Routine · Vocabulary
Semantic map
Build a web of words around a topic, grouped into categories, before and after reading.
- Time
- 8 to 12 minutes
- Skill
- Vocabulary
- In a session plan
- Library only
When to use it
Before reading about a new topic, to bring out what the student knows and add new words.
Materials
- Large paper or a whiteboard
- Markers
Steps
Get ready
Write the topic in the middle, such as oceans.
I do
Add two words you know about the topic and say why. Draw a branch for each kind of word, such as animals or places.
We do
Ask the student for words. Decide together which branch each word belongs on.
You do
After reading, the student adds new words from the text to the map in a different color.
Student: Adds words and places them on the right branch.
Check
The student uses the map to tell you three things about the topic.
If the student...
Puts a word on a branch where it does not belong.
Ask what the branch is about and what the word means. Decide together where it fits, and let the student move it.
Tips
- The new color after reading shows clearly how much the text added.
- In a group, give each student a branch to fill and then share.
Original routines written by Literacy Trail. In the app, every routine is filled with your student's lesson.
Related routines
- Word mapFill a simple map for a word: its meaning, a sentence, a picture, and words like it and unlike it.6 to 10 minutes · Library only
- Story map and retellFill a simple map of a story's characters, setting, problem, main events and ending, then retell from it.8 to 12 minutes · Library only
- Teach a word: friendly meaning, examples, non-examplesExplain a new word in everyday language, show it in use, and test it against examples and non-examples.3 to 6 minutes · Library only
- Word talk during a read-aloudPause briefly on rich words while reading aloud, then come back to them after the story.5 to 10 minutes · Library only
Have this routine filled in for every lesson
In Literacy Trail, the session plan picks a routine for each block and fills it with the words, sounds and sentence from your student's lesson. Every plan starts with a 15-day free trial.