The Planning Graphic Organizer supports students as they move from talking about their ideas to making choices, organizing their thinking, and preparing to compose their argument. The Planning Graphic Organizer tool reminds students of the components an argument should include in order to present and communicate the ideas they have developed. Using prompting questions, the Planning Graphic Organizer helps students lay out key aspects of argument, including their claims, evidence, reasoning, and counterarguments. Students use this tool at the point in the inquiry process where they decide what they will argue, making active choices among all of the ideas the class has discussed. The Planning Graphic Organizer also serves as a support when students move ahead to write their full drafts, and should be treated as a place to take brief notes rather than as a place to write rough drafts or complete sentences.