QUESTION: My daughter is having a difficult time with completing her high school homework independently; she also loses it or misplaces it in the wrong section of her notebook. The material isn’t too challenging for her; rather, she forgets the steps involved and doesn’t know where to start. Can Thinking Maps help her?

ANSWER: Once students see how Thinking Maps can make learning easier, they oftentimes will use them at home to sequence the steps of a chore, compare and contrast favorite singers or tv shows, and other creative ways that are relevant to theirlife. Encourage your daughter to do the same, but there are also ways in which the maps can be applied that relate to increasing responsibility and independence within the home environment. A laminated flow map like the one below is particularly well-suited for helping your daughter work on homework with little or no support; she can check off the steps as she completes them:

Sample Flow Map:
Homework Independently

QUESTION: I would like to use Thinking Maps at home with my son, but I don’t know where to start. He is in elementary school. Do you have any ideas? - A South Shore parent

ANSWER: Maps can be utilized to increase a child’s responsibility and independence within the home environment. Some suggestions for implementing Thinking Maps at home include:

Social skills development

• Circle Map to brainstorm activities with family and friends
• Tree Map to categorize conversation topics
• Bubble Map to describe feelings about an upcoming event, funeral, family situation, etc.
• Flow Map to sequence the steps for making friends (school, neighborhood, family connections)
• Using Thinking Maps over the Summer

Task completion

• One sided Multi-flow Map to describe the effects of getting a new family pet
• Flow Map to sequence the steps of a chore
• Flow Map to sequence how to prepare an after-school snack or recipe
• Flow Map to sequence how to answer phone calls and take messages
• Using Thinking Maps over the Summer

Planning schedules and trips

• Double Bubble Map to compare and contrast vacation locations or holiday ideas
• Circle Map to brainstorm possible after-school jobs
• Tree Map to classify favorite meal ideas
• Flow Map to sequence the parts of a schedule, itinerary, or vacation
• Double Bubble Map to compare and contrast modes of transportation

Time management

• Tree Map to categorize activities
• Flow Map to sequence steps of homework or chores
• One sided Multi-flow Map to explain the causes of a chore and why it needs to be completed
• Flow Map to sequence the parts of a schedule, itinerary, or vacation

If you would like to have any maps drawn for you that you could use with your child, please contact me. After February vacation, I will be having a training workshop for parents that will teach you how to draw and use the maps within your home environment; the date will be announced in the next newsletter and on-line. Hopefully we will know at that time when the updated Thinking Maps software will be released as well.

If you would like to have any maps drawn for you that you could use with your child, please contact me. After February vacation, I will be having a training workshop for parents that will teach you how to draw and use the maps within your home environment; the date will be announced in the next newsletter and on-line.Hopefully we will know at that time when the updated Thinking Maps software will be released as well.

As you can see, Thinking Maps can organize and process information, break material down so that it is more manageable, and help solve problems, while developing cognitive skills and increasing comprehension. Whether it is an academic subject, a task from a shop, a therapy solution, or something from home or the community, there is a Thinking Map solution for every problem.

QUESTION: This has been my son’s first year at Learning Prep, and he understands Thinking Maps well and enjoys using them in school. I’m concerned that he will not remember how to use them next September. How can we utilize them at home over the summer so he doesn’t forget everything he’s learned this past year? - A Metro West parent

ANSWER: Once students see how Thinking Maps can make learning easier, they oftentimes will use them at home to categorize their collections of CDs or videogames, compare and contrast friends at school versus friends in their hometown, and other creative ways that are relevant to their life. Encourage your son to do the same, but there are also ways in which the maps can be applied that relate to increasing responsibility and independence within the home environment. Six of the eight maps are particularly well-suited for this task:

• Use a Circle Map to brainstorm chores/summer jobs, activities, foods that can be grilled or that are good for a picnic, and places to go.

  Example: Think of all the family members and friends we need to visit this summer and write them down in a Circle Map.

• A Bubble Map describes an upcoming vacation or event, a chore, or a place.

  Example: Pick out your favorite beach/restaurant/sports activity and describe it in a Bubble Map.

• To compare and contrast something, use a Double Bubble Map for destinations or places, chores, vacations, or activities.

  Example: To help us decide what we will do next weekend, draw a double bubble map to compare and contrast camping in New Hampshire versus going to the Cape, or bowling versus miniature golfing.

• A Tree Map categorizes household chores, kinds of summer jobs, summer activities, menus for different kinds of meals, and things your child should accomplish over the summer.

