ow many times have you reminded your students to organize their essay before they actually write it?  My students always tried to organize their writing, but at best, it was a few bullet points written in the margin of the paper. 

At least that was before I started requiring them to use spider maps. Let me tell you, it was a total game changer for any type of writing assignment I gave them. 

Spider maps, also known as mind maps, are a fantastic brainstorming tool that everyone knows about, but few of us use well.   I became a “convert” to spider maps after a student of mine completely changed his writing abilities once he used them. Really, the change was remarkable. 

Any essay can be vastly improved when it is nicely organized and doesn’t jump all over the place. Spider maps are a very easy way to graphically organize your thoughts. For an unorganized high school kid, they tend to be a great way to jot down a bunch of random ideas that you can better organize later. 

Here is an example of how I used them:

After my students read two different short stories, I wanted them to write an essay comparing the use of “magical realism” from one story to the next. Obviously, they needed to define the term first, and then write a well organized essay with clear examples, comparing the different uses of that literary genre in both stories. 

First I required that each student take a full class period (approximately 30 minutes) to brainstorm their ideas in the form of a spider map. The center of the map is the main topic (“magical realism”) and the “arms” of the map are all the different aspects of that literary technique.  Extending out from the “arms” are the examples from the text. It looks something like this when they are done: 

Once they complete this spider map, they have a clear plan of what to write, with examples, vocabulary, and specific details about the topic. That way, each arm of the map becomes a separate paragraph of the essay.  They can even “tag” the examples with dots or flags to indicate categories or chapters were the example came from.

Honestly, the students do not mind sitting down to actually write the essay once they see this outline. It makes the whole process so much easier!

Trust me, this exercise seems easy or obvious, but it can completely change the outcome and the quality of a student’s essay. 

Let me give you a few examples from different content areas:

• Social studies 
  • Brainstorm details about a cultural movement, such as Black Lives Matter. Create a flow chart to describe what event led to another event. It could be a cause and effect chart or a flow chart. Add photos, links and video for further detail. 
• Foreign language
  • Brainstorm what vocabulary they might need in order to go to the doctor. Group the vocabulary by category (office terms, medical terms, question words, etc) then have groups of students look up the translations. Once they have the vocabulary, have them write a dialogue between a doctor and a patient. 
• Math
  • Brainstorm Different real life examples of division (ie, when we cut a pizza) or where we see algebra in the regular world (ie, when we want to calculate the range of movement of a swing, etc). 
• Theater & Music
  • After watching a production, ask for feedback on anything related to the show, including characters, staging, music, themes etc. Have each student review the feedback and write a newspaper article in the form of a theater review.
• Business or Economics
  • Brainstorm start up business ideas along with advantages and disadvantages. After some research and collaborative work, have them pick one of the ideas and develop it into a written business plan.

Most of the online mind maps are free (or have a free version at least). They can also be used collaboratively, where an entire group can participate in the brainstorming session online at the same time. 

All of these online tools allow you to brainstorm with text alone, or you can add photos, links, audios, videos and lots of colors, shapes and sizes. So get creative!

There are a lot of options for mind maps and brainstorming tools online. Most of them have a free version, so feel free to investigate which one works for you. These are the ones I use most:

1. Mindmeister – It has a versatile interface and you can collaborate on shared maps. The best part about this tool is that it will take your mindmap and convert it into a presentation format.  It zooms in on each little circle, allowing you to explain each point in more detail.
2. Padlet – This is more of a “bulletin board” or “wall” and not a spider map, but it can be used in the same way. Students can brainstorm alone or in groups by putting “sticky notes” on a wall to contribute to the virtual creation session.
3. Lucidspark – The free version allows 3 idea boards and online collaboration. There are lots of different templates to choose from. It is quite colorful and modern. The paid versions include drawing tools, customizable colors and shapes, timer, live chat amongst collaborators etc.

I love spider maps for their versatility. They can be an individual, small project, or a much more extensive, group project. 

Brainstorming is an easy and creative activity with no wrong answers!  It gives everyone in the group an equal voice. There are no restrictions and no “bad” ideas. It can be fun too. One idea sparks another, and soon you arrive at combinations of ideas that no one person could have achieved alone. 

I think what I love the most about brainstorming sessions is that they allow students to just sit and think for a moment. It is a slow pace, low pressure activity that we really should do more often. I love giving the students the opportunity to think “graphically” and to express their knowledge in an alternative way.  Meaning, it’s great for differentiation too. 

Give it a try and let me know in the comments below how it worked!