Do your Spanish students struggle to write creatively? I’ve found that using graphic organizers to improve their start and finish time has been really beneficial! If you are looking for a strategy to build writing confidence and speed, graphic organizers could be for you!
What Problems Do Graphic Organizers Solve?
For me, graphic organizers have solved the problem of students staring at their blank paper while their test time ticks away. So many times, students don’t finish in their allotted test time, and it’s often because they were not able to get started right away. They feel overwhelmed by the scope of the task, so I give them something that looks like this: (Head to my Free Resource Library to get one of these for your classes!)
Another problem that using graphic organizers solves is meeting the needs of 504s and IEPs. I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that this year, I have a class with 3 504s, 4 IEPs and 2 ML learners. Instead of trying to remember which of those students need graphic organizers, I give one to each student who wants to use it! Using graphic organizers is a good strategy for all students!
Scenarios Where You Can Use Graphic Organizers
First, I give a graphic organizer for every writing test. Sometimes our writing prompts are presentational, and sometimes there’s interpersonal (write a dialogue, for example), but the graphic organizer shown above works great for that. The best part is that I make a copy of a Google Doc I already have and just change some of the words. It’s fast and easy to create!
Another type of writing where graphic organizers can really help is when students are making comparisons. At any level- from Spanish 1 to AP, students should be making connections and comparisons between the target culture and their own. Using something like this Venn Diagram pictured below can help students get their thoughts started and organized, and lead to better writing!
Teaching Our Students “How To Fish”
I’ve come to understand that although my title is “Spanish Teacher”, my real job is to teach students how to learn and perform at their best. I’m sure I don’t need to tell anyone reading this that building learning routines with our students will be crucial to them in their long-term learning endeavors. Showing and reinforcing good strategies, like using graphic organizers, will be beneficial when writing for Spanish class. They will also be beneficial when organizing an formal essay for English or History as well! How fortunate we are to teach so many transferable skills as World Language Teachers!
Resources
AP Spanish Argumentative Essay Lesson Plans, Examples and Student Guides
Spanish Writing Prompt Activities Lesson Plans to Build Proficiency
Spanish Writing Prompt: Our Vacation Past Tenses Group Challenge
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