  Example: List all of the things to do this summer and divide them into categories. Sample categories could be: books I will read, places I want to visit, friends I’d like to see, chores I need to do, and ways I can earn spending money.

• Use a Flow Map to sequence the parts or steps of a day, task, event, vacation, or chore.

  Example: Draw a Flow Map to show how to make s’mores for a cookout, or how to answer the phone when your parents aren’t home.

• To look at the causes and/or effects of something, use a Multi-flow Map. Children could see how an event or situation happened, and what its effects will be on the child as an individual or on the family as a whole. This map is effective for helping a child process or understand a sad event or occurrence (such as the death of a sick family member or pet), any loss, or an unfortunate situation (a move to a different town). More positive events, such as understanding how getting a part-time job is beneficial, can also be examined.

  Example: Draw a multi-flow map to help your child understand the effects – and additional responsibilities – of getting a new pet (see below sample).

Sample One Sided Multi-flow Map:
Getting a Puppy

QUESTION: My daughter is currently a middler student in the high school and will be entering the work/study program next year. She could be the “poster child” for social communication difficulties; an on-going challenge is impulsive comments that are untimely or inappropriate. I am concerned about her ability to filter remarks that may be suitable for a friend but not for her boss or a fellow co-worker. Could I use a circle map with concentric circles for this activity? - A Boston parent

ANSWER: You have a few options, depending on way you phrase the question to your daughter. Circle Maps are good for brainstorming information for one topic (example: “appropriate comments for a work environment”). If you are comparing and contrasting two different things, a double bubble is more effective (example: “suitable comments for friends vs. people at work”, or “appropriate comments in the workplace vs. inappropriate comments in the workplace”). It sounds as though you are interested in reviewing suitable remarks in several situations, based on your suggestion of using concentric circles. Because you would be listing different kinds of remarks in various categories, I would suggest a Tree Map (see example below). This visual tool classifies things into different categories.

Sit down with your daughter and explain what you will be doing in this activity and why you are mapping her responses. Children who have social skills challenges require explicit, advance information prior to a task or event. Keep your language simple and straightforward: “At your job last summer, you made some inappropriate comments about boys to your boss. You can’t say things like that to your boss because he is not your friend. You can only say appropriate remarks to him. We are going to use a Tree Map to categorize the things you say in different places.” Have your daughter draw the map as you both talk about what comments are appropriate for different situations, for example:

3. LPS Parent Page (Restricted Access)

Contents:

• Thinking Maps Software Manual (Complete Edition)
• Thinking Maps Software Guide (help sheets that LPS students can use independently to complete basic Thinking Maps)
• Software Information

In March 2007, Thinking Maps software CDs were sent to all Learning Prep families and staff. Students at all levels who use the software can better organize their thoughts and ideas. Research has demonstrated that, when the software program is utilized to draw Thinking Maps, students communicate information more effectively; student responses are improved in quantity as well as quality.

The software is compatible with both PCs and Macs. By registering your software with www.thinkingmaps.com, you will be eligible to receive complimentary technical support. Computer teachers will be available to help students with software questions and instruction; high school computer classes will be using the software to complete class projects. The software also will be installed on all computers in classrooms and will be available for student use. Students will not be required to utilize the software to complete maps; its usage is entirely optional

One “bug” has been noted so far. Students have observed that the maps, when printed, sometimes have a very small font that is difficult to read and apparently cannot be adjusted in size. A possible remedy is as follows:

• First, go to “Tools”, then “Options”, then “Print”
• Under “Print Selection”, select “Directions”, “All Maps”, and “All Writing”
• Under “Print Strategy”, select “One Item Per Page”
• Click “OK”

After trying these steps, if you still experience problems with printing “micro” maps, please contact Thinking Maps, Inc., directly at www.thinkingmaps.com.

Thinking Maps software is just one part of Learning Prep’s overall implementation of these visual tools. The teaching and use of Thinking Maps are based on a school-wide approach. Every teacher in the school is considered a primary source for the students’ learning of the maps and their applications. The goal of the integrated implementation is for students and teachers to be fluent in their use of the maps, with or without technology.

Thinking Maps can be employed to make students’ thinking “visible” so students can clarify, organize, and expand their thoughts. We look forward to the additional learning opportunities made possible with Thinking Maps software.

If you did not receive your copy of the software and you are a Learning Prep parent or guardian, please call Cynthia Manning at (617) 240-5643, extension 122.

4. Training, Workshops, and Upcoming Events

There are no training sessions or workshops scheduled at LearningPrep School for the remainder of the 2006-2007 school year. However, parents and guardians are always welcome to contact Cynthia Manning, Supervisor/Coordinator of our Thinking Maps program, to set up individual meetings and trainings. Cynthia can be contacted by phone at (617) 965-0764, extension 122, or by e-mail at cynmanning@learningprep.org.

