We needed to create some graphic organizers to go along with our Grade Two Literacy Curriculum, so I thought it best to write a full blog post on the topic. After all, graphic organizers are a perfect tool for young writers! I wanted to be sure you knew about them.
Oh, and I also wanted to be sure you got some awesome free printable graphic organizers, too, which you can find at the bottom of this post.
Write Clearly With Graphic Organizers
We use this tool in our Literacy Curriculum to help young writers organize their thoughts. They are excellent for helping children organize their thoughts before writing a creative piece of their own. They are also excellent for helping children organize their thoughts before writing a summary of something they have read.
However, one additional step is needed before using a graphic organizer with children: Talk it out!
Before we have children, put pencil to paper at all, it is critical that we give them the opportunity to talk through their ideas. Young children are capable of speaking in far more detail and with far greater clarity than they can write, of course. So we need to help them use this skill.
By having our children speak with us first about their ideas, we can help them to organize their thoughts and think through details that might not be very relevant or details that they are missing. We can help them to structure their thoughts and make a solid plan.
Once this has been done aloud, it is time for the graphic organizer. Graphic organizers allow children to begin putting that discussion they had with a grown-up down on paper. It gives them a tool for organizing their writing and ensuring all important parts are included.
There are approximately 1 254 678 graphic organizers available online (give or take). The ones I have included here are simple and effective, and they work in many situations and across a wide range of writing styles. We have called them “Personal Recount Organizers.” They help children to organize two different things, both important for writing:
First of all, children will be writing about: Who, What, When, and Why
Secondly, children will write about the sequence of events: First, Next, Then, Last.
Because minds differ, we offer two graphic organizers for download, each presenting the same information in a different format. One includes a simple column or stream for children to record all required information. The second is a web, allowing visual learners to see how everything is interconnected. There is also a version with lines for writing and another without. 
Of course, if you are already in the middle of our Grade Two Literacy Curriculum, you are already set! And if you are not yet, join us!
And now, without further ado, here are your free printable graphic organizers. I hope they are helpful to you and your little writer!
Grab your FREE Printable Graphic Organizer:
One Page a Day is All it Takes
Browse a sample and get your copy of the How Wee Learn Grade 2 Literacy Curriculum:
https://shop.howweelearn.com/products/grade-two-literacy-curriculum
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Thank you so much for reading, my friend!
xo Sarah
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