About the Project

A mini action-research project was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the program Inspiration as a pre-writing tool.  Graphic organizers are a great way help students prepare to write a paper or essay questions.  By allowing students to collect and organize their thoughts and ideas, graphic organizers can prepare students to work up to their full potential. 
This project surveyed 55 students at the 7th grade level.  A pre-survey was given to assess how much students prefer and use graphic organizers.  From there, 15 students were selected to participate in a one-week project in which they received training on how to use Inspiration.  Once they acquired knowledge of the program, they were asked to write two ECR answers using Inspiration as a pre-writing tool.  Once they had completed the two essay answers, they were asked to complete a post-survey that assessed their new outlook on Inspiration and graphic organizers as a pre-writing tool.