How to Use Charts & Diagrams in Classrooms

Charts and diagrams are useful tools for teachers when lecturing, for class projects, and as bulletin boards or wall displays. The subject matter you are teaching will affect whether you use a chart or diagram to convey information. Charts are used to present information in graph or table form; diagrams show how something works or the relationship between parts to a whole.

Things You'll Need

• Poster board
• Copy machine
• Chart paper
• Permanent markers
• Transparency
• Transparency markers
• Computer
• Software

Instructions

Using Charts

1. Read over the material you are presenting to students. If it includes comparisons or trends, it will be useful to create a chart for the lesson. For example, in history class, if you are teaching the population of a certain area over a hundred year span, then a bar or picture graph comparing how many people lived there every decade would be appropriate.

2. Create a chart in the method best suited for your classroom. You could use a copy machine to enlarge a graph from a text book or re-create it yourself on chart paper. You can also use a transparency; or if you have a projector, you can create charts on Microsoft Excel or other software.

3. Display the chart for your students during the lesson. Plan questions to ask your students about the chart, so they have to read it carefully and interpret the information. Refer to the chart throughout the lesson. You can also ask them to make up questions about the chart for their classmates.

4. Hang the chart on a classroom wall or bulletin board as a visual reminder of the lesson and the material.

5. Ask students to create their own charts using similar data. For example, with the population graph in Step 1, students can create a chart about a different area of the world and its population over a hundred year span.

Using Diagrams

1. Read over the material. If it explains how something works or discusses parts to a whole, then create a diagram for the lesson. Diagrams are often used in science such as when explaining the water cycle or parts of a plant.

2. Create a diagram to complement your lesson with either poster board, enlarging a textbook page, copying onto a transparency, or using a projector and computer software.

3. Discuss the diagram during the lesson. Plan to ask questions about the diagram, so students have to study and interpret it. You can also allow students to come to the diagram and point out certain steps or parts.

4. Display the diagram in the classroom to remind students of the material they have been taught.

5. Ask students to create their own diagrams to practice and interact with the material.

References

• Microsoft Office: Using Charts and Diagrams in the Classroom
• Texas Center for Educational Technology: Powerpoint on Using Charts and Diagrams