New Education Templates for Lucidchart

posted Dec 16, 2012, 3:56 PM by Eric Curts   [ updated Dec 17, 2012, 6:35 PM ]
Just a couple weeks ago I posted my one-hour training video all about using Lucidchart in schools (link). As a reminder Lucidchart is a free, online program that can be used to create graphic organizers, mind maps, concept webs, Venn Diagrams, and such. You can also share your diagrams with others as view only, or as templates, or with edit rights for live collaboration. Lucidchart even integrates with Google Apps so you can use a GAFE account and store diagrams in your Google Drive.

With all the great things about Lucidchart, there was only one complaint that I had, which was the low number of pre-made templates specifically for K12 education. Although it is very easy to create your own templates, I thought if Lucidchart provided more education templates that would encourage more use by teachers and students, save time, and make it much easier for users to jump in and start creating.

Well great minds must think alike, because a few days later I heard from Lucidchart that they have rolled out over fifty new templates designed just for schools, students, and teachers. These new templates cover many grades, subject areas, and purposes, and are ready to use right now.

As usual all you have to do is:
  1. Log into Lucidchart.
  2. Click the “Create” button.
  3. Choose “New Document”.
  4. Choose the “Educational” category.
  5. And scroll through all the great new templates.
The new educational templates include the following:

  • Cause and Effect
  • Classification Mind Map
  • Clock
  • Cluster Chart
  • Cluster/Word Web
  • Compare and Contrast
  • Concept Web
  • Describing Wheel
  • E-Chart
  • Essay Planning and Writing
  • Essay Sequence Plan
  • Fact and Opinion
  • Family Tree
  • Fishbone Diagram
  • Five W’s Chart
  • Flow Chart
  • Food Web
  • Four-Column Chart
  • Group Project Planning
  • Interactive Periodic Table
  • Investigating a Place in Time
  • Mind Maps - Tapping Knowledge
  • Narrative Writing Workshop
  • Observation Chart
  • Persuasion Map
  • Persuasive Speeches and Essays
  • Planning Chart
  • Problem-Solution Chart
  • Research Paper
  • Researching Causes and Effects
  • SWOT Analysis
  • Sandwich Chart
  • Sense Chart
  • Sequence Chart
  • Spider Map
  • Step-by-Step Chart
  • Story Map
  • Support Process
  • T-Chart
  • The Writing Process Made Easier
  • Tic-Tac-Toe
  • Time-Order Chart
  • Timeline
  • Tree Chart
  • Venn Diagrams
  • Visual Primary Source Analysis
  • Visual Study Guides
  • Visualizing Vocabulary

For more information about Lucidchart be sure to check out my training video here:

And see below for more details from Brad Hanks from Lucidchart:


Expand your graphic organizer library with Lucidchart

Have you been searching for a free tool that will allow you to whip up custom graphic organizers in minutes?

Check out Lucidchart - it’s one of the most popular apps in the Chrome Web Store and Google Apps Marketplace, and we owe much of our success to our educational users. When we realized that teachers were using our tool to create graphic organizers for the classroom, we decided to simplify things by offering ready-made educational templates.

Now you don’t have to settle for photocopied diagrams or outdated information--however unfair it may be, it’s time to accept that Pluto is no longer a planet. With real-time collaboration, extensive shape libraries, and useful integrations, Lucidchart is a modern solution to the age-old challenge of visual learning.

What you get with Lucidchart:
  • Community templates - Access to thousands of customizable community templates, which include outlines for education-specific diagrams such as:
    • Graphic organizers
    • Flowcharts
    • Venn diagrams
    • Mind maps

  • Real-time collaboration - If you’d like your students to become digital leaders, Lucidchart is a great place to start. Students can work individually or with an unlimited number of collaborators to create and edit diagrams in real time. They can access the tool from any location, on any device--taking the headache out of group projects.

  • Flexibility - Whether you start from scratch or from a template, your diagram is fully customizable. Your students can create cool-looking diagrams with our expansive shape library and design options. Add some personality to your diagram by playing with colors, borders, fonts, and more, and then share to a plethora of places, including:
    • Traditional print-outs
    • Unique webpage hosted on the Lucidchart site
    • Permanent online PDF link
    • Popular image formats: PDF, PNG, and JPEG
    • Embedded in a blog or wiki
    • Twitter, Facebook, or the Lucidchart Community page

  • Deep integrations - Lucidchart is integrated with popular platforms like Google Drive and Google Apps. This means easier sign-on and simpler sharing, creating, and organizing from right within Drive.
Where do I sign up?

Sign up here for a professional trial account, preferably using an educational email address. Once you do that, click here to apply for your free educational account. Then we’ll approve you and you can start diagramming upon login.

Keep in mind: You will only have access to our educational templates once you’ve signed up for a trial account and your educational upgrade has been approved.

How to create your first graphic organizer:

  1. Sign into your educational account
  2. On the right side, under “My Documents”, click “Create”, then click “New Document”
  3. From there, you have the option of starting from scratch or from a pre-existing template
  4. To start from scratch, click the “Blank Flowcharts” button
  5. To start from a template, click any of the categories on the right side. The educational category is titled “Educational”
  6. Click on that category and select your preferred template to start diagramming!
Tell your friends!

For more information on our educational philosophy, see this recent blog post. To sum it up: we offer these features at no cost to you because we think it’s the right thing to do. If you use Lucidchart and love it, we would appreciate a review or mention (on a school district site, classroom blog, resource list, etc.) and a link to our website, so others know where to get the goods. If you need support or more information related to your Lucidchart review, please email bhanks@lucidchart.com and we’ll be happy to help.