Frayer Model: What It Is and How to Use It
A plain-English guide to the four-box vocabulary organizer, with four worked examples and printable versions.
What a Frayer model is
A Frayer model is a four-box organizer built around one word or concept. The word sits in the middle. Around it, students write a definition in their own words, the characteristics that always apply, examples, and non-examples. The non-examples are the part that makes it work: choosing something that is almost the word, but not quite, forces students to decide what the word really requires.
How to teach it in five steps
- Pick a word students will meet again, such as a math term, a science concept or a key idea from a text.
- Fill in one model together on the board, thinking aloud as you choose each box.
- Have partners complete a second model for a new word, then trade and check.
- Ask students to defend one non-example to the class. Disagreements are useful.
- Keep finished models in a vocabulary notebook or on a word wall to review later.
Four worked examples
| Word | Characteristics | Examples | Non-examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polygon | Closed shape; straight sides; sides do not cross | Triangle, rectangle, hexagon | Circle, open zigzag, shape with a curved side |
| Noun | Names a person, place, thing or idea | teacher, Chicago, lamp, freedom | run, quickly, beautiful |
| Habitat | Where a living thing finds food, water, shelter and space | Pond, desert, forest floor | A single food source, a zoo's feeding schedule |
| Democracy | People hold power; leaders chosen by vote; rules apply to everyone | A class vote on a field trip, a town election | A ruler who inherits the job, a decision made by one person |
Printable Frayer models
Four layouts are ready to print on the Frayer model template page: standard, math, vocabulary with a picture, and examples and non-examples. For more ways to organize ideas, see all graphic organizers or try the graphic organizer finder.
Reviewed 2026-10-03. The worked examples above were written for this page.
Frequently asked questions
What does Frayer stand for?
Nothing: it is not an acronym. The model is named after the education researcher who developed it. We have not independently confirmed the details of its origin, so this page does not state them.
What grade levels use the Frayer model?
Teachers use it from about second grade through high school. Younger students work best with a drawing in place of the definition and two examples instead of four.
How is it different from a vocabulary word map?
A Frayer model asks for examples and non-examples, so students have to test the edges of a word. A word map usually builds outward from meaning, synonyms and a sentence.
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