White Space

For this week's graphic, the focus was white space. White space can be used to as a tool to clarify text, construct perception of time, and create balance. According to Lohr (2008) background color can also be considered white space. Learners often prefer graphics and text which include plenty of white space because they are "less overwhelmed by the volume of information presented" (Lohr, 2008).

I wanted to create a graphic which would provide a concrete definition for my fifth grade students as they begin adding and subtracting fractions. To simplify the message and focus on the information presented, I used white space to create focus on the definition of a fraction.  The text is simple and balanced on top and bottom with the graphic in the middle.  As student read left to right, the text was offset to keep the students' focus moving from top to bottom, left to right across the graphic.

For the image representing a fraction, it was important to show only the fractional pieces. In this case, two fractional pieces are represented while there is still a piece of the whole missing. I wanted to make sure students were not confused by seeing a whole and a part.

References

Lohr, Linda L. (2008). Creating graphics for learning and performance, second edition. Pearson: Upper Sadle River, NJ.

Organization Project

Lohr (2008) tells us the goal of chunking is to "help the learner think about information in a meaningful or efficient way". For my graphic I focused on chunking the information my fifth grade students will need to make sure their answer is simplified. Students often try one method of checking for a simplified fraction but forget (or choose not to) use any others. By creating a organized chart, I'm hoping students will check their fraction with each of the steps if necessary.

When creating the chart, I chose to use specific numbers to give examples of each step. In each step, words are placed before the examples and are kept a reasonable space apart. The information has be aligned to form columns which created uneven space between words and numbers. However, I felt the words were in close proximity so meaning would not be lost. I kept the background and steps the same color but changed the shade to show separation between each step.

After showing the chart to several people, they felt the information was clearly presented. They liked the color choice which made each step stand out from each other.

Revisions- 

The feedback provided from classmates focused on the bold words I wanted to emphasize in my graphic. I have changed the bold to a different color. I chose a blue in the same hue as the background. I think the suggestions make the graphic much easier to understand.

References

Lohr, Linda L. (2008). Creating graphics for learning and performance, second edition. Pearson: Upper Sadle River, NJ.