Each year, Learning Prep offers the following Thinking Maps training:

• A full day of instructional training and orientation for all new teaching staff
• A refresher training session for all returning reaching staff
• Two half-days of instructional training for all new students
• Eight weeks of refresher training sessions and reinforcement exercises for all students at the beginning of the school year
• Follow-up meetings on curriculum development for all teaching staff held during the year
• Training sessions for parents during the year to reinforce the maps within the home environment
• Software training sessions for students, staff, and parents
• “Thinking Maps Orientation” – two half-day sessions held each July and August introducing new students to the Thinking Maps curriculum

5. Newsletter Article Archives

• Thinking Maps and Cognitive Development
• Multi-mapping
• Using Thinking Maps at Home
• Thinking Maps Software
• Student Perspectives on Thinking Maps
• Thinking Maps at LPS – Occupational Therapy
• Thinking Maps at LPS – Social Studies and History/Language
• Thinking Maps at LPS – Reading
• Thinking Maps at LPS – Literature
• Thinking Maps at LPS – Mathematics
• Thinking Maps at LPS – Science

On Wednesday, February 4^th, a Thinking Maps Workshop was conducted after school for all Learning Prep staff. The meeting began with a program overview and update as to how Thinking Maps are doing in their second year at LPS. The staff and students have developed tremendous fluency with the maps over the last seventeen months. They are able to use them effortlessly in the classroom for planning and completing assignments, organizing information presented in class, and assessing student comprehension of presented material. Some students actually have progressed on their own to the next level of map usage – multiple mapping – which was the theme of Wednesday’s workshop.

One of our goals is to increase cognitive development in students using Thinking Maps. Multiple mapping, or using two or more kinds of maps together to organize information, is particularly effective at facilitating these higher level thinking skills (see below for a sample multi-map on Holes). Because the maps draw on the integration and application of multiple thinking processes, the concepts presented are elevated from the concrete level to abstract and inferential patterns of thinking, thus developing cognitive skills.

LPS staff from the Elementary, Middle, and High Schools were trained in two multi-mapping strategies that can be applied to any curriculum, at any grade, and within any level. Both lesson demonstrations reinforced the development of higher level thinking skills using cooperative learning techniques. Interactive activities, or group work, augment cognitive skill acquisition using a method that facilitates social skills development. Learning how to work with others is a life skill that is equally important as mastering curriculum, and cooperative learning is an effective way for students to learn turn-taking, role-playing, self-control, cooperation, responsibility, and problem-solving skills.

Teachers are encouraged to begin multiple mapping with their students who have mastered Thinking Maps. Look for student samples of this new strategy at Parents Night on April 7^th (High School) and April 8^th (Elementary/Middle School). If you have any questions about Thinking Maps, please call Cynthia Manning at extension 122.

Thinking Maps, a set of visual tools which increase comprehension and organize information, have been a part of Learning Prep’s curriculum since September 2002. The staff and students have developed tremendous fluency with the maps; they are able to use them effortlessly in the classroom for planning and completing assignments, processing information presented in class, and assessing student comprehension of presented material. Some classes have progressed to the next level of map usage – multiple mapping – which is using two or more maps in conjunction to analyze information at a higher inferential level.

One of our goals at Learning Prep is to increase cognitive development in students using Thinking Maps. Multiple mapping is particularly effective at facilitating these higher level thinking skills. Because the maps draw on the integration and application of multiple thinking processes, the concepts presented are elevated from the concrete level to abstract and inferential patterns of thinking, thus developing cognitive skills.

Rarely do we use one thinking process to relay information; why should academic assignments be any different? To promote learning that is relevant to real life, it makes sense to teach students how to think using multiple processes. For example, if you were to describe your February vacation to a close friend, you wouldn’t limit your conversation to only one thinking process, such as sequencing your activities, or describing where you went. Instead, you would probably start with defining your vacation – where you went. Then you would describe what you did. You might compare two places you visited, and categorize activities you enjoyed, such as various sports, restaurants, and areas where you shopped. Then you might talk about the different parts of the resort, and explain the sequence of events throughout the week. Your conversation could conclude with the causes and effects of your trip – why you decided to go away, and how relaxed you now feel. Lastly, you might use an analogy or metaphor to sum up your vacation. If a simple conversation we have with a friend can be so cognitively complex, imagine how much more involved lessons should be when teaching a novel, a war, or a scientific experiment. Teaching multi-mapping helps develop students’ cognition in order that they may function at a level equal to that of their peers.

