References

• The Importance of Graphic Aids……..By Cynthia Roberson….. 2011 http://www.ehow.com/about_6362198_importance-graphic-aids.html

• E-mail Greg Larkin at Gregory.Larkin@nau.eduor call (520) 523-4911 http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~larkin/eng302/class/rhetoric/graphics/lesson1-4-2.html

• M. Markel, Technical Communications, 6th ed., p. 376 ….. William Magrino…. Copyright © 2004...Rutgers University Business & Technical Writing …http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~bizntech/teacher_resources/things_that_work/graphic_aids.html

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Helping to enhance

comprehension

GRAPHIC AIDS

WHAT ARE

GRAPHIC AIDS?

a visual or graphic aid is any image that assists you, the reader, in understanding the text which accompanies the visual aid.

According to the Montgomery College:

Graphics play an integral part in many nonfiction texts.

From newspaper articles to computer manuals.

They often enhance information from the text and

sometimes supply information not found in the

text

All too often, however, students skip over the graphics either because they don’t recognize their importance or they do not

have the techniques necessary for reading

them effectively.

Why are Graphic Aids effective?

Vacca and Vacca (1993)

believe that the use of

graphic aids in text will:

provide students with the opportunity

to decide what parts of the

text are important,

and how ideas and concepts in the text are

related.

• Graphic aids can help you better “see” and understand the

information.

• Graphic aids can provide visual examples of things described in the

text.

• Graphic aids help us to show and compare information.

Several authors support the value of using graphic aids with text as they:

• Create both verbal and nonverbal codes as well as connections between the two.

• Graphic aids open a range of learning possibilities not available when language is used alone.

Types of graphic aids

There are many types of graphics aids, and readers

need to understandthe uses and purposes of

each

Interpreting Graphic Aids

Graphic Aids

• Provide visual explanations of concepts and relationships.

• Easier to understand than words alone.

• Enables students to grasp and recall information easily.

• Authors mention graphic aids at a point in which they think the graph will help the reader.

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1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr

East

West

North

Most commonly used graphic

aids

1BAR

GRAPH

• Length of parallel bars are used to make comparisons

.

Bars in graphs can either be vertical or horizontal.

2LINE

GRAPHS

Points are connected to show relationships between two or more items.

There may be one or more

lines depending on

the items.

3PIE

CHARTS

Circle graph in which the sizes of the slices presents part of a whole.

4FLOWCHARTS/

MAPPING

Shows steps in procedures or processes

Uses boxes or other shapes connected by

lines or arrows.

5TABLES/CHARTS

Systematic listing of data in rows or columns.

FAVORITE PETS OF STUDENTS

DOGS CATS FISH BIRDS OTHER

820 700 350 320 615

Number of Cars Sold for the Month of February by Week

Week Number Number of Cars Sold

1 20

2 37

3 13

4 10

Authors use charts and graphs to illustrate specific points or

to present information contained in the text in a visual format that is easily

understood by readers.

• The graph makes it easier to visualize the relationship between

the facts. The graph can help a reader see and remember the

facts.

• Graphs and charts present numerical data pictorially, helping readers visualize

relationships among those data.

The difference in the level of water at high tide and low tide varies from place to place, and from day to day. The average difference between high tide and low tide water levels at Portland, Maine, is 9 feet and 1 inch. At Sandy Hook, New Jersey, it is 4 feet and 8 inches. The difference at Boston, Massachusetts, is 9 feet and 6 inches. At Key West, Florida, it is 1 foot and 10 inches.

0123456789

10

Portland Sandy Hook Boston Key West

Average Differences in Water Levels: High and Low Tides

Tables present large amounts of data in a simple, brief, and clear linear format. The same data in

prose would be bulky, confusing, and inaccessible.

Tables help the reader grasp relationships that might be

invisible in prose.

Also, tables allow the writer to focus attention on specific pieces

of data while retaining a clear presentation of the whole.

A table in a text can help to emphasize data for students to better understand. The table is

good for presenting data without having to compare it.

http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/~steuben/graph_reading.htm

http://news.rediff.com/report/2010/aug/10/graphic-most-aids-deaths-cases-in-mumbai.htm

Photographs are the most realistic and dramatic representation of physical features. In a good photograph the reader can see exactly what the writer is talking about.

Photographs

RAINFORESTS

Canopy layer

The canopy layer contains the majority of the largest trees, typically 30–45 m tall. The

densest areas of biodiversity are found in the forest canopy, a more or less continuous cover

of foliage formed by adjacent treetops.

Diagrams• Another common diagram, based on

a physical object, is the exploded view, which does not aim to picture the object, but to show the working relationships among its parts.

• A diagram is a symbolic representation well-suited to the presentation of

ideas.

http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/eyediagram/images/diagram.gif

http://www.kidscosmos.org/img/tour/kids/volcano_diagram.gif

A good graphic aid:• accurately shows the facts;

• grabs the reader's attention;

• complements or demonstrates arguments presented in

the text;

• has a title and labels;

• is simple and uncluttered;

• shows data without altering the message of the

data;

• clearly shows any trends or differences in the data;

• is visually accurate.

• A map shows location.

• A diagram shows the parts of an object.

• A table compares information expressed as numbers.

Benefits of graphic aids

• Graphic aids improve student performance;

• It Improves students’ reading comprehension;

• Improves thinking and learning skills;

• Aids in Retention;

• It supports implementation of cognitive learning theories;

• It helps students link existing knowledge organized in schemas to new knowledge;

• Graphic aids communicate what words cannot;

• Appeal to visual learners;

• Provide pictures that will aid memory and retention;

• Save space and record information in a concise manner;

• Clarify relationships, such as numerical relationships;

Illustrates the steps or stages in a process, and their

relationship to one another. Students need to see

relationships and learn how to link ideas;

• are quick and direct;

• highlight the most important facts;

• facilitate understanding of the data;

• can convince readers.

• can be easily remembered

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE GRAPHIC AIDS?

• Direct students attention to critical information in the text

• Direct students to build internal connections among ideas found in the

text

• Build connections between ideas in the text and the students existing

knowledge.

How can teachers use student generated graphic aids in the

classroom?

There are several ways that Teachers

can use student generated graphic

aids in the classroom:

• Create illustrations for embedded questions

• Use illustrations to summarize text

• Create semantic maps

• Complete partial drawings or label

drawings

• Trace a text illustration

• Create flow charts

• Construct maps

• Create charts and graphs

• Create icons that symbolize main idea in text

• Solve mathematics and science word problem

• Use internal visual image

CONCLUSION

The text and the graphics support each other. Graphic aids in text are

important as they help the readers to grasp the ideas, opinions and various concepts which are presented in the

text. In this way, the reader is able to clearly understand main ideas from

text when they are able to see supporting information.

References

• The Importance of Graphic Aids……..By Cynthia Roberson….. 2011 http://www.ehow.com/about_6362198_importance-graphic-aids.html

• E-mail Greg Larkin at Gregory.Larkin@nau.eduor call (520) 523-4911 http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~larkin/eng302/class/rhetoric/graphics/lesson1-4-2.html

• M. Markel, Technical Communications, 6th ed., p. 376 ….. William Magrino…. Copyright © 2004...Rutgers University Business & Technical Writing …http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~bizntech/teacher_resources/things_that_work/graphic_aids.html

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