How it works
This ABC graphic organizer fits any subject: use it at the start of a unit to see what a class knows, or at the end to review.
Read the full guide
Running an ABC brainstorm
Write the topic on the top line and set a time limit. Students fill in any letter they can, in any order: the alphabet is a prompt, not a sequence. Then they pair up, trade words and fill each other's gaps. A phrase counts when its first word starts with the letter.
- For a review game, give a point for each word that no other pair wrote down.
Questions and answers
What is an ABC graphic organizer?
A chart of the 26 letters of the alphabet with a space beside each. A student writes a word or phrase about one topic for every letter, so a full chart is a list of 26 ideas about it.
What do you do with hard letters like Q, X and Z?
Decide before you start. Either a blank is allowed, or a word may hold the letter anywhere, so that X can be oxygen. The filled-in sample leaves Q and X empty.
What topics work for an ABC chart?
Any topic with plenty of vocabulary: a science unit such as weather, a period in social studies, a novel the class has finished, a strand of math. A narrow topic leaves many letters empty.