Teachers have been integrating multiple mapping within their curriculum as our newer students develop fluency with the maps. Elaine Yellin of the Elementary/Middle School used multi-maps with all of her classes as follow-up activities to three novels. Circle maps, flow maps, and tree maps were integrated to help the students write point-of-view journal entries as characters from Wild Timothy, Far North, and Hatchet. Gia Batty recently used multi-maps to teach The Catcher in the Rye to her high school students. A flow map was used to sequence the 26 chapters in the book; within each flow map box, a different thinking map was used to analyze the chapter. All maps were represented to integrate the thinking processes to an inferential level, and visuals were also incorporated. Look for student samples of this new strategy at Parents Night on April 13^th (High School) and April 14^th (Elementary/Middle School). If you have any questions about Thinking Maps, please check out our website, www.learningprep.org, or call Cynthia Manning at extension 122.

On Wednesday, November 17, a Thinking Maps workshop was held for LPS parents and guardians. Cynthia Manning, Coordinator and Supervisor of Thinking Maps, conducted the seminar; included was an overview of the maps as well as research that supports the effectiveness of these visual tools. Parents also learned how the maps are used within the classroom and why they are more successful in facilitating the learning process than graphic organizers. Keywords and cues used to complete the maps were provided, and parents were shown how the maps could be used at home to reinforce lessons and concepts introduced at school. Some suggestions for implementing Thinking Maps at home include:

• Social skills development
  • Activities with family and friend
  • Conversation topic
  • Feelings about an upcoming event, funeral, family situation, etc
  • Making friends (school, neighborhood, family connections)
• Task completion
  • Family pets
  • Chores
  • Preparing an after-school snack or recipe
  • Answering phone calls
• Planning schedules and trips
  • Vacations and holidays
  • After-school jobs
  • Meal planning
  • Transportation
• Time management
  • Activities
  • Homework
  • Chores
  • Transportation

If you were unable to attend the Thinking Maps training session but would like a copy of the presentation materials, please contact Cynthia Manning at extension 122.

I recently polled 186 LPS 8^th grade and high school students to find out how the maps help them learn. The most popular answer given by 124 students – or 67% of the student body – was that “Thinking Maps help me organize my writing.” Some students replied that “answering the question is too hard; can I draw a map instead?” Almost a third of the students – 58 children – first drew a map and used it to formulate their response. Other students offered the following comments:

“It’s easy for me to pick out the important parts of something and put them in to a map. Sometimes I use Thinking Maps for work without even knowing it – I jest draw them automatically.”

“Thinking Maps make work easier and less stressful for me – especially tests and the MCAS exam.”

“I have a hard time concentrating. Thinking Maps keep me focused and don’t let me get too distracted.”

“I have trouble coming up with information without them, when all I have in front of me is a blank sheet of paper and a whole lot of questions to answer. When I draw a map to answer a question, it’s easier for me to remember information. It’s almost like having a teacher there to cue you. They help me work independently.”

“They help get the ideas out of my head and onto an empty sheet of paper.”

“Thinking Maps help break down topics. I can express my ideas using them, even though I can’t do that with essays. They make things easy to understand, and I use them to help me study.”

“I have trouble keeping things in the lines on a big piece of paper. The maps help me keep my writing organized and neat, because I like working with the shapes and different colors. They make learning fun.”

“Thinking Maps give me a chance to learn. I couldn’t get it when one of my old teachers talked to me all day and then wanted me to write a lot of words. At this new school, I can understand the teachers when they use the maps. And I can finally do the work because I get it!”

“The maps make me a stronger writer. I never was able to write before I learned the maps. But now I get main ideas and supporting facts; the way the maps are drawn and organized helps me to see these things now.”

“They turn a whole bunch of information that gets me confused into a few simple steps.”

“Thinking Maps make good study guides. I used to get C’s and B’s; now I get A’s and B’s.”

“They keep all your good ideas in one easy place so you don’t lose them.”

“The maps help me identify what is important and what isn’t. If it doesn’t fit in the map, then it’s not important. They also help me stay focused so I can get my assignments done; they’re kind of like a puzzle. I don’t need to worry and stress about if what I did is correct. I can read over my map and know if I did it correctly or not. They’re easy to proofread.”

“I was really struggling to understand the teachers before I learned the maps. Now I love coming to school, and I no longer dread it in the mornings.”

“I love Thinking Maps because I can choose which one I want to use sometimes. That makes me feel like I’m responsible for my learning. And some kinds of learning are easier for me than others. This way I get to learn how I learn best.”

