Concept Maps in the Language Arts Classroom

As alot of articles mention, Concept maps are very useful tools in Language Arts. They can help students in the pre-writing process by allowing them to connect ideas, plot points, and characters in a visual way, which can make it easier to organize in their minds, and allow for consistency in writing. However, Pre-writing is not the only reason to use a concept map.

Concept maps can be used to visually represent writing conventions, relationships between characters, movement within a novel, contextualizing poetry, and outlining a story or novel read in class. They can be great study materials, and in my experience, prove invaluable.

This particular concept map, which I have created to outline the children's book "Micawber" By Jon Lithgow, can be used to teach students within grades 1-3 how to organize ideas, visually represent, and express themselves in meaningful ways. This concept map could be created as a class, in small groups, or individually.

It covers the following points in the ICT curriculum for Division one:

C.4 - Students will use organizational processes and tools to manage inquiry.
Specific Outcomes
1.1
follow a plan to complete an inquiry
1.2
formulate new questions as research progresses

C.7 - Students will use electronic research techniques to construct personal knowledge and meaning.
Specific Outcomes
1.1
develop questions that reflect a personal information need
1.2
summarize data by picking key words from gathered information and by using jottings, point form or retelling
1.3
draw conclusions from organized information
1.4
make predictions based on organized information

P.2 - Students will organize and manipulate data.
Specific Outcomes
1.1
read information from a prepared database

P.3 - Students will communicate through multimedia.
Specific Outcomes
1.1
access images, such as clip art, to support communication
1.2
create visual images by using such tools as paint and draw programs for particular audiences and purposes
1.3
access sound clips or recorded voice to support communication