use a mind map to break it down to sub topics. We have more mind map templates for you to get started.

Concept Maps

A concept map will help you visualize the connection between ideas. You can easily see cause and effect – how one concept leads to another. Often times, concept mapping includes the use of short words or phrases to depict the budding relationship between these concepts.

If you look closely you can see that its very similar to a mind map. But a concept maps gives more of a free reign compares to the rigid topic structure of a mind map. I’d say it’s the perfect graphic organizer for writing research papers where you have the license to explore.

By creating a concept map , you can also see how a broad subject can be narrowed down into specific ideas.  This is a great way to counter writers block.  Often, we look at the big picture and fail to see the specifics that lead to it.  Identifying contributing factors and supporting evidence is difficult. But with a concept map, you can easily see how the smaller parts add up to the whole.

Concept map as a graphic organizer - Graphic Organizers for Writing

Why Bother With Graphic Organizers?

If you already detest the writing process, adding another step might seem insane. However, there really are several advantages of using them.  If you haven’t already accepted the benefits of each individual diagram style, here are some more perks of graphic organizers in general:

  • Quality essays are based on detail. No one is going to accept your opinions and reasoning just because you say so. You’ll need proof. And organizing that proof will require attention to detail. Graphic organizers can help you see that detail and how it contributes to the overall concept.
  • Graphic organizers are flexible. You don’t need one of those giant pink erasers. You don’t need to restructure your outline. All you have to do is draw a few arrows and bam – the relationship has totally changed.
  • No matter what you are writing about, a graphic organizer can help. They can be used to structure an essay on the Great Wall, theoretical physics, or Spanish speaking countries.
  • If you write an outline, can you easily see how point A influences point X? Probably not. But if little thought bubble A is sitting out there all by itself, you can visualize the way it ties into point R, T and X.
  • Some of us find it difficult to put our opinions, thoughts, and ideas into writing. However, communicating our feelings with little doodles and sketches is far less threatening.
  • As a writer, our brain often feels like a 2-year-old’s toy box – a big jumbled mess. Taking that mess and putting it onto paper with some semblance of organization is challenging. Rather than trying to take your thoughts from total chaos to a perfectly structured list, just try to get them out of your brain and onto paper in the form of a diagram.
  • A graphic organizer helps you establish validity and relevance. You can easily nix the ideas that don’t support or enhance your thesis.

The next time you are faced with a writing project, take a few minutes to explore the efficiency of graphic organizers. You can find a wealth of templates here.

Have you ever used a graphic organizer to structure an essay? How did it go? Do you have a diagram suggestion for the writing process that wasn’t mentioned here? Let us know!

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  • How to write an expository essay

How to Write an Expository Essay | Structure, Tips & Examples

Published on July 14, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

“Expository” means “intended to explain or describe something.” An expository essay provides a clear, focused explanation of a particular topic, process, or set of ideas. It doesn’t set out to prove a point, just to give a balanced view of its subject matter.

Expository essays are usually short assignments intended to test your composition skills or your understanding of a subject. They tend to involve less research and original arguments than argumentative essays .

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Table of contents

When should you write an expository essay, how to approach an expository essay, introducing your essay, writing the body paragraphs, concluding your essay, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about expository essays.

In school and university, you might have to write expository essays as in-class exercises, exam questions, or coursework assignments.

Sometimes it won’t be directly stated that the assignment is an expository essay, but there are certain keywords that imply expository writing is required. Consider the prompts below.

The word “explain” here is the clue: An essay responding to this prompt should provide an explanation of this historical process—not necessarily an original argument about it.

Sometimes you’ll be asked to define a particular term or concept. This means more than just copying down the dictionary definition; you’ll be expected to explore different ideas surrounding the term, as this prompt emphasizes.

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An expository essay should take an objective approach: It isn’t about your personal opinions or experiences. Instead, your goal is to provide an informative and balanced explanation of your topic. Avoid using the first or second person (“I” or “you”).

The structure of your expository essay will vary according to the scope of your assignment and the demands of your topic. It’s worthwhile to plan out your structure before you start, using an essay outline .

A common structure for a short expository essay consists of five paragraphs: An introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Like all essays, an expository essay begins with an introduction . This serves to hook the reader’s interest, briefly introduce your topic, and provide a thesis statement summarizing what you’re going to say about it.

Hover over different parts of the example below to see how a typical introduction works.

In many ways, the invention of the printing press marked the end of the Middle Ages. The medieval period in Europe is often remembered as a time of intellectual and political stagnation. Prior to the Renaissance, the average person had very limited access to books and was unlikely to be literate. The invention of the printing press in the 15th century allowed for much less restricted circulation of information in Europe, paving the way for the Reformation.

The body of your essay is where you cover your topic in depth. It often consists of three paragraphs, but may be more for a longer essay. This is where you present the details of the process, idea or topic you’re explaining.

It’s important to make sure each paragraph covers its own clearly defined topic, introduced with a topic sentence . Different topics (all related to the overall subject matter of the essay) should be presented in a logical order, with clear transitions between paragraphs.

Hover over different parts of the example paragraph below to see how a body paragraph is constructed.

The invention of the printing press in 1440 changed this situation dramatically. Johannes Gutenberg, who had worked as a goldsmith, used his knowledge of metals in the design of the press. He made his type from an alloy of lead, tin, and antimony, whose durability allowed for the reliable production of high-quality books. This new technology allowed texts to be reproduced and disseminated on a much larger scale than was previously possible. The Gutenberg Bible appeared in the 1450s, and a large number of printing presses sprang up across the continent in the following decades. Gutenberg’s invention rapidly transformed cultural production in Europe; among other things, it would lead to the Protestant Reformation.

The conclusion of an expository essay serves to summarize the topic under discussion. It should not present any new information or evidence, but should instead focus on reinforcing the points made so far. Essentially, your conclusion is there to round off the essay in an engaging way.

Hover over different parts of the example below to see how a conclusion works.

The invention of the printing press was important not only in terms of its immediate cultural and economic effects, but also in terms of its major impact on politics and religion across Europe. In the century following the invention of the printing press, the relatively stationary intellectual atmosphere of the Middle Ages gave way to the social upheavals of the Reformation and the Renaissance. A single technological innovation had contributed to the total reshaping of the continent.

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An expository essay is a broad form that varies in length according to the scope of the assignment.

Expository essays are often assigned as a writing exercise or as part of an exam, in which case a five-paragraph essay of around 800 words may be appropriate.

You’ll usually be given guidelines regarding length; if you’re not sure, ask.

An expository essay is a common assignment in high-school and university composition classes. It might be assigned as coursework, in class, or as part of an exam.

