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Mind Map as a Right Hand Assignment






I have been exposed to "mind maps" before but I've never used them in the notebooks. I saw this pin on Pinterest (see first picture) which got me thinking about how they can be used in notebooks.

Using my trusty craft supplies I created two mind maps in my practice notebook. The first had to do with the water cycle and the second I was thinking of  using it as an end of unit review.

Here were some of my thoughts as I was creating them.

1. Student would need some serious modeling when introducing "mind maps". You can not just show them a sample and say "go". It probably would be best to do it as a group and then have students copy it into their notebook a couple of times so they get the general idea of how it works.

2. I think this would only appeal to the artistic children. I don't think it would damage the non-artistic children to go through the process of creating a mind map but when I was doing it I was thinking that you might need to give those children a choice of assignments rather then just saying "Mind map and nothing else!".

3. A larger scale version of a mind map (see last picture) is time consuming. I would allot at least two class periods to finish.

4. Definitely would need a class supply of colored pencils. In the second picture I used crayons and I wasn't too happy with that. I didn't have colored pencils in the house so I used thin markers for the last mind map (I don't like markers in the notebooks because the colors bleed through on the previous and next pages).

I would definitely try it out with children and see how it goes and add it to my list of possible "right hand assignment" ideas.
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Comments

Anonymous said…
I love using mind maps to wrap up a unit or teach a concept step-by-step. I use the software program called X-mind to build mind maps on my SmartBoard with my students and then upload them to my teacher site for students and parents to use at home for studying purposes. It helps them to understand how to build a mind map so if we do them in our notebooks, they already have some clear examples on what it should look like.

Check out my Science Edu blog here: http://sciencetrailstricks.blogspot.com/

All the best,
Mrs. G.
June 19, 2012 at 4:56 AM
Janie said…
I love mind maps. I have been using them with my students in my ELA classes. You're right, the artistic children love them and they are a great study guide-plus they look so pretty! The 'unartistic' kids really saw it as a chore :( However, it does make concrete lessons that sometimes are kind of abstract. It's also fun! As a doodler, this is my favorite way to introduce a concept, do step-by-step instruction, compare/contrast, etc... Thank you for sharing!
July 1, 2012 at 2:17 PM
Anonymous said…
Thanks so much for sharing!
I just found your blog on Pinterest.
July 27, 2012 at 3:02 PM
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