“Thinking Maps help me to not only be a better student, but they make my whole life easier. I use them for everything at home, too.”

“I got into a fight with my best friend, and our counselors used maps to help us work things out. I realized why I shouldn’t tell lies about her when I’m mad at her.”

“At my old school, I was always stumped and confused. Here I love to learn. Why can’t more schools use Thinking Maps? Kids would like school better if they did.”

“Thinking Maps get me to think.”

“Thinking Maps have given me more confidence, because I know I can get my work done when I use them.”

“Thank you for coming up with this alternative and innovative way to learn. You have helped a lot of people who didn’t know how to learn before Thinking Maps.”

Each month we will highlight how Thinking Maps are used throughout the curriculum at Learning Prep. This month’s featured area is Occupational Therapy.

Learning Prep School is in our second full academic year of implementing Thinking Maps, which are visual tools for learning. They enable students to organize and process information, develop cognitive skills, and integrate knowledge. Thinking Maps address different thinking processes, but they are particularly effective with the kinds of processes that figure prominently in Occupational Therapy: sequencing the steps of a task, describing a task, and examining the causes and effects of an event oraction.>A few ways in which Thinking Maps have been used in Occupational Therapy are presented:

• Kathy Woo (Coordinator/Supervisor of OT): In the sensorimotor group, a flow map was used to plot the path in a seven station obstacle course. The students then set up their own obstacle courses for each other, and they drew flow maps to demonstrate the sequence of their own particular stations.
  
  
• Chris Carson-Bugden: Multi-mapping was used for a sensory tree map that categorized the six senses (smell, touch, taste, sound, sight, and balance); bubble or circle maps that described or brainstormed qualities about each sense were drawn under the categories. Tree maps also are used in Work Center for the “Treats-R-Us” business that the students run (see below graphic). The schedule is broken down into two days – Thursday and Friday jobs – and under each day, a flow map checks off the tasks which need to be completed in proper sequence. Students use this organizational tool every week to become independent workers and learn how to structure their job tasks.
  
  
• Donna Coleman, Cousineau, and Angie Hanna: Tree maps were used to develop phone book skills, helping students know how to look up telephone numbers. Students divided the phone book into three categories –grey pages, white pages, and yellow pages. Underneath each category was the kinds of information that can be found in each section and how it is organized.
  
  
• Donna Coleman: Students made animal keychain using pony beads. A circle map helped them brainstorm what materials would be needed to assemble the keychains, and a double bubble map was drawn that compared and contrasted the attributes of two animals (an alligator and a ladybug) that students selected to make into keychains. By drawing a double bubble map, students ensured that they did not forget any of the important qualities that they would need to make keychains which accurately represented the animals.
  
  
• Angie Hanna and Lisa Slade: For a kitchen project, students used circle maps to brainstorm what supplies were needed for cooking. The next step involved checking off the supplies listed on the map when gathering everything together. Lastly, a flow map was used to sequence the steps in the recipe.

Each month we will highlight how Thinking Maps are used throughout the curriculum at Learning Prep. This month’s featured curriculum is Social Studies and History/Language.

Learning Prep School is in our second full academic year of implementing Thinking Maps, which are visual tools for learning. They enable students to organize and process information, develop cognitive skills, and integrate knowledge. Thinking Maps address different thinking processes, but they are particularly effective with the kinds of processes that figure prominently in Social Studies and History: comparing and contrasting important figures, places, or events; classifying information; sequencing chronological moments; and examining the causes and effects of historical events. A few ways in which Thinking Maps have been used in Social Studies and History are presented:

• Joyce Shepard, Elementary School -- Social Studies: The concept of “community” has been defined using a circle map. A flow map chronicled Columbus journey to America, and the students outlined a chapter using a tree map as a review tool to visualize key concepts.
  
  
• Marla Jacobs, Middle School – Social Studies: One class pretended that they lived in colonial times and had to decide if they wanted to participate in the Boston Tea Party. They drew a one-sided multi-flow map detailing the causes of the Boston Tea Party; a bubble map was then used in a thesaurus lesson to find synonyms for “angry” and “mad”. The students wrote rough drafts explaining why they chose (or did not choose) to participate in the Tea Party; they then used the bubble maps to vary word choices in their final drafts.
  
  
• Michael Frates, High School – History/Language: Tree Maps have been used to track the expansion of America into the South, North, and Midwest. Major events in the Middle Ages were sequenced using a flow map. A tree map was used to categorize the separation of powers of the federal government into the judicial, legislative, and executive branches.
  
