Using Semantic Mapping in a High School English Class to Activate Prior Knowledge and Reinforce Vocabulary Learning

Definition Tree, A Graphic Organizer for Semantic Mapping and Vocabulary Acquisition

Using Semantic Mapping in a High School English Class to Activate Prior Knowledge and Reinforce Learning

Instructional Strategy Overview Sheet    

Name of Strategy:  A form of semantic map:  definition tree

Source:  Johnson, D.D. & Pearson, D.D. (1984).  Teaching reading vocabulary.  New York:  Holt, Reinhart, & Winston.


North Carolina Curriculum Competency Goal(s) the lesson addresses:

1.02 Respond reflectively (individually and in groups) to a variety of expressive texts (e.g., memoirs, vignettes, narratives, diaries, monologues, personal responses) in a way that offers an audience:

2.02 Explain commonly used terms and concepts by:

• clearly stating the subject to be defined.
• classifying the terms and identifying distinguishing characteristics.
• organizing ideas and details effectively.
• using description, comparison, figurative language, and other appropriate strategies purposefully to elaborate ideas.
• demonstrating a clear sense of audience and purpose.

Competency Goal 5

The learner will demonstrate understanding of various literary genres, concepts, elements, and terms.

Strategy Description:

“Semantic maps can help to effectively expand students’ knowledge of words that they already have a familiarity with but which have multiple meanings.”

The following steps is a description of this vocabulary tool:

1.     A semantic map is a graphic organizer.

2.     Related words are clustered around the target word according to criteria that teachers or students choose.

3.     These criteria can be things like similar or dissimilar attributes, connotative or denotative meanings, etc.

From this description, I surmise that the steps of implementation are

1.     distribute the graphic organizer

2.     choose criteria either as a class or teacher selected

3.     Discuss the word and its attributes, and fill out the graphic organizer as a class.

The instructions for the use of this graphic organizer is open-ended perhaps because the semantic map can be adapted to such a variety of contexts.

Steps for Implementation:

1.     Listen to Janis Joplin’s "Me and Bobby McGee."

2.     Discuss the word “freedom” in the context of this song.

3.     Distribute the definition tree.  Have students write “freedom” in the bubble labeled “Word to Be Defined.”

4.     Walk students through the parts of the graphic organizer, discussing what each section is asking of the student.

5.     Give students time on their own to complete the definition tree for “freedom.”

6.     Circulate and offer help as necessary.

7.     Read “The Ballad of Birmingham” by Dudley Randall.

8.     Have students go back and add to or alter any of the “fields” on their semantic map in light of this new reading.

9.     As a class, discuss each section of the semantic map.  See how different students responded to each part, and discuss the fact that a word like “freedom” can have different meanings for different people and cultures.

10.  Repeat the above steps for “fierce.”

Describe how you implemented the strategy. Did you deviate from your original plan?

1.     We listened to Janis Joplin’s “Me & Bobby McGee.”

2.     Afterwards, we discussed what message her song was saying about freedom.  Did they agree that freedom is having nothing left to lose?  Why/why not?

3.     I asked, “Does freedom mean anything else?”

4.     Then, we wrote down some definitions of “freedom.”

5.     Then, I asked the students what freedom didn’t mean.  At first, they were stumped and only responded, “Not being in prison?”  So I asked, “Is it freedom if I punch Kristina in the head?”

6.     Their response was, “Well, you’re free to do that, but there’s consequences.”

7.     We decided then that freedom does not mean that we do whatever we want without consequence.

8.     Next, I told students that to really understand a complex word/concept in all its dimensions, that we needed to consider the history of the word—when it first entered the English language and how its meaning has evolved over time.

9.     I had one student look up “freedom” in one of the dictionaries that we have in the classroom to see if the word history was listed.  It was not.  I adjusted, and had the same student look up the word’s etymology in an online dictionary.

