• Activate prior knowledge
• Engage all students
• Help special needs readers to demonstrate student learning expectations
Projected on a screen for whole class discussion, I-GOs
• activate prior knowledge and arouse curiosity with pictures
• engage all students' attention
• prepare students to read
• make visual associations among text, words, and concepts
• feature basic and content-area vocabulary
• develop students' abilities to visualize what they are reading
• illustrate and explore topics, subtopics, and key details
• model information organization
• develop student self-efficacy with accessible learning materials
Provided as worksheets for special needs readers (e.g., visual learners, limited English proficient (LEP) students, students with learning disabilities), I-GOs
• help students to develop comprehension skills
• link print literacy with visual concepts
• generate associations among concepts
• reinforce vocabulary concepts
• provide kinesthetic activities
• provide artifacts for assessment portfolios
Designed especially for visual learners, I-GO illustrated graphic organizers feature basic and academic content vocabulary and complement traditional textbooks.
I-GO illustrated graphic organizers can benefit 3.7 million limited English proficient (LEP) students and 2.9 million students with learning disabilities, who are mainstreamed in U.S. classrooms, yet lack the reading skills to decode grade-level textbooks.
Sample Lesson Using Clouds I-GO
• Provide students with page 1 of the illustrated graphic organizers. The rich visual reference activates prior knowledge about the topic and provides a reference point for discussions with students about the main topic, subtopics, and key details. Encourage associating the new information with previously learned concepts (e.g. weather observations).
• Read aloud, to the students, informational text about the topic. Their increased interest and curiosity about the lesson creates a condition for motivated, purposeful, and meaningful reading. While reading the text, pause to discuss the pictures as they relate to the text, and the text as it relates to their expectations. Identify the key details and discuss unfamiliar words. After the reading, the students can work independently or in small groups to illustrate page 2 of the graphic organizers, using page 1 as a model.
• Review pages 1 and 2 with the students. Provide and discuss
pages 3 and 4.
• Learners will
o Cut out the pictures and vocabulary words/labels
o Identify main topic and subtopics and glue pictures and labels
o Use drawing/coloring to indicate opinion (favorite clouds)