Concept Mapping

I chose to do a concept map for 5th grade science - elements of a chemical change. Tennessee state standards for 5th grade science that coincide with this concept map are:

13.0 Interactions of Matter
13.1 Describe the types of changes that result from interactions of matter.
5.13.spi.1 Distinguish between physical and chemical changes.
5.13.spi.2 Compare the effect of physical and chemical changes on matter.
5.13.tpi.2 Compare and contrast the characteristics of physical and chemical changes.

Because I already had kidsperation downloaded, I decided to use it for creating my concept map. It is a bit limited in capability as far as inter-activeness and graphic wise, but the program is still a useful tool in helping kids navigate through a concept map. Because I downloaded the image of my concept map as a .gif, it will not be interactive, however - if used in the classroom the students would be able to navigate on the links to find additional information on the topics. You could make this concept map huge - listing several more links, photos, and facts - but for demonstration purposes, I kept mine fairly simple.

If teaching in the classroom I think I would utilize web questing a bit more than concept mapping. I like the idea of concept maps, but I think in some instances they are a bit limited in their capability. In an era where kids are used to X-Box 360's, interactive online gaming, etc... I feel it is important to attempt to keep up with current trends in inter-activeness and attractiveness to capture their attention, and ultimately "map" their imagination.

I left the actual websites full domain as pasted in case someone wishes to view the site - since this map is simply an image and not interactive.

If used in the classroom I would change the links from the "real" site listed to something like "Video of Chemical Change" or "Chemical Change Quiz."