Routine · Vocabulary
Word map
Fill a simple map for a word: its meaning, a sentence, a picture, and words like it and unlike it.
- Time
- 6 to 10 minutes
- Skill
- Vocabulary
- In a session plan
- Library only
When to use it
For an important word that the student needs to own deeply, such as a key word in a science text.
Materials
- A word map sheet with boxes
- Pencils
Steps
Get ready
Write the word in the center of the map.
I do
Fill the meaning box with a friendly definition, thinking aloud about how to say it simply.
We do
Fill the sentence box and the picture box together, talking about choices.
You do
The student fills the remaining boxes: a word with a similar meaning and one with the opposite meaning.
Student: Completes the map.
Check
The student explains the word to you using only the map.
If the student...
Copies a dictionary meaning they do not understand.
Ask them to explain it to a younger child. Write their simpler version together, then check it fits the sentence.
Tips
- One map per week is plenty. Keep finished maps in a folder for review.
- In a group, each student can map a different word and teach it to the others.
Original routines written by Literacy Trail. In the app, every routine is filled with your student's lesson.
Related routines
- 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
- Semantic mapBuild a web of words around a topic, grouped into categories, before and after reading.8 to 12 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
- Meanings of prefixes and suffixesTeach what a common prefix or suffix means, then use it to work out the meaning of new words.5 to 8 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.