Sometimes you might not be told explicitly to write an expository essay. Look out for prompts containing keywords like “explain” and “define.” An expository essay is usually the right response to these prompts.

An argumentative essay tends to be a longer essay involving independent research, and aims to make an original argument about a topic. Its thesis statement makes a contentious claim that must be supported in an objective, evidence-based way.

An expository essay also aims to be objective, but it doesn’t have to make an original argument. Rather, it aims to explain something (e.g., a process or idea) in a clear, concise way. Expository essays are often shorter assignments and rely less on research.

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graphic organizers for writing

How to Use Graphic Organizers to Write Better Essays

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If you’re a student, there’s no way around the inevitable: You’re going to have to write essays. Lots of essays. In fact, the five-paragraph essay is so fundamental to the high school curriculum that it’s still used on the ACTs, and knowing how to recognize the organizational structure of essays will help you score higher on the SATs.

Even though it seems like a chore, knowing how to organize and write an essay can have a lasting effect on your life, from getting into a better college to scoring a better job to performing better in that job long after your high school days are over.

Here’s a secret: Using graphic organizers for writing essays can help you write better essays faster. (And don’t count yourself out if you’re an educator—you can offer these tools to help your students succeed.) We’ll show you exactly how to do it.

Why use graphic organizers

When ACT graders or teachers are looking your essay, they’re looking for very specific criteria; essentially, they’re looking at how well you’ve organized your thoughts. Many students don’t take the time to outline their essay structure before writing, and that always means a lower score on a test and a lower grade on the essay in class.

Using a writing template can feel like an unnecessary step in an already complicated process. If you need extra motivation to implement these organizers into your writing routine, consider all of their benefits. Graphic organizers can help you:

  • Save time by showing you where each piece of the essay “lives.”
  • Have more productive brainstorming sessions, either by yourself or with a group.
  • Make connections between ideas and create a more cohesive argument.
  • Pinpoint holes in your arguments and either adjust the thesis or find supporting statements.
  • Keep track of your research.
  • Organize your thoughts and come to interesting, more compelling conclusions.
  • Stay in the right direction when you feel lost in a sea of words.
  • Manage anxiety by converting the fear of a blank assignment into an action plan with a clear map.

With all those benefits, it’s hard to ignore how useful and vital graphic organizers are to writing. And once you’ve become adept at organizing your thoughts for something like a school essay, you’ll find that skill carries with you throughout your life, whether you’re trying to become a more intelligent debater to negotiate prices. It goes beyond just the essay to becoming a better thinker. And it starts with a simple template.

We’ll walk you through several use cases for graphic organizers and provide templates for you to download and fill in when you’re ready to write.

Brainstorming graphic organizers

Brainstorming is important, not only to come up with ideas for topics but to determine what information you need to include in the essay once you’ve determined your topic. Though many think of brainstorming as just freeflow thinking, brainstorming is most productive when you work within specific parameters.

That’s why essay brainstorming graphic organizers are useful, whether you’re using one to brainstorm on your own or you’re working with a group.

In Lucidchart, our mind map shapes and templates double as brainstorming graphic organizers. Start with an essay prompt as your central shape and then fill in the shapes that branch off your prompt with topic ideas. Alternatively, you can add your selected topic to the center and start brainstorming the different ideas you need to cover in your paper.

When the template is filled in, you’ll have a clear starting point for your essay or research paper.

Research paper graphic organizers

Nothing paralyzes students with fear quite like a research paper. These long-form papers require—as the name implies—quite a bit of research, and their purpose is to teach students how to look for valid sources to support their arguments.

But keeping track of all those sources and tying them into your argument can be tricky. That’s where a research paper graphic organizer can be a student’s greatest ally.

research paper graphic organizer

This template lays out the writing process itself. After you come up with a general topic, like “the disappearance of honey bees,” fill in the “Research Paper Topic” box.

Then, start looking for reputable sources (Wikipedia doesn’t count) and use the five sources boxes to hold the most relevant quotes and statistics you find. Using those quotes and statistics, you can then fill out a thesis statement that is supported by the research.

Then, you’ll be able to focus your paragraphs on a single topic each that supports the thesis statement and your overarching argument. After you’ve filled out the template, the backbone of the research paper is complete: All that’s left to do is fill in the spaces between sources and arguments.

5-paragraph essay graphic organizer

When it comes to writing the five-paragraph essay, writing diagrams are key. By using graphic organizers for writing, you’re no longer staring at a giant blank piece of paper with no idea how or where to begin. Your graphic organizer is your map.

Although using writing diagrams may seem time-consuming, the fact is that taking the time to fill a graphic organizer in before writing actually saves time. If there’s a problem with the argument, it will show up on the diagram, or if there’s not enough evidence to support your argument, you’ll know before you’ve wasted time writing the paper. And, as we said before, even if your writing is terrible, if your argument is sound, you’ll still score a decent grade.

Try this 5-paragraph essay template to get you started.

essay planning and writing

Don’t feel pressured to come up with a compelling title right away. Instead, it’s more important that you come up with a thesis statement that can be supported by three solid arguments. Fill in that thesis statement and your arguments. Then, for each argument, figure out three supporting details to support your case.

That’s it! You’ve got the most essential parts of your 5-paragraph essay completed.

Now, come up with an introduction that sets the stage for your argument and a conclusion that wraps up and restates your thesis and supporting arguments in a compelling way. Now you have a solid plan for your paper and can approach it with confidence.

If you’d like a more linear graphic that exactly follows the structure of the 5-paragraph, use the writing template below and follow the same process.

essay sequence plan

Visuals, such as graphic organizers for writing, can help you better understand concepts, think creatively, and collaborate with your classmates—and there are plenty of other templates where these came from.

Lucidchart offers hundreds of templates to help you through your studies, including timelines, Venn diagrams, word maps, and more. Sign up for Lucidchart and upgrade to an Educational account for free.

Resources for teachers

Providing graphic resources to students is essential; after all, many of your students will be visual learners, so while you may beautifully explain how the process works, there will be some who won’t understand until they see a template of the essay itself.

Lucidchart has many resources for teachers, from lesson plans to writing templates. While you’re teaching your students how to write essays or research papers, it’s useful to print out the templates and fill them out together (even using a completed template as a separate assignment with a separate grade) so that your students can get a feel for properly filling out graphic organizers before attempting it on their own.

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Exploring Cause and Effect Using Expository Texts About Natural Disasters

Exploring Cause and Effect Using Expository Texts About Natural Disasters

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Expository texts are a key component of literacy but often do not get introduced to students until the later grades. This lesson helps third- through fifth-grade students explore the nature and structure of expository texts that focus on cause and effect. Students begin by activating prior knowledge about cause and effect; the teacher then models discovering these relationships in a text and recording in a graphic organizer what the relationships that the class finds. Students work in small groups to apply what they learned using related books and then write paragraphs outlining the cause-and-effect relationships they have found.

