Graphic Organizers & Homophones

Graphic organizers are one of the best ways to teach homophones and homonyms to your student. They provide a visual means for your child to learn these tricky words. They also provide a kinesthetic element by teaching a student the meaning of the homophone as the student writes the homophone.

Graphic organizers also allow students to use their originality and creativity to help them learn and remember homophones more easily.

About graphic organizers

Graphic organizers are a way to organize words, their definitions, and sample sentences on a sheet of paper. Not only does the student learn a word as he fills out the graphic organizer, but the organizer also serves as a useful reference tool for the student later on.

A graphic organizer can take many different forms. One might have “word bubbles” containing the definitions of the words, with blank lines below for the student to write sentences using those words or definitions. Another might have the words in two center squares surrounded by other squares containing all the different definitions. Still another might be more like a flowchart, with the word at the top followed by the part of speech, a definition, a picture, and finally a sample sentence. The possibilities and the benefits of graphic organizers are endless!

Graphic organizers and homophones

Graphic organizers work especially well with homophones because the student can explore the relationship and differences between the two words on the same organizer.

For example, the words wear and where can be written in opposite corners of the graphic organizer, along with their definitions. In the center of the organizer, the student can use both homophones in a single sentence, being sure he captures both meanings, as in the sentence, “Where would I wear this formal evening gown?”.

As you and your student continue working with homophones, you’ll discover that there are many other ways to use graphic organizers to distinguish between these words and their definitions. Challenge your students to explore new and different ideas about how to plot out homophone pairs on a graphic organizer.

Here is a sampling of the graphic organizers contained in the All About Homophones book (click on image to view a larger version).

Purchase the All About Homophones book and get access to these Graphic Organizers.