10.  Next, I asked students to brainstorm any quotations they’d heard about freedom.  One of these of course was the Janis Joplin quote, “Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.”  It was interesting to me that this idea was novel to them, that they’d never heard the song before.  Someone else mentioned that freedom is the theme of “Free Bird.”  I asked them what that song said about freedom, and their reply was, “Free as a bird.”  Then, we discussed how a bird might be free—flying where they wanted to as they pleased.

11.  We talked about their personal experiences of freedom.  Again, students had difficulty thinking of these.  Their first response was that because they are teenagers at an alternative school, they have no freedoms.  So, I talked a bit about how freedom is limited in other countries and other eras.  For instance, in England, it used to be that you were born to a social class and a profession and did not have the freedom to choose or change.  The students mentioned freedoms lacking in other countries—that people couldn’t choose their religions, criticize their governments, or even dress as they please or have as many children that they would like to.

12.  In light of this discussion, my students were more aware of the freedoms they actually have.  One student said, “We decide who our friends are.”  Another response was, “We can choose to quit school at 16.”

13.  We talked about readings related to freedom—the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream.”  These were texts the students brainstormed.

14.  We discussed students’ observations of people acting with freedom.  They were having a hard time with this category, so I rephrased it:  “Have you ever seen someone acting with freedom?”  “Yes,” the students responded.  They brought up that in America, people have the right to protest, to church the church they attend, to smoke if they are old enough, etc.

15.  We then read “The Ballad of Birmingham” while listening to a recording of it.  We listened to it twice to be sure that the students captured the meaning and the images of the piece.

16.  Afterwards, we discussed the term “freedom” in context of the ballad.  Did freedom mean something in addition to what we’d already talked about?  The students said that freedom in this case was about being able to do the same things that other people do, as in the case of the Civil Rights movement.  Another student said, “Isn’t that the same as acting without restraint—doing what we please?”  My response was yes, that part of really knowing a word is being able to say what it means in different ways. 

17.  We then discussed that the word “free” is part of the word “freedom.”  A main definition of free as the students told me is “without cost.”  The question I posed was, “Is freedom free?”

18.  The students’ response was “No!”  We’re fighting for freedom in Iraq and that costs lives and taxpayers’ dollars.  The Revolutionary War was about freedom and also cost lives.  The Civil War and the civil rights movement were also about freedom and people died.  We discussed this idea briefly and then students responded in writing.

19.  Then, we discussed the word “fierce” and what it could mean.  Students did the rest of the semantic map for this word on their own and turned it in.

 Reflections

I deviated in the implementation of this plan by doing the semantic map for “freedom” as a whole class rather than as an individual process.  I felt that they would get more out of the process and put more thinking into the work if we did it together, rather than just rush through it on their own.  It was also their first encounter with this process, so doing it together provided appropriate scaffolding.  I also added some steps—such as writing and talking about the costs of freedom.

Assess the effectiveness of the strategy. What would you change if you teach it again?

I felt that the strategy was very effective.  The students were involved in a sometimes heated discussion of the concept of freedom.  They understood that a word can have many meanings and that the meaning of that word varies from context to context.

I would do the following things differently:

1.  I would photocopy the entry for “freedom” from the dictionary and pass it out to the students.  We’d complete the definition tree and then compare our ideas to the dictionary entry.  We’d add anything that we felt was too important/different to leave out.  We’d also have a conversation about dictionary language and how to go about choosing a good definition for the context.  I’d do this step with “fierce” too.

2.  Instead of the students doing the word “fierce” on their own and turning it in, we’d talk about it as a whole group once they had completed the work in pairs.

3.  I’d end with a writing activity—they choose one of the words to write a paragraph about, explaining the meaning using the information we brainstormed.

To extend this activity, we’d read other stories and poems on the topic and research the freedoms that people have in other countries.  We’d also talk about how certain freedoms are limited based on where we are—like freedom of speech in school, etc.