Featured Resources

  • ReadWriteThink Webbing Tool : This online interactive tool will help students understand the importance of organizing ideas and concepts from informational text.
  • Essay Map : This online interactive tool will help students map out and write clear paragraphs that include information about cause-and-effect relationships from their expository text.

From Theory to Practice

  • Students need more exposure to expository text along with explicit instruction that helps them understand the features and structure of this type of writing.  
  • There is a wide range of informational books written for children; many of these books are appropriate for teaching expository text structure.  
  • Among the text structures these texts can teach are description, sequence, comparison and contrast, problem and solution, and cause and effect.  
  • Teachers should model how to find these text structures before asking students to discover them independently or in small groups.

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

  • 1. Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
  • 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
  • 5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
  • 6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
  • 11. Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.
  • 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Materials and Technology

  • Danger! Volcanoes by Seymour Simon (SeaStar Books; 2002)  
  • Computer with Internet access  
  • LCD projector
  • Blank Graphic Organizer  
  • Natural Disaster Booklist  
  • Cause-and-Effect Graphic Organizer Rubric  
  • Cause-and-Effect Paragraph Rubric  
  • Sample Paragraph  
  • Sample Graphic Organizer for Danger! Volcanoes

Preparation

Student objectives.

Students will

  • Access prior knowledge by identifying what they know about cause-and-effect relationships  
  • Gain knowledge by defining cause and effect, learning key words that indicate cause-and-effect relationships in expository text, and reviewing a text containing these relationships during a whole-class exercise  
  • Apply what they have learned about cause and effect and demonstrate comprehension of it by locating cause-and-effect relationships within expository text, recording these findings on two graphic organizers, and then using the organizers to write a paragraph

Note: If you do not have classroom computers with Internet access, this session will take place in the computer lab. You should display the graphic organizer and list of key words you completed with students during Session 1. You will also need to bring the texts you have assembled for students to read (see Preparation, Step 3).

Student Assessment / Reflections

  • Informally assess students' comprehension of cause and effect by observing the discussion during Session 1. If it seems that students do not fully understand cause and effect, are unable to find it in the text, or do not know what the keywords associated with this text structure are, you may want to work with them on another text before asking them to work in small groups.  
  • Observe students while they work in small groups. Are they able to locate the cause-and-effect relationships in the texts they are reading? Collect the webs students create during Session 2 and use the Cause-and-Effect Graphic Organizer Rubric to assess them.  
  • Assess students' paragraphs using the Cause-and-Effect Paragraph Rubric .
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The Webbing Tool provides a free-form graphic organizer for activities that ask students to pursue hypertextual thinking and writing.

The Essay Map is an interactive graphic organizer that enables students to organize and outline their ideas for an informational, definitional, or descriptive essay.

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Use Outlines, Notetaking, Graphic Organizers, Lists (English I Writing)

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Introduction

A photograph of a building frame constructed of steel beams

Getting ready to write a paper is like building the steel frame for a building. First, you need to choose your materials by generating ideas and questions as you did in the previous lesson. Next, you need to integrate your materials to build a structure. Whether writing an essay or a short story, nonfiction or fiction, you need a plan. Before you get started, however, let's take some time to review what you accomplished in the previous lesson. So far, you (1) determined your purpose and audience and (2) developed a topic by brainstorming ideas.

In this lesson, you will use the prewriting strategies of note-taking, graphic organizers, outlines, and lists to help you evaluate and organize your ideas for either an expository essay  or a short story . There are two main reasons to use prewriting strategies.

First, they make a paper easier to write because prewriting strategies allow you to plan the organization and flow. Being organized allows you to focus on separate, shorter sections one at a time and feel confident that what you are writing will fit into the story or essay as a whole. This means that you will be less likely to wander off topic. You will also be able to evaluate what works and what doesn't and revise accordingly.

Second, your writing will be more reader friendly. As a writer, your ultimate goal should be to produce clear, informative, and interesting writing that engages your target audience.

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Taking Good Notes

view of dry, cracked lake bed dotted by small patches of green, the sun shining through clouds onto a small pool of water in the distance

Let’s begin by finding out what you know and what you don’t know about the expository essay topic “The Great Texas Drought of 2011.” Several strategies can help you to figure out this information. The first strategy you will learn about is note-taking, something you have probably done in your classes. However, the Cornell system of note-taking, which you will learn, is a popular and effective note-taking method that may be new or different from your past experiences. This strategy isn’t the only way to take notes, but in this lesson, it’s the one we will use.

No matter what method you use to take notes, you need evidence from magazine or newspaper articles, reference books, websites, or other reliable sources. You might also choose to include personal anecdotes or conversations and interviews that you conducted with weather experts or people who experienced “The Great Texas Drought of 2011” firsthand.

Cornell Notes

To use the Cornell method of taking notes, you need to set up your notebook. You can use individual sheets of paper, but when possible, use a notebook. It will keep your notes together and in order. To begin setting up your notebook, follow these steps:

  • If your notebook paper doesn’t include a line at the top, draw one as shown in the example below.
  • Draw a dark horizontal line about six lines or two inches from the bottom of the page.
  • Draw a dark vertical line about three inches from the left side of your notebook paper. Start at the top and stop at the bottom horizontal line you drew in the previous step.
  • Write the name of the course, the title of the assignment, and the date on the top line of the page.

Note: We have created space for three main ideas in the example below, but you may have more or fewer for different topics.

It will also be helpful to keep these guidelines in mind:

  • Use the column on the left to write main ideas.
  • Use the column on the right to write notes.
  • Skip a line between ideas and topics so they don’t get mixed up.
  • Try not to use complete sentences; they take up a lot of space.
  • Write a brief summary of the main ideas in the bottom section.
  • Once you’re finished taking notes about the source material, check that what you have written makes sense to you.

Let’s look at an example of how to use Cornell note-taking for writing an expository essay with the topic “The Great Texas Drought of 2011.” Click the link to download the Cornell Notes template . Keep it open to take notes on the three sources you are about to read. Pretend that you found these sources while conducting preliminary research on your topic: a news video, a photographic slide show, and a newspaper article.