  
• Kevin Kacavich, High School – History/Language: Double Bubble maps are regularly used in “Current Events” to make connections between past and present historical events, such as the Cold War and the war on terrorism. A bridge map was used for developing geography skills and teaching students how to read maps.
  
  
• Jennifer Davoren, High School – History/Language: A bubble map was used to recall information and describe Christopher Columbus after viewing the documentary The Great Discoverer. Circle maps were used at the start of the year to introduce American History and help students understand the importance of learning about our past.
  
  
• Jake Edwards, High School – History/Language: The Civil War was examined using a double bubble map to compare and contrast the North versus the South, a multi-flow map to outline the causes and effects of the Civil War, and a circle map to brainstorm all the women who had key roles in the war. Civil Rights was also explored using double bubble maps to compare Malcolm X with Martin Luther King, Jr. as well as contrast violent versus non-violent forms of protest and civil disobedience.
  
  
• Bob Owens, High School – History/Language: The French and Indian War was introduced using a circle map to brainstorm main events as well as a multi-flow map to determine the causes and effects of the war. One accommodation that Bob uses to facilitate learning for functional students is to turn a thinking map into a manipulative. For example, regarding the French and Indian War, he gave students a list of the war’s causes and effects. They had to cut out the items on the list and decide where to place them on the multi-flow map, either as a “cause” or as an “effect”. Bob also regularly uses word banks to help students complete thinking maps.
  
  
• Cynthia Manning, High School – History/Language: Thinking maps are often used as a pre-writing activity, helping seniors to organize ideas and write a cohesive, well-developed essay. Students are often able to choose any map which best suits their particular way of thinking, enabling them to become independent learners. Maps are also employed as a review tool, such as using a circle map to brainstorm and review the contents of a guest speaker’s lecture on his role in the Vietnam War.

Each month we will highlight how Thinking Maps are used throughout the curriculum at Learning Prep. This month’s featured curriculum is Elementary and Middle School Reading.

Learning Prep School is in our second full academic year of implementing Thinking Maps, which are visual tools for learning. They enable students to organize and process information, develop cognitive skills, and integrate knowledge. Thinking Maps address different thinking processes, but they are particularly effective with the kinds of processes that figure prominently in Reading curriculum: classifying story elements, sequencing main events in a book or short story, describing or comparing and contrasting characters, and examining the causes and effects of a conflict within a story. A few ways in which Thinking Maps have been used in Reading are presented:

• Robyn Cohen and Michelle Poirer, Elementary School – Reading: Robyn and Michelle’s students worked on the same book project using thinking maps. Students read the biography of any person of their choice and sequenced the main events of the person’s life using a flow map. Using the flow map as well as a paragraph template, the students then wrote three paragraphs describing the beginning, middle, and end parts of the person’s life. Thinking maps enabled students to break down and understand the components of the book project: gather information, summarize facts, and write an essay.
  
  
• Natalie Edgerly, Middle School – Reading: Multi-mapping was used for characterization in novels. By combining bubble maps within flow maps, students were able to track how characters changed throughout the story. In The Whipping Boy, a circle map about medieval times was used to brainstorm students’ knowledge gathered from books. The students then took the information in the circle map and transferred it to a tree map; the challenge was for them to come up with their own categories. This particular exercise is an excellent example of how thinking maps assist with the development of higher level thinking skills.
  
  
• Susan Sward, Elementary and Middle School – Reading: In Susan’s Elementary and Middle School classes, students read short stories and poems about famous people and speeches by which they are known. The choices included Martin Luther King, President Lincoln, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Stanton. The students had to compare and contrast two famous people of their choosing using a Double Bubble Map. They also collaborated on writing a play about Elizabeth Stanton that they practiced and videotaped for Parents Night. Thinking Maps describing Stanton and summarizing her life helped the students write the play.
  
  
• Elaine Yellin, Middle School – Reading: Students were given a template describing the steps for completing a book project (please see attached graphic). Many students with executive functioning issues have difficulty understanding the scope and sequence of a project, and how all the different steps come together to form one major assignment. Other students have trouble breaking down an entire project into segmented steps that are manageable to accomplish. Elaine’s flow map enables both kinds of students to benefit from the flow map’s organization of information.

Each month we will highlight how Thinking Maps are used throughout the curriculum at Learning Prep. This month’s featured curriculum is High School Literature (Elementary and Middle School Reading to follow in our next issue).

