A study tested the effects of using a graphic advance organizer before, during, and after reading on the comprehension of written text. Subjects were 197 sixth-grade students who were assigned to a graphic advance organizer group or a reading-only control group and who were also designated as below-level, at-level, and above-level readers. The treatment groups were given the graphic advance organizer to use before, during, and after reading. The control-group students simply read the text. Multiple-choice tests were given after completion of each unit, after completion of all units, and one week after completion of all units. Results indicated that the graphic advance organizer did not facilitate comprehension of single-theme text, but it did facilitate comprehension of multithematic text. The findings also showed that the graphic advance organizer strengthened retention of content and that readers at all three ability levels benefited similarly. (Author/MKM)