Watch this video segment about the drought from the previous lesson called “Generate Ideas and Questions.” For this first source, we listed the main ideas for you, but feel free to use the Cornell Notes handout to take notes about supporting details or other ideas that interest you in this video.

black and white photo of mountain-high clouds of dust just before rolling over several farm buildings; telephone and electrical wires stretch in different directions from leaning poles in the foreground; handwriting on photo reads ‘Dust storm approaching Spearman, Texas April 14, 1935’

The main ideas from the video segment are as follows:

  • 2011 drought may become long-term
  • History-making drought that people will remember for a long time
  • Every major Texas heat record was broken (including hottest summer ever, hottest month ever, hottest August temperature, most 90- and 100-degree days).
  • Cause of heat: Dry soil leads to higher temperatures
  • Cause of drought: Two years of La Niña
  • In 150 years of record-keeping, Austin has never had a drier year.
  • Texas Agriculture: worst losses in history, totaling five billion
  • Climatologist: drought could last until 2020, similar to 1950s drought.
  • Other scientists suggest that we can’t accurately predict a long-term drought and can expect rainy periods within a long drought.

Take a look at the photographic montage about the drought. When you’re finished, use the Cornell Notes handout to write down the main ideas, supporting details, and anything else you found interesting.

Source: Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Photostream, Flickr.

Finally, read this newspaper article about the drought. When you’re finished, use the Cornell Notes handout to write down the main ideas, supporting details, and anything else you found interesting.

AUSTIN, Tex. SOMETHING odd happened here last week. It rained. But the relief, an answer to desperate prayers, is likely to be short-lived. The drought that has gripped much of Texas since the fall of 2010 shows few signs of abating soon. The latest forecasts say that parched West and South Texas will remain dry, and that the state is likely to see above-average temperatures this spring, increasing evaporation from already strained reservoirs. The conditions could lead to severe water restrictions in some parts of the state. The implications have finally sunk in among lawmakers and business leaders here, who like to boast about the economic appeal of Texas’s low taxes and relaxed regulatory environment: no water equals no business. In a state fabled for its everything-is-bigger mentality, the idea of conserving resources is beginning to take hold. They are even turning sewage into drinking water. —New York Times

Now that you have read and created notes for all three sources using the Cornell Notes handout, examine the image below to see how another student used Cornell Notes to collect information from the three sources.

Handwritter notes written in Cornell Notes style on a piece of notebook paper

When you find sources you plan to use in your essay, don’t forget to write down the authors, titles, locations, website addresses, journal names, dates published and any other important bibliographic information.This documentation will be important for locating the sources later and for listing them in the bibliography or references section of your essay.

For example, we wrote the information about the three sources above on the back of our notes so that this documentation wasn’t lost. To see the kinds of information we collected, review the sources below:

Handwriten resources: “2011 Texas Drought.” Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Photostream. Texas Parks and Wildlife, Flickr, 8 Dec. 2011. Web. 5 Jan. 2012.; “Drought of 2011 was one for the books.” KXAN. YouTube, 17 Oct. 2011. Web. 13 Jan. 2012.; Galbraith, Kate. “Getting Serious About a Texas-Size Drought.” The New York Times, April 6, 2013.

Images used in this section: Source: Cracked Lake, crowt59, Flickr Dust Bowl 1935, MyEyeSees, Flickr Source: Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Photostream, Flickr Source: Handwritten notes, IPSI Source: Resources list, IPSI

Using Graphic Organizers

In addition to Cornell Notes, graphic organizers are another effective method for arranging your ideas. Graphic organizers are also called visual maps, mind maps, and visual organizers. The information that you include in them can be identical to the information you gather when taking notes, except that the information is organized visually.

Notice the way the vegetables are arranged in the photograph below. Each type of vegetable is grouped—carrots one place, lettuces another, and so on. This picture is a visual organizer in a sense because it visually arranges the vegetables. In this section, you will learn how to visually arrange information for the topic “The Great Texas Drought of 2011.”

A photograph of a section of the vegetable aisle in a grocery store. There are radishes lettuces, parsley, carrots, and a variety of other vegetables

One way to organize ideas for an essay is to use grouping—also known as mind mapping and concept webbing . These terms refer to ways of relating ideas to each other. Study the example below.

A graphic organizer of the Great Texas Drought of 2011 composed of six ovals containing various details about the drought

Do you see how the categories are organized? The subject, “The Great Texas Drought of 2011,” appears in the largest oval. We know this text is the subject or topic because every other oval connects to it either directly or indirectly. The main ideas appear in the blue ovals: “One of the worst in Texas history” and “May be the start of a longer drought.” These ovals connect directly to the subject. The supporting details appear in the red ovals: “5 billion agricultural dollars,” “All major heat records broken,” and “Could last until 2020.” These details connect to the two main ideas.

exposed tree stumps and blowing sand on a dry lake bed

Study the relationships in the graphic organizer below. Decide whether each idea should be the subject, a main idea, or a supporting detail. When you have an answer in mind, drag and drop the idea into the correct oval.

After organizing our notes in a graphic organizer, let’s create a working outline. Did you notice that the structure of the two graphic organizers in this section created a visual outline? For example, the information from the first graphic organizer could be used to create a working, text-only outline that looks like this:

The Great Texas Drought of 2011 One of the worst in Texas history All major heat records broken Five billion agricultural dollars lost in Texas May be the start of a longer drought Could last until 2020

You could have created the same outline using the topic, main ideas, and supporting details from your Cornell Notes page. It doesn’t matter whether you use notes or a graphic organizer to create an outline as long as the working outline helps you write the first draft of your paper. While you are writing the first draft, you may want to revise, change how ideas are arranged, or add new information. You can change your working outline in each and every instance. Who knows? Even your thesis may change!

That’s why this outline is called a “working” outline and not a “formal” or “final” outline; it can be revised over and over again. In fact, it’s important not to commit to a detailed plan that will discourage changes during the drafting process. You can develop a formal outline to serve as a checklist for logic, coherence, and unity in your paper after you finish writing the first draft.

Images used in this section: Source: Veggies, Calliope, Wikimedia Source: Blowing Sand on Lakeshore, TexasEagle, Flickr

Making Lists

a person’s palm outstretched, the words ‘Our Crops’ written in green with the index finger colored in green; the other fingers remain uncolored; dry, tall plants provide the backdrop for the hand

In this lesson, you have learned how to use note-taking, graphic organizers, and working outlines to plan an expository essay about “The Great Texas Drought of 2011.” Suppose your teacher asks you to write a short story about your experiences during the drought. In the second and third sections of this lesson, you collected factual information about the drought, but let’s think about what you will need to write a short story. For starters, your story can be set in the past, the present, or the future. Since it’s fictional, you can include colorful characters and dialogue. You can also paint your own picture of the drought by using personal details in the writing. One way to develop ideas for your story is to make lists.

People organize their daily lives using to-do lists, grocery lists, and schedules. For this lesson, we will focus on listing as a prewriting strategy. Listing is an important part of the writing process because it can help you generate and organize ideas. One list-making method that some writers find helpful is to answer the Who , What , Where , When , Why , and How of your short story. Answering these questions can guide your thinking and note-taking.

