Frayer
Model
The Frayer Model is a strategy for learning a new concept,
such as vocabulary, by helping to establish relationships. The model is used in a graphic organizer
format for students to easily see those relationships. Below are two ways to incorporate the Frayer
Model Graphic Organizer
-
Students write the term in the center, and
then in the surrounding boxes they write the definition, characteristics,
examples, and non-examples.
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Students can also write the term/concept in the
center and list essential characteristics, non-characteristics, examples,
and non-examples.
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You can make each box a heading that fits the
needs of the concept you are trying to teach.
The purpose of listing
examples and non-examples and essential and nonessential characteristics is to
help students build well-founded knowledge about the concept they are learning.
In order for students to precisely understand completely what a concept is, a
student must also know what it isn't.
The Frayer model can be especially useful when guiding direct, in-class
vocabulary instruction. If students have
sufficient background in content, the Frayer model can be used for taking notes
and monitoring their own learning and progress about the concepts that have
been covered in class.
Implementation:
- Instead of assigning the vocabulary in a
book, have students each complete a Frayer Model for a single vocabulary term
and then present it to the class and then students can take notes on each term.
- Science teachers can use this same format for taking notes about
reactions from a science experiment.
- Social Studies teachers can take a time period, historical event, world
leaders, or a government/economic concept and use this to help format
understanding.
- Math teachers could use this same format when students are completing a
word problem. Each box could represent a
different aspect of the problem to solve it or each box could be a step in
solving the problem.
-
Health teachers could use this to discuss the various effects of drugs
or chemicals in the body.
- English teachers could use this to check for students understanding in
a short story or to identify various parts of a piece of writing.
