There is an emphasis on meaningmaking, problem solving, and discovery in contemporary educational settings--facts and concepts integrated into the curriculum by unifying themes that connect to real-world experiences. Using graphics to represent the thinking of students in learning and the thinking of teachers in integrated planning can be efficient because they portray much information and effective because they facilitate communication. This paper asserts, however, that a common language of graphics must be presented for graphics to be universally understood in integrated planning. Using top-down and bottom-up thinking to guide graphic selection facilitates planning and learning for all contents, types, and levels of users. Top-down visuals can test ideas against facts or solve specific problems by using concept maps to relate ideas to facts or ideas to other ideas. In contrast, bottom-up graphics help students scan, sort, and organize information. Selecting graphics that communicate but are flexible in their power to represent complex thinking is essential. The graphical representations in this top-down, bottom-up schema provide the common language of graphic tools that is needed, while also allowing for varied interpretation and flexible use by teachers and learners alike. An eight-step instructional plan is outlined, and five figures present examples of graphics from integrated units. (AEF)