Graphic Organizer Icon

Because you are writing a short story, remember to follow the guidelines used in the short story writing process. These guidelines were covered in the previous lesson, “Generate Ideas and Questions,” but let’s review them. Typically, a short story includes these elements: a beginning , middle , and an ending . If this sounds simple—almost too simple—you are right; there is more to it. Other lessons in the Writing Strand cover literary devices that authors use to vary this structure. For this lesson, however, you will use these basic parts of a short story:

  • The beginning, or introduction, is where the characters and the setting are presented; the explanation of the plot or exposition occurs in the beginning.
  • The middle includes actions or events in which the conflict of the story is exposed; rising action and the climax —or the turning point of the story—both occur in the middle. The falling action —where the conflict begins to be resolved—also occurs in the middle.
  • The ending can also be referred to as the denouement ; the conflict is resolved and the action comes to a close in the ending.

This diagram illustrates the three parts of a short story.

 A graph showing the process of short story development starting with the Beginning and ending with the Resolution

You should be ready to write your story! In the future, when your teacher assigns an essay or short story, you will have strategies to organize your ideas. Using your notes, make a list of the strategies mentioned in this lesson. When you are finished, check your understanding. Check Your Understanding Sample response: Cornell notes, outlines, graphic organizers, and lists -->

Images used in this section: Source: Drought & MD Farming - Hurlock, MD, Step It Up 2000, Flickr

“ Drought of 2011 was one for the books .” KXAN. YouTube, 3:22. Posted October 17, 2011. //www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsIan4b5f_c.

Galbraith, Kate. “ Getting Serious About a Texas-Size Drought .” The New York Times , April 6, 2013. //www.nytimes.com/2013/04/07/sunday-review/getting-serious-about-a-texas-size-drought.html?_r=0

Texas Parks and Wildlife. Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Photostream, Flickr. Accessed January 5, 2012. //www.flickr.com/photos/texasparkswildlife/sets/ .

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Related Items

Free Editable Essay Graphic Organizer Examples

Essays are complex and large write-ups that are not easy to intercept. That’s why it is better to use an essay graphic organizer to visualize your complex structured outline in a simple manner. In fact, there is nothing better than some free graphic organizer examples that save both your time and effort. So, let’s have an overview of this essay organizers and free example templates.

1. What is Essay Graphic Organizer

An essay graphic organizer enhances your research with visual elements. It helps the writer to correlate facts, observations, and notions. On top of that, it outlines the essay and provides an organized strategy for the writer.

A graphic organizer for writing helps the writers to tackle hard and long essay formats. A writer can use its visual aid to complete the write-up step by step. A graphic organizer for essays has different types based on primary functions.

  • An Outline Based Essay Organizer

These types of essay organizers have at least 3 thesis. The whole story revolves around these. Moreover, the organizer includes specific supporting details and subtopic names that make the way crystal clear for writers. However, these organizers do not need much essay explanation. Most indications are worldly phrases that direct the attention toward thoughts and observations.

  • A Contrasting Essay Organizer :

As the name indicates, it helps the writer to organize varying thoughts about topics and compare them. Moreover, it helps the writer to collect, conceive and portray the information ahead of time. The writer can use it for two collective primary topics or a single point from both topics. In both cases, the essay organizer will help them take visual notes and use them to their advantage while writing.

  • Organizer For A Persuasive Essay :

The persuasive essay organizer helps the writer to persuade an audience toward a single topic. It includes three or more supporting details for the topic. Furthermore, the organizer includes written evidence for those details that help prove the point.

2. The Essay Graphic Organizer Examples

Using an essay graphic organizer for writing brings credibility and flexibility to your essays with extensive research. Essay writing is a tough job, especially if it has more than one subtopic.

Essays require tons of details. All that quality is up to no good if it is not organized and well structured. An essay organizer for writing helps you understand how the minor details contribute to overall concepts. With thorough research and long formats, essay writing may become dull. However, an organizer helps you to perfectly structure your thoughts with appealing visuals that make them engaging and far less challenging.

Basic 5-Paragraph Essay Graphic Organzier

Basic 5-Paragraph Essay Graphic Organzier

5-Paragraph Essay

5-Paragraph Essay

Expository Essay Graphic Organizer

Expository Essay Graphic Organizer

Persuasive Essay Graphic Organizer

Persuasive Essay Graphic Organizer

Essay Graphic Organzier

Essay Graphic Organzier

Narrative Essay Graphic Organizer

Narrative Essay Graphic Organizer

Example 1: 5 Paragraph Essay Graphic Organzier

The most common type of essay writing format is a 5-paragraph essay. Essay graphic organizer for writing helps organize all those 5 paragraphs and insert valuable information inside them. It includes the first paragraph section in which the writer inserts the topic sentence and at least three thesis statements. The upcoming three paragraphs briefly summarize those statements and provide at least three pieces of evidence for each thesis. Finally, the last paragraph repeats the main statement and includes an overall concluding statement. Moreover, every thesis detail includes a conclusion statement that conceives the entire concept.

5 Paragraph Essay Graphic Organzier

Example 2: Printable 5 Paragraph Essay Graphic Organizer

It is also the type of essay organizer writers use to organize the outline of a 5-paragraph essay format. Its first paragraph is of introduction which includes with a thesis statement instead of a topic sentence. The statement inside the paragraph includes three supporting examples with itself. Moreover, the second paragraph has a topic sentence that the previous thesis supports. Plus, it has individual evidence details that prove the topic sentence true. The third paragraph includes a thesis statement that correlates with the previous and upcoming topic sentence. Finally, the last paragraph has the essay's main idea and a concluding statement that proves the point.

Printable 5 Paragraph Essay Graphic Organizer

Example 3: Argumentative Essay Graphic Organizer

This template solemnly deals with the expository template of the essay. It focuses on the essay's three most basic parts: the introduction, body, and conclusion. Moreover, the writer evaluates the selected topic in it with examples and evidence and closes the argument clearly and concisely. The exemplary diagram includes 2 separate boxes in the introduction sections. One of them is for the hook that engages the audience, whereas the other depicts the essay's main idea. Inside the body section, the writer briefly lists three examples, each with individual supporting details. Finally, the conclusion includes two sections; one for reviewing and rewriting the central concept and the other to input the closing details of the essay.