Learning Prep School is in our second full academic year of implementing Thinking Maps, which are visual tools for learning. They enable students to organize and process information, develop cognitive skills, and integrate knowledge. Thinking Maps address different thinking processes, but they are particularly effective with the kinds of processes that figure prominently in Literature: classifying story elements, sequencing main events in a book or short story, describing or comparing and contrasting characters, and examining the causes and effects of a conflict within a story. A few ways in which Thinking Maps have been used in Literature are presented:

• Colleen Amidon, High School – Literature: Every Thinking Map was used while reading The Cay by Theodore Taylor. For example, a Multi-flow was used to examine the causes and effects of a main character’s death. A Brace Map broke down the physical setting of the story, and a Flow Map was used to map the plot. A book report on Gloria Miklowitz’s The War between the Classes was written with the help of each Thinking Map.
  
  
• Hope Anderson, High School – Literature: Bubble maps are used for character analysis in books and short stories. Flow Maps help sequence events in the main plot as well as the sub-plot, and Tree Maps can keep track of multiple characters from the same story.
  
  
• Gia Batty, High School – Literature: Students have used the multi-mapping technique (drawing maps within maps) to summarize and analyze three novels: The View from Saturday Night by E.L. Konigsburg, The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, and Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson. A Flow Map was drawn, with one box for each chapter, and within that box, students were able to choose any Thinking Map to summarize or analyze the story elements. Some students chose Bubble Maps to describe characters, while others chose Tree Maps to track character development. The completed maps then were used to develop multi-paragraph essays about the books.
  
  
• Nancy d’Hemecourt, High School – Literature: In “The Wish Ring” by Suzanne Loebl, students used Flow Maps to summarize major and minor story events. Characters were described in a synonym activity using Bubble Maps; similarities and differences between characters were examined using Double Bubble Maps. A Multi-flow Map detailed the causes and effects of the story’s main event.
  
  
• Chris Dowling, High School – Literature: Thinking Maps are used in a variety of ways with Work/Study students’ weekly reading assignments. Flow Maps sequence events from the assigned section of reading. Double Bubble Maps compare and contrast characters, and Bubble Maps are used to analyze characters.

• Bobby Finnegan, High School – Literature: Drawing highly detailed Thinking Maps assists students who have difficulty with recalling information; the maps can be referred to as a reference guide. Maps also are used in conjunction with journals to summarize and examine stories and books. For example, at the end of each chapter, students add three boxes onto a Flow Map to sequence the main events. In the middle of a book, Multi-flow Maps are used to list the primary conflict as well as its causes; predicted effects of the conflict also are included and evaluated at the conclusion of the story. In The Catcher in the Rye, Tree Maps were used to categorize the different kinds of symbolism within the book.
  
  
• Joan Habib, High School – Literature: Writing a personal narrative essay was not such a daunting task with the help of Thinking Maps. Circle Maps brainstormed the events in students’ lives as an infant, toddler, child, and teenager. These events then were placed in correct chronological order using a Flow Map, and a Tree Map was used to help structure the paragraphs within the essay. Describing what students did over the weekend was also made easier when Thinking Maps were used to record and examine the events.
  
  
• Jane McGowan, High School – Literature: One class read “To Build a Fire” by Jack London in addition to a biographical account of London’s life. Students were required to use a Tree Map to divide the author’s life into any three categories except early, middle, and late life. This directive posed a challenge for many students, but it is one example of how Thinking Maps can be used to introduce abstract or inferential thinking. Double Bubble Maps also were used in a collaborative learning activity to contrast students’ own lives with the lives of the characters in Our Town by Thornton Wilder; students used the completed map to write a multi-paragraph essay on the similarities and differences between themselves and the story’s characters.

Each month we will highlight how Thinking Maps are used throughout the curriculum at Learning Prep. This month’s featured curriculum is Mathematics.

Learning Prep School is in our second full academic year of implementing Thinking Maps, which are visual tools for learning. They enable students to organize and process information, develop cognitive skills, and integrate knowledge. Thinking Maps address different thinking processes, but they are particularly effective with the kinds of processes that figure prominently in Science: classifying information, breaking down physical objects from the whole into its parts, describing the properties of objects, and examining the effects of a process on an object (as in an experiment). A few ways in which Thinking Maps have been used in Science are presented:

• Staci Desatnick, Elementary School – Math: Tree Maps were used to classify right, obtuse, and acute angles; equilateral, isosceles, and scalene triangles were compared and contrasted using a Triple Bubble Map. Measurement was examined in a Tree Map, which was divided into three main categories of volume, length, and weight. These categories were then broken down further into two subcategories – metric and customary measurements.
  
