Building Reading Proficiency at the Secondary Level: A Guide to Resources

What is it? How does it work?

Background:
Students explore new vocabulary and concepts, building upon what they know to see relationships through graphic depictions.

Overview:
Several mapping strategies were introduced during the 1970s and 1980s to help secondary students acquire vocabulary and concept knowledge. These strategies were an alternative to the ineffective practice of testing students on word definitions. Through a graphic depiction of ideas, these strategies build upon what students know to help them see relationships with newly introduced vocabulary. Students develop related rather than isolated word knowledge and develop skill in differentiating concepts as well as defining words. Each can be used before, during, and after reading.

Semantic mapping
1. Place the target concept at the center of a diagram.
2. Elicit related key words and concepts from students and place them radiating out from the central concept, grouping them into related categories.
3. Introduce new words and related concepts attached to those known by students.

Semantic feature analysis
1. Select a category of related terms.
2. List terms in a column.
3. List features (characteristics) to be explored in rows above the terms.
4. Indicate feature possession with + or -, or scale 1-3,
5. New terms and/or features may be added during and after reading.
6. Terms and features are explored through discussion.

Concept of definition (word) mapping
1. Identify a target concept.
2. Guide students to identify relevant (essential) characteristics and contrast these with irrelevant (non-essential) characteristics.
3. Generate examples to illustrate concept.
4. Attach concept to a larger category.
5. Consider related but different concepts within this category.

These strategies have been reported to improve word and concept knowledge as well as comprehension across grade levels, in a variety of content areas, and with a variety of learners, including struggling ESL, bilingual, and learning disabled readers.