Argumentative Essay Graphic Organizer

Example 4: Persuasive Essay Graphic Organizer

This example diagram of the essay graphic organizer for writing helps to persuade a general or specific audience toward your point of view. The primary purpose is to enlist your opinion and evaluate it with the help of numerous supporting details. As for the organizer, it is for a 5 paragraph format. The first one has an engaging beginning, a summary of the issue, and your opinion. Furthermore, the next 3 provide different reasons that support your opinion. Moreover, the section also includes evidence in the form of examples and textual details that support every reason individually. The last paragraph is a conclusive one that restates the opinion, summarizes all three reasons again, and gives a CTA (call to action) at the end. However, you can ditch the CTA and add a simple closing statement that supports your opinion.

Persuasive Essay Graphic Organizer

Example 5: Informational Essay Graphic Organizer

This type of organizer is for essays having more than one main idea. The organizer's interface has several colors that make it engaging and appealing. Due to the color, it is referred to as a Rainbow essay organizer. A big individual box includes the whole organized outline of the essay. The writer has to briefly write all three ideas in it and support their point of view. Moreover, the organizer includes an introduction and conclusion description. At last, there is a final draft section that concludes the whole essay and supports either all three or one suitable main idea.

Informational Essay Graphic Organizer

Example 6: Narrative Essay Graphic Organizer

The expository essay is a genre that requires the student to investigate an idea, evaluate evidence, expound on the idea, and set forth an argument concerning that idea clearly and concisely. The below expository essay web diagram is created using EdrawMax Online and shows blank spaces for Thesis Statement, Example 1, Example 2, Example 3, Details about all the examples, and argumentative points. Expository writing gives facts and information about a topic, and as the web diagram suggests, a good expository essay introduces the main idea and develops it with facts and supporting details.

Narrative Essay Graphic Organizer

3. How to Make an Essay Graphic Organizer

Graphic organizers are the modern way of learning. With passing time, people are using them in every type of write-up. Therefore, it is better to understand its production process so that you can make one specifically for your essay. The online production software uses four simple steps to generate a graphic organizer for essays.

Step 1 - Head on to EdrawMax Online or download EdrawMax . Make an account and log in to it.

Step 2 - Once inside, you can start creating the graphic organizer on a blank edit sheet or readymade essay organizers, such as mindmaps and spider maps. However, this process is time-consuming. If you want an easy solution, head to the main menu on the left, look for Templates Community , and click on it.

Step 3 - Clicking on the Template Community option will take you to a social network of designers and a general audience like you that post templates daily for public use. You can search for your very own template and duplicate it onto your sheet using the button Duplicate.

Step 4 - Finally, start customizing it as you like. You can change the font, color, and components. Moreover, you can add new ones if you like. Once you are done and satisfied, export and share your template with others using the Button Publish present on the top right corner.

4. Online Graphic Organizer Maker

Traditional ways are gone when you had to work extensively for a simple diagram in lining software. Online graphic organizers like EdrawMax made graphic organizer designing much easier and less time-consuming. All thanks to its easy-to-use interface and basic yet helpful tool kits, designing a diagram is possible for every individual with basic knowledge.

Moreover, EdrawMax saves a lot of effort and time with the help of readymade templates. This online graphic organizer maker is suitable for any type of consumer to generate any variation of the graphic organizer. Its biggest pro is the Templates Community , with thousands of readymade templates for users. In this social biome, you can not only pick the one that suits you well but share your ideas with the community as well.

5. Key Takeaways

The visual aid of essay graphic organizers helps the writers to organize their researched facts and general thoughts according to references. Moreover, it gives a direction to the audience and the writer for the essay. As for its usage, the writers are helping themselves with it in their professional careers. Moreover, it proves exponentially efficient in the academic field for students. When it comes to essay writing, it helps in both of these by establishing a relevant and valid connection. Plus, communicating our thoughts with visual sketches and doodles is less boring and more engaging.

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Effective essay writing graphic organizers to enhance your academic writing skills.

Essay writing graphic organizers

Are you looking for ways to enhance your essay writing skills? Do you struggle to organize your thoughts and ideas effectively? Utilizing graphic organizers can be the key to improving your writing process and producing more cohesive and structured essays.

Graphic organizers are visual tools that help writers brainstorm, plan, and organize their writing. They provide a visual representation of the relationships between ideas, making it easier to see the big picture and the flow of your essay. By using graphic organizers, you can break down complex topics into manageable chunks and create a roadmap for your writing.

Whether you’re a student working on academic essays or a professional writer crafting articles, utilizing graphic organizers can make a significant difference in the clarity and coherence of your writing. In this article, we will explore the benefits of using graphic organizers, discuss different types of organizers, and provide tips on how to effectively incorporate them into your writing process.

Master the Basics

Before delving into the complexities of essay writing, it is crucial to master the basics. Understanding the fundamental elements of an essay, such as the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion, is essential for crafting a coherent and compelling piece of writing.

  • Start with a strong introduction that grabs the reader’s attention and clearly states your main argument.
  • Develop your ideas in the body paragraphs with supporting evidence and analysis.
  • Conclude your essay by summarizing your key points and reinforcing your main thesis.

By mastering these basic components of essay writing, you can better structure your ideas and effectively communicate your thoughts to your audience.

Understanding the Essay Structure

When it comes to writing an effective essay, understanding the structure is crucial. An essay typically consists of three main parts: an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Introduction: This is where you grab the reader’s attention and provide a brief overview of what your essay will be about. The introduction should also include a thesis statement, which is the main point or argument of your essay.

Body paragraphs: The body of your essay is where you develop your argument and provide supporting evidence. Each paragraph should focus on a single point and include detailed explanations and examples to support your thesis.

Conclusion: The conclusion is where you wrap up your essay by summarizing your main points and restating your thesis. It’s also a good place to leave the reader with a thought-provoking idea or call to action.

By understanding and utilizing this basic essay structure, you can ensure that your writing is clear, organized, and effective.

Choose the Right Organizer

When it comes to effective essay writing, choosing the right graphic organizer can make a significant difference in organizing your thoughts and boosting your writing skills. There are various types of organizers to choose from, such as the outline, Venn diagram, flowchart, concept map, and more. It’s essential to select an organizer that best fits the structure of your essay and helps you clearly outline your ideas.

Outlining: If you prefer a straightforward approach, an outline organizer can help you create a clear and organized structure for your essay. Use headings and subheadings to categorize your main points and supporting details.

Venn Diagram: A Venn diagram can be useful when comparing and contrasting ideas or topics. It allows you to visually represent the similarities and differences between two or more concepts.

Flowchart: For essays with a sequential flow of ideas, a flowchart organizer is ideal. Create a visual representation of the sequence of events or steps in your essay to ensure a logical progression of ideas.

Concept Map: If you want to explore the relationships between different concepts in your essay, a concept map can help you visualize the connections between ideas and brainstorm new insights.

Choosing the right organizer is crucial to effectively structure your essay and enhance your writing skills. Experiment with different types of organizers to find the one that best suits your writing style and helps you convey your ideas clearly and cohesively.

