Graphic organizers have been in the world of education for a long time. If you google for example, the keyword ‘graphic organizer’ about 174,000,000 entries pop-up. Wow, what an overload! However, if you are a little more specific and use the keywords ‘science graphic organizer’ the number is reduced to approximately 38,900,000 results. Goodness, still a lot! These graphic organizers however, are often meant to emphasize non-fiction texts. I am, on the other hand, more interested in graphic organizers that help children think about science in more authentic ways. That is, graphic organizers that guide children to think about how data they have collected through investigations lead to scientific claims. I am also interested in a graphic organizer that confronts children’s misconceptions in a gentle and natural way. My go to chart has been for years the KLEWS Chart.
Despite the many options when it comes to organizing data I always find myself coming back to the KLEWS Chart.
The KLEW chart or recently modified to be the KLEWS chart is a powerful tool to make children’s thinking concrete and coherent. {You can read the original article here.} More importantly, it makes explicit to children the importance of deriving scientific claims based on the available evidence. Download for free the developers explanation of what is a KLEWS Chart and how to use it. Enjoy!
So interesting! I was only familiar with the KLW, but for science the KLEW makes so much sense. That’s a great way for children to process their findings in an organized manner, and develop a healthy learning habit. Thanks! We are going to print some charts for our next science experiment.
Leila, thanks for your comment! Let me know how the KLEWS chart works for you.
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