3/4: Text is not Linear - Mindmaps and Outlines

Reading:

Representing the structure of ideas in a text

As long as students are trying to read each and every word in a text, rather than trying to find the ideas, they will struggle to understand, to make notes and to remember, all of which are fundamental academic skills.

Making a mindmap is a good way to get away from linear text.

• Use keywords only.
• Create a hierarchy of ideas (Main points link to supporting ideas)

Mindmup is a simple, effective mind mapping tool that integrates with Google Drive and Classroom. Why digital?

• Working digitally allows flexibility - ideas can be incrementally organised, edited and formatted.
• It can be used in GC to provide a template to scaffold thinking.

Writing:

Having a clear outline structure for a text before trying to write

Students tend to write garbled ideas without having a clear idea of what they want to say. Each paragraph needs to be planned. Without this, their thinking is unclear and/or incomplete, and a reader will be confused.

Having an outline is a good way to plan each section and the paragraphs in it.

Use the outlining tools in Google Docs.

• View the outline by clicking the “Show document outline” button.
• Assign heading levels by changing Normal Text to Heading 1 or 2.

Bonus Tip: Doing this makes creating a Table of Contents very easy: Click where you want the ToC, then click Insert > Table of Contents