Download resource

Please enter your details to download this resource
Login
 

Enter your details to access this video

Or if you already have an account login to watch the video (if you don't you can register here).
Login
graphic organiser
Author: Karen Wilson, SEND Specialist
Email share link LinkedIn share link Twitter share link Facebook share link
Approximate reading time: 1 minute

Graphic organisers can be a powerful tool for learners with dyslexia. They enable learners to plan and structure their ideas in a visual and accessible way. Focusing on getting ideas organised before navigating challenges with grammar and spelling can be a positive approach. The visual scaffold reduces working memory strain by keeping ideas clearly organised and structured. This allows more cognitive space for sentence construction and spelling, which might be challenging.

Tip or Idea: Explore different graphic organisers to see which work best for your learners. These might include mind maps, paragraph planners with sentence starters, storyboards, or flowcharts. Learners can use notes, drawings, or colours to record their ideas.

Learning Village resource: Our article Why use a graphic organiser? explores the benefits of using graphic organisers and offers a range of potential designs to try in your classroom. Use our free resource for a graphic organiser template.

All learners, especially those with SEND, will benefit from focused learning opportunities that provide challenges at an appropriate cognitive level. Use our Bloom’s Taxonomy Ladders for non-fiction texts to discover a range of activities tailored to different learner levels.

Email share link LinkedIn share link Twitter share link Facebook share link

More articles by this author

SEND learner learning to learn

SEND support: Learning to learn

Created: Wed 13th Nov 2024

We all learn in different ways. Helping your students to identify what works best for them is really important. Do they prefer visual aids, make links with existing learning or use movement and actions to help them remember things? Identifying their own personal preferences and effective practices will benefit lifelong learning and help your students to succeed.

Colourful hands symbolising neurodiversity

SEND support: Supporting autistic learners

Created: Mon 24th Feb 2025

Learners, with or without EAL, may have special educational needs. These needs often require a range of carefully selected strategies and approaches to help learners reach their full potential.

illustration of a brain with symbols for the five senses

SEND support: Sensory-inclusive environments

Created: Mon 5th May 2025

Sensory needs (considering lighting, noise, textures, smells etc.) are now being seen as a central part of school design. It is widely recognised that overwhelming environments can block learning or trigger distress. Each learning environment presents its own opportunities and challenges to reducing sensory overload. Luckily, there are lots of small changes that can make a big difference to your learners!

Back to Blog