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K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

advance organizer

Learn more about advance organizer

Solving problems, writing solutions
In CareerStart lessons: Grade six, page 1.5
In this lesson for grade 6, students consider problems in the workplace and follow writing prompts to craft solutions.
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts and Guidance)
By Jennifer Brookshire and Julie McCann.
George Washington's obituary
The following lesson will introduce students to the research process -- formulating questions, choosing resources, fact finding, and note-taking. After completing their research, they will write a short obituary for George Washington. Activities will integrate Reading, Language, Social Studies, Writing, and Computer Skills.
Format: lesson plan (grade 5 English Language Arts, Information Skills, and Social Studies)
By Kathy Blades.
European and South American agriculture
In CareerStart lessons: Grade six, page 4.3
In this lesson for grades six and seven, students conduct research about agriculture in South America and Europe and organize the information on a compare/contrast map.
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 Social Studies)
By Mandy Matlock.Edited by Julie McCann.
America's first people
In Two worlds: Educator's guide, page 2.2
These activities, designed to accompany "First Peoples" and "The Mystery of the First Americans," will enable students to explore the origins of human populations in North America.
Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)
By Pauline S. Johnson.
Using knowledge of student cognition to differentiate instruction
In Reaching every learner: Differentiating instruction in theory and practice, page 8
This article explains the concept of working memory, identifies different kinds of learning problems, and discusses ways to differentiate instruction for students with learning difficulties and disabilities who have attention and working memory problems. Includes twenty research-based, user-friendly teaching strategies that are proven effective for teaching all students.
Format: article/best practice
By Silvana M. R. Watson, Ph.D. and Robert A. Gable, Ph.D..

Find all 6 resources in our collection.

Content that is presented prior to learning and that can be used by students to organize and clarify new incoming information. The purpose is to build a bridge from prior knowledge to the new information that encourages the understanding, learning, and retention of the new concept.

Additional information

By activating relevant prior knowledge, advance organizers also help students stay focused on the subject.

An advance organizer can come in a variety of forms. It could be a brief, abstract prose passage based on the student’s existing knowledge, which serves as a transitional statement for new learning or a diagram that directs the student toward the main ideas and relationships in the new content.

Examples and resources

The CTER Program provides WikEd, which contains an informative entry on advance organizers that includes information about the history, applications, and types of advance organizers.