Strategy Overview

A semantic map is a graphic organizer that helps students build prior knowledge around a word that they do not know the meaning of. Students will write words that are synonyms, antonyms, or words related to the topic. This graphic provides a visual representation of the connections between different words. This is important because it helps activate background knowledge and scaffold vocabulary words into a student’s mental word bank. This improves students’ understanding of words, their reading comprehension, and can facilitate strong collaborative discussion among students. Teachers can use a semantic map anytime they are trying to show the relationship between familiar and unfamiliar words. Research shows that semantic maps are, “effective with discussion and when it is used before reading a text. Word learning requires multiple exposures to the word within meaningful contexts (Judy Zorfass., n.d.).” Semantic maps are an effective activity for students to participate in before or after reading to help deepen understanding of a text. Semantic maps can be manipulated to include the definition of the word in the organizer. Furthermore, this a great group activity that students can create on chart paper. In research “semantic mapping… has been recommended for both special education and regular classroom teachers as a study skill strategy and a way to improve the comprehension of reading materials of all kinds” (Schewel, 1989).

Related Resources

• Connecting Word Meanings Through Semantic Mapping | Reading Rockets

References

Schewel, R. (1989). Semantic mapping. Academic Therapy, 24(4), 439–447.  https://doi.org/10.1177/105345128902400407