Selecting the Best Graphic Tool

When choosing a graphic organizer tool for your essay writing process, it is essential to consider various factors to ensure its effectiveness. Here are some key points to keep in mind:

  • Type of Essay: Consider the type of essay you are writing and choose a graphic organizer that best fits the structure and organization needed for that particular essay type.
  • Complexity: Evaluate the complexity of your ideas and arguments to determine the level of detail and hierarchy required in the graphic organizer.
  • Visual Appeal: Look for a tool that is visually appealing and easy to comprehend, as this will help you better visualize and organize your thoughts.
  • Flexibility: Opt for a tool that offers flexibility in terms of customization, allowing you to adjust the layout and structure based on your specific needs.
  • Accessibility: Ensure that the graphic organizer tool you choose is accessible and easy to use on your preferred devices and platforms.

By carefully considering these factors, you can select the best graphic tool that will enhance your essay writing process and improve the clarity and coherence of your ideas.

Organize Your Ideas

Organize Your Ideas

Before diving into writing your essay, it’s crucial to organize your ideas to ensure a clear and coherent flow of information. Using graphic organizers can help you visually map out your thoughts and easily see how they connect. Here are some effective ways to organize your ideas:

  • Outline: Create a detailed outline with main points, subpoints, and supporting evidence to structure your essay.
  • Brainstorming: Brainstorm ideas and jot them down on a mind map to see relationships between different concepts.
  • Cluster/Spider Diagrams: Use cluster or spider diagrams to group related ideas together and visualize the structure of your essay.
  • Storyboard: Create a storyboard with key events or arguments to plan out the sequence of your essay.

By organizing your ideas using graphic organizers, you can enhance the clarity and coherence of your essay, making it easier for readers to follow your argument.

Mapping Out Your Thoughts

Mapping Out Your Thoughts

One of the most effective tools for organizing your thoughts and ideas before starting to write an essay is a graphic organizer. By using a graphic organizer, you can visually map out your thoughts, main points, and supporting details. This helps you clarify your ideas and ensure that your essay has a logical structure.

There are various types of graphic organizers you can use, such as mind maps, concept maps, Venn diagrams, and flowcharts. Choose the one that best suits your writing style and the topic of your essay. Once you have selected a graphic organizer, start by jotting down your main idea in the center and then branch out to include your supporting points and details.

Mapping out your thoughts using a graphic organizer will not only help you stay focused and organized but also make the writing process smoother and more efficient. It can serve as a roadmap for your essay, guiding you through each section and ensuring that your ideas flow cohesively.

Develop Strong Arguments

Effective essay writing requires the development of strong arguments to persuade the reader of your perspective. To create compelling arguments, follow these key strategies:

  • Research: Conduct thorough research to gather credible evidence and support for your arguments. Use reliable sources to strengthen your points.
  • Structure: Organize your arguments logically and coherently. Start with a clear thesis statement and build each argument in a structured manner.
  • Counterarguments: Anticipate counterarguments and address them in your essay. This shows that you have considered different viewpoints and strengthens your own position.
  • Evidence: Support your arguments with relevant evidence, such as examples, statistics, and expert opinions. This adds credibility and persuasiveness to your essay.
  • Clarity: Clearly articulate your arguments and provide explanations to ensure that your points are easily understood by the reader.
  • Consistency: Ensure that your arguments are consistent throughout the essay. Avoid contradictions or inconsistencies that may weaken your overall argument.

By developing strong arguments with these key strategies, you can enhance the effectiveness of your essay writing and convey your ideas convincingly to your audience.

Building a Persuasive Case

When writing a persuasive essay, it is crucial to build a compelling case to persuade your audience to agree with your viewpoint. Here are some key steps to help you construct a persuasive case:

  • Clear Thesis Statement: Start by clearly stating your position or argument in a concise thesis statement. This statement should clearly convey what you are trying to persuade your readers to believe or do.
  • Supporting Evidence: Back up your thesis statement with strong evidence, facts, statistics, examples, and expert opinions. Providing solid evidence can make your case more convincing and credible.
  • Logical Organization: Structure your essay in a logical and coherent manner. Develop your arguments in a clear sequence, with each point building upon the previous one to strengthen your case.
  • Address Counterarguments: Anticipate potential counterarguments and address them in your essay. Acknowledging opposing viewpoints and refuting them can make your argument more persuasive.
  • Emotional Appeal: Use emotional appeals, anecdotes, and narratives to connect with your audience on a personal level. Appeal to the emotions of your readers to make them more likely to empathize with your argument.
  • Call to Action: End your essay with a strong call to action that urges your audience to take a specific course of action or consider your perspective. Encouraging your readers to act can motivate them to support your cause.

By following these steps and building a persuasive case in your essay, you can effectively convince your audience to embrace your ideas and opinions.

Enhance Your Writing Flow

One of the key elements in effective essay writing is maintaining a smooth and consistent flow throughout your piece. A well-structured essay should lead the reader from one point to the next seamlessly, with each paragraph naturally transitioning into the next.

To enhance your writing flow, consider using transitional words and phrases such as “furthermore,” “however,” “in addition,” and “conversely” to connect your ideas and guide the reader through your argument. These transitions help establish logical connections between your thoughts and make your writing more coherent.

Additionally, vary your sentence structure and length to create a dynamic rhythm in your writing. Mixing short, punchy sentences with longer, more elaborate ones can keep your reader engaged and prevent your writing from feeling monotonous.

Finally, don’t be afraid to revise and reorganize your essay to ensure a smooth and consistent flow. Take the time to read your work aloud or have someone else review it to identify any awkward or disjointed sections that may disrupt the flow of your writing.

By paying attention to these techniques and practicing them regularly, you can enhance your writing flow and take your essay writing skills to the next level.

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  4. Expository Essay Graphic Organizer by Corinna Crumpton

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COMMENTS

  1. 7 Graphic Organizers for Expository Writing

    Using a graphic organizer will assist students in figuring out how they will present the information in an orderly and concise format. Students should be required to begin by identifying each item being compared. ... The visual aspect of a cause and effect graphic organizer works extremely well for setting up an expository paragraph or essay.

  2. PDF Supplemental Aid: EXPOSITORY ESSAY

    expository essay graphic organizer, slowly remove the wording. Continue this process until the student can routinely, independently, and effectively answer writing prompts using the blank expository essay graphic organizer. At this stage, the student is ready to use the blank graphic organizer as an allowable supplemental aid on the state ...

  3. PDF Expository Paragraph

    Using Total Physical Response (TPR) to Teach the Expository Organizer Structure: Below are the steps and motions to introduce the expository paragraph structure. Every learning style (auditory, visual, tactile and kinesthetic) will be engaged in this method to teach the dif-ferent parts of the organizer for informational writing.

