Semantic+mapping





=**Semantic Mapping...** = Semantic mapping is a categorical structuring of information in graphic form (Johnson, & Pearson, 1984). According to Heimlich and Pittelman (1986), it is a teacher-directed study of a word or concept in relation to other related words and idea. The teacher provides a word or concept to be taught in the class and has students brainstorm characteristics, attributes, related words and ideas, and specific examples of the words. Because students are required to connect their own experiences and prior knowledge to new words employed through this discussion that is a significant aspect of a semantic mapping, it is an individualized content approach as well (Johnson & Pearson, 1984).

=**According to Janet Allen...** = Allen gives detailed description of how semantic mapping activity works in a classroom. In her example, the teacher gives the topic of the reading that student will be exploring and has students brainstorm it on the basis of four categories which are predicted to be engaged in their reading: people, places, causes/events, and other related information. With this information gathered, each student is asked to write individual academic journals, which is kept by each student and used as a natural part of each class as well as support during assessment. With this activity, Allen argues that teacher can have a chance to see what students brings as their prior knowledge relating to the topic addressed, and also students are provided with the opportunity to overview the critical aspects of the study they will be exploring. Additionally, semantic mapping enables teachers and students to be aware of their knowledge base in academic writing or demonstrations of learning.

=**According to Yun...** = Allen shows an appropriate application of semantic mapping strategy in academic vocabulary teaching and learning. Semantic mapping as a stragegy can be well connected to academic vocabulary learning because it enables students to conceptualize a word within the content area that they will be studying. By connecting a new word or concept given, their prior knowledge, and the content introduced to each other, students can attend more to meaning within the context than to dictionary definition of the word, which fosters students to understand both general and specific meanings thus contributing to disciplinary literacy (Shanahan & Shanahan, 2008)

In addition, Allen’s introduction of academic journals to the application of semantic mapping strategy seems to support not only students’ academic vocabulary ability but also their overall reading comprehension of the content area. Academic journals that include students’ note taking, language collection, and strategies learned as well as semantic map can help students to monitor themselves and see whether comprehension takes place or not. This goes along with the argument by Johnson, Pittelman, and Heimlich (1986), which says that employing semantic mapping as a strategy to enhance comprehension is a logical one, since the procedure draws heavily on the activation of prior knowledge. Also, students’ complete map with notes may be a guide by which students can structure a story with the category headings serving as topic sentences or main ideas, eventually improving reading comprehension in content knowledge learning such as in studying sociology, science, and history (Johnson, Pittelman, & Heimlich, 1986)

__** References: **__

Johnson, D. D., Pittelman, S. D., & Heimlich, J. E. (1986). The Reading-Writing-Thinking Connection. //The Reading Teacher//, 39(8), 778-783.

Johnson, D. D., & Pearson, D. P. (1984). //Teaching Reading Vocabulary// (2nd ed.). New York, N.Y.: Holt, Rinehart and Winston

Shanahan, T. & Shanahan, C. (2008). Teaching disciplinary literacy to adolescents: Rethinking content-area literacy. //Harvard Educational Review, 78//(1), 40-60.

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