Concept Maps and Visual Representation

Day 1

Goals:

1. Students will use background/prior knowledge of the Caribbean area to partake in the mapping activities.

2. Students will learn what a concept web is.

3. The teacher will foster a sense of cooperative learning within the classroom.

4. Students will present their visual to the class.

Time:

three hours

Resources/Materials:

chalk, chalkboard, magazines, markers, large poster paper, glue, tape

Procedure:

1. The introductory activity will lead right into this activity. The teacher will explain that a concept web is used to brainstorm ideas about a topic in an organized manner. The topic is put in a circle in the center of the paper and ideas relating to that topic branch off from this main one.

2. Students will take about ten minutes to individually create a concept web of what they already know about the Caribbean.

3. Teacher will collect the concept webs and put them in the students' files.

4. Students will break into small groups of about four children to develop a group concept web bringing together all of their ideas.

5. The small groups will come together as a whole class to converge concept webs and ideas on the chalkboard.

6. There will be a class discussion about the various aspects of the Caribbean that were spoken about.

7. Each of the groups will take about thirty minutes to choose a concept from their webs and visually represent it. This can take many forms including art, plays, skits, drawings, or a variety of other means.

8. Each group will take about ten minutes to explain their visual to the class.

9. Teacher explains that they partook in these activities to get in the mode of learning about this topic for four weeksand to have a basis of information of the Caribbean to build and expand ideas upon.

10. Students share their ideas concerning possible class activities on this topic (possible field trips or guest speakers).

11. As time allows, the students can look over the literature and resource books the teacher has in the room about the Caribbean.

Assessment:

Upon completion of the day's activities, the students will individually create another concept web. Then the teacher will hand back the first one they created at the beginning of the day and the students will be able to visually see how much more information they were able to add about the Caribbean. The students will be able to succeed on their presentation of the visuals if all the members of the groups being activity involved, the information in their presentation is accurate, and the presentation is coherent. See participation rubric at end of week's lessons for means of assessment in this area.

Curricular Strands:

Social Studies - geography, history

Science - water, climate, coral reefs

English - writing skills, communication, cooperation

Math - maps, scales

Art - visual representation

Extensions:

Students could research some information for their presentation to add more rich details to it. The teacher could do a mapping activity to familiarize the students will the Caribbean area on the map.

Carribean Unit - written by Trina Collins, Richard Wheeler, & Daniel Shimek

Back to Week 1 Page

This page submitted by St. Norbert College Ocean Voyagers Program