HOW TO USE WORD MAPS TO HELP WITH LEARNING AND REMEMBERING VOCABULARY

When we learn new words, they are stored in our brains in various ways eg they are grouped according to what category they belong to ( what ‘kind of thing’ they are); by function (what they are used for/what you do with them); what sound they begin with; whether they are long/short words (number of syllables); what they look like etc.

You will see that these are reflected in the word map attached.

To help you store new words effectively and to make it easier to find the word when you need it:

· Photocopy word maps – you could reduce the size if you wish

· Fill in a word map when you learn a new word eg when reading a book, in one of your lessons at school, or when talking with your parents/friends – you may need to look up the word in a dictionary to find the definition (‘what does it mean?’) or ask someone to explain it to you

· Make a folder, divided into sections, where you can keep your word maps – the sections could be : science words, maths words, history words etc, or you could have categories eg clothes, animals, stationary, places etc

· Revise the words in your folder regularly – a fun way to do this, is to play a guessing game with a friend /parent: take turns to give clues from your mind map and see if your partner can guess the word.