  
• Julie MacLean, Middle School – Math: Students used a Tree Map to categorize various kinds of geometric shapes. A Brace Map was used to identify coins, and factoring was examined using a double bubble map to compare and contrast groups of numbers.

• Moe Coyle, High School – Math: Steps of equations and different solving systems were sequenced using Flow Maps. A Circle Map was drawn to brainstorm cooperative learning. From the Circle Map, students developed a rubric that would be used to evaluate their cooperative learning projects; this process enabled them to fully understand what was expected and how they would be evaluated, enabling them to take ownership of their grades.
  
  
• Anita Finn, High School – Math: A Circle Map was used to brainstorm all the ways math is used in daily life. The sequence of operations was organized in a Flow Map, and the similarities of fractions and decimals were evaluated using a Double Bubble Map.
  
  
• Melissa Hamilton, High School – Math: Students took part in a group “menu” activity which taught them how to calculate tips and divide a check to figure out how much each person owed. The steps of the entire project were sequenced using a Flow Map. Students also had to name polygon shapes using a Bridge Map, and Circle Maps are used consistently to review for quizzes. Students list everything on a Circle Map that they had studied in the previous week and then highlight what they do not know. The teacher is able to see what topics need further explanation, and the students know that evening what they need to focus on as they prepare for the quiz.
  
  
• Sonya Harris, High School – Math: Students learned how to make change using a Brace Map. The different components of a pay stub, such as deductions and withholdings, were broken down and explained using a Tree Map. A Flow Map was used to sequence the steps for simplifying fractions.
  
  
• Karen Panarella, High School – Math: Karen originally devised the “Circle Map review method” for quiz preparation that is being taught in Melissa’s class. Factoring and multiples were examined using Bubble and Double Bubble Maps. Flow Maps also are used to sequence the steps for solving algebraic and trigonomic equations.
  
  
• Matthew Read, High School – Math: Flow Maps are used as chapter notes for all mathematical processes (for example, how to solve a two-step variable). Flow Maps also sequence the correct order for solving equations using PEMDAS (a method in which numbers within parenthesis are first solved, then exponents, and finally steps involving multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction)

Each month we will highlight how Thinking Maps are used throughout the curriculum at Learning Prep. This month’s featured curriculum is Science.

Learning Prep School is in our second full academic year of implementing Thinking Maps, which are visual tools for learning. They enable students to organize and process information, develop cognitive skills, and integrate knowledge. Thinking Maps address different thinking processes, but they are particularly effective with the kinds of processes that figure prominently in Science: classifying information, breaking down physical objects from the whole into its parts, describing the properties of objects, and examining the effects of a process on an object (as in an experiment).A few ways in which Thinking Maps have been used in Science are presented:

• Susan Solomon, Elementary School -- Science: Students used a triple bubble map to compare and contrast the different energies (mechanical electrical, and chemical); an accommodation that Susan used was giving the children a list of the different energies and having them decide where they belong. They then cut and pasted the energies into the appropriate bubbles. She also developed a tree map that has been placed in the students’ binders as a reference guide; it classifies the different kinds of energies (kinetic, potential, mechanical, chemical, electrical, light, heat, and sound) for students to refer to as needed when completing assignments.
  
  
• Marla Jacobs, Middle School – Science: The five kingdoms of life (protist, menoeran, fungi, plants, and animals) were classified in a tree map. A variety of maps have been used to study plants and animals: classifying and categorizing, comparing and contrasting, defining and citing examples of each, and breaking down the groups into subgroups.
  
  
• Chris Matson, Middle School – Science: A brace map was used to break down the different systems of the human body. The similarities and differences between plants and animals were examined using the double bubble map, and examples of plants and animals were categorized using a tree map.
  
  
• Danny Fain, High School – Science: Some classes are participating in an engineering design project titled “Build a Better…”. Students identified a machine that could be better designed – a paper shredder – and drew a flow map to sequence how the machine will work step-by-step. Then a brace map was used to break down the different parts of the machine. Other students have examined the parts of the Earth using a brace map, and a triple bubble map compared and contrasted the differences and similarities between heat, sound, and light.
  
  
• Mary Peacock, High School – Science: The three categories of rocks (igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic) were classified using a tree map. Different cellular structures of animals and plants were compared in a double bubble map. Instead of notes, students also summarize sections of chapters using various thinking maps that have proven to be highly effective for visual learners; the maps are also used as study guides for quizzes and as references for students to refer to when completing assignments.

Thinking Maps can be used in any curriculum, at any grade level, and with any student, regardless of his or her personal level of cognitive development. If you have any questions about Thinking Maps, please call Cynthia Manning at extension 122.