  4. Essay Map

    Grades. Launch the tool! Expository writing is an increasingly important skill for elementary, middle, and high school students to master. This interactive graphic organizer helps students develop an outline that includes an introductory statement, main ideas they want to discuss or describe, supporting details, and a conclusion that summarizes ...

  5. Graphic Organizers For Writing Expository (PDF) legacy.ldi.upenn

    Graphic Organizers For Writing Expository. Writing with Purpose Student 2011 Using oral language and thinking skills as a foundation for successful writing.The Student Book begins with What is Writing, followed by three chapters focusing on forms of expository writing: Descriptive, Sequential and Comparative. Each chapter has five lessons that ...

  6. PDF GRAPHIC ORGANIZER EXPOSITORY WRITING

    GRAPHIC ORGANIZER - EXPOSITORY WRITING Name: _____ Date: _____ NOTE: This is a "skeleton" for your writing. You should expand on these when you write the ... Try to use at least one quote each body paragraph. Your SUPPORT can also be your own words, BUT it must be backup, events, etc. you have paraphrased from the novel. Your essay answer ...

  7. Using Graphic Organizers for Writing Essays, Summaries and Research

    The phrase "graphic organizer" is just a fancy way of saying "diagram" or "visual aid.". Basically, they are a visual representation of the information you've acquired in the research process. There are quite a few reasons why you should use them when writing essays or summaries. Helps you visualize your research and how elements ...

  8. How to Write an Expository Essay

    The structure of your expository essay will vary according to the scope of your assignment and the demands of your topic. It's worthwhile to plan out your structure before you start, using an essay outline. A common structure for a short expository essay consists of five paragraphs: An introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

  9. How to Use Graphic Organizers to Write Better Essays

    In Lucidchart, our mind map shapes and templates double as brainstorming graphic organizers. Start with an essay prompt as your central shape and then fill in the shapes that branch off your prompt with topic ideas. Alternatively, you can add your selected topic to the center and start brainstorming the different ideas you need to cover in your ...

  10. Exploring Cause and Effect Using Expository Texts About Natural

    Overview. Expository texts are a key component of literacy but often do not get introduced to students until the later grades. This lesson helps third- through fifth-grade students explore the nature and structure of expository texts that focus on cause and effect. Students begin by activating prior knowledge about cause and effect; the teacher ...

  11. What are Graphic Organizers for Innovative Expository Writing to Help

    What are graphic organizers for expository writing? There are so many choices of graphic organizers out there that it can be difficult to pick the correct one for the writing task. ... Writing teachers use graphic organizers all the time to help students organize their thoughts in an accessible way, even if the students moan and groan through ...

  12. Five Paragraph Essay Graphic Organizer

    Five Paragraph Essay Graphic Organizer. Take notes in preparation for writing a five paragraph expository essay using this five paragraph essay graphic organizer. PDF. Filed as: BrainPOP ELL, Pre-Writing, Teacher Resources, Writing Assignments, Writing Help.

  13. Reading and Writing Graphic Organizers

    Compare Contrast Graphic Organizer. Use this compare contrast graphic organizer to write an essay comparing two things.... See more ». Filed as: BrainPOP ELL, Teacher Resources. Share. A collection of reading and writing graphic organizers designed for ELLs.

  14. PDF eDynamicLearning Lesson Activity Exploring Expository Writing

    Directions: Create an expository essay using a Word or Google doc. • Select oneofthefollowingwriting prompts to writeanexpository essay. • Use the previously listed YouTube videos to help you understand how to develop your essay. • Use the following graphic organizer to plan out a minimumof a five-paragraph essay.

  15. Use Outlines, Notetaking, Graphic Organizers, Lists (English I Writing

    In this lesson, you will use the prewriting strategies of note-taking, graphic organizers, outlines, and lists to help you evaluate and organize your ideas for either an expository essay or a short story. There are two main reasons to use prewriting strategies. First, they make a paper easier to write because prewriting strategies allow you to ...

  16. Free Editable Essay Graphic Organizer Examples

    Using an essay graphic organizer for writing brings credibility and flexibility to your essays with extensive research. Essay writing is a tough job, especially if it has more than one subtopic. ... Example 6: Narrative Essay Graphic Organizer. The expository essay is a genre that requires the student to investigate an idea, evaluate evidence ...

  17. PDF WRITE AN EXPOSITORY ESSAY

    Hook Intro Sentence (you might fill this in last!) Main Idea/ Thesis (Should directly.

  18. Graphic Organizers

    Using graphic organizers helps students break big tasks into smaller steps, visually organize information and ideas, and practice the language needed for a particular task. They can also be used to support students across all language domains, including speaking, listening, reading, and writing, and they can be used across content areas.

  19. Investigating the use of graphic organizers for writing

    The Effects of the Application of Graphic Organizers on EFL Students' Ability to Write Opinion Essays and Self-Efficacy. This study examines the effectiveness of ready-to-use researcher-developed graphic organizers to boost students' abilities in writing opinion essays. The study was carried out in the COVID-19….

  20. Free 5th grade writing-expository graphic organizers

    Created by. Katrina Lamonica. This cute hamburger graphic organizer helps your students write an expository/classification paragraph with a topic sentence, a 3-part body paragraph as well as a closing sentence. This graphic organizer also includes transition words to help your students link sentences smoothly.

  21. Results for graphic organizer for expository

    Make expository writing easier on you and your students with these printable, editable, and digital graphic organizers! **This resource is part of the Writing Graphic Organizers Bundle. It includes 45 different graphic organizers for teaching narrative, summary, argument/opin. Subjects: English Language Arts, Writing, Writing-Expository.

  22. Effective Essay Writing Graphic Organizers: Boost Your Writing Skills

    By understanding and utilizing this basic essay structure, you can ensure that your writing is clear, organized, and effective. Choose the Right Organizer. When it comes to effective essay writing, choosing the right graphic organizer can make a significant difference in organizing your thoughts and boosting your writing skills.

  23. Free writing-expository graphic organizers

    Use this graphic organizer to help students with the structure of a complete paragraph while writing. Includes a topic sentence, 3 detail sentences and a concluding sentence. 6 different colors included. Subjects: Writing, Writing-Essays, Writing-Expository. Grades: K - 4 th. Types: Worksheets, Graphic Organizers.

  24. Expository Writing Graphic Organizers

    Printable, editable, and digital graphic organizers for narrative, summary, argument/opinion, and expository writing are included! This bundle contains 45 graphic organizers, making writing easier for you teach and your students to learn. Make them yours today!By purchasing this bundle you are sav.