This is a concept map, which I created using a tool called Popplet. Popplet has a user-friendly, very intuitive drag and drop interface which allows individuals, such as educators, to create graphic organizers that can include both text and images. This tool can be used to explore connections between concepts in the classroom with students of any age.
I chose to create my Popplet Concept Map on the key concept of Baby Animals, which is a curricular theme that we examine in Kindergarten. We might explore a concept map such as this after we have already learned about many different kinds of animals as we begin to make connections between all living things, as well as compare and contrast what we already know.
I chose to create my Popplet Concept Map on the key concept of Baby Animals, which is a curricular theme that we examine in Kindergarten. We might explore a concept map such as this after we have already learned about many different kinds of animals as we begin to make connections between all living things, as well as compare and contrast what we already know.
I began by making a distinction between how baby animals are born; either via live birth or by hatching from an egg, which are both general concepts that a kindergarten student can be expected to understand. I then narrowed it down to a different concept that we explore in kindergarten, which is how we can tell, just by looking at an animal, how we might classify it. We ask the question "Does it look similar or different to its parents/adults of the same species?" If yes, we know it is a mammal. If not, we need to look closer. Some animals go through metamorphosis, which makes them either an insect or amphibian, while some begin to look more like the adults of their species over time, which may make them a fish, a bird, or a reptile. Finally, I provided specific (often local and/or common and easy to relate to) examples that kindergartners would recognize, such as human babies, seagulls, and goldfish.
This concept map is simple. It does not include many cross links. I'm not sure it's appropriate to use too many of those in early childhood classrooms because the map begins to look cluttered and confusing, and the goal is to create connections and understanding, not frustration. As students grow older and become more comfortable with graphic organizers, however, I imagine such connections will become far more integral to how we assess student learning. At this stage, however, I believe this simple but informative concept map can be used as a reference during a baby animal classification activity toward the end of kindergarten or beginning of first grade. It is simple and (especially with the addition of the pictures) accessible.
This concept map is simple. It does not include many cross links. I'm not sure it's appropriate to use too many of those in early childhood classrooms because the map begins to look cluttered and confusing, and the goal is to create connections and understanding, not frustration. As students grow older and become more comfortable with graphic organizers, however, I imagine such connections will become far more integral to how we assess student learning. At this stage, however, I believe this simple but informative concept map can be used as a reference during a baby animal classification activity toward the end of kindergarten or beginning of first grade. It is simple and (especially with the addition of the pictures) accessible.
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