Creating a mind map

• You wish to explore a theme with your class, such as the environment. To encourage pupils to think and to organise their ideas, and to make the exercise interactive, open a blank screen and write the main theme in the middle of the page (for example: how to save the planet).
• If your pupils are not familiar with the concept of a mind map, explain the basic principle. A mind map is a method of organising ideas in a tree structure (a tree of ideas). You can do one branch of the tree and its subsections to illustrate the idea.
• Pass the interactive book (and EXTRA toolbar) and pen around the classroom and allow the pupils to add to the mind map in turn. If you do not have enough time, allow one pupil to take down the notes/ideas while the rest of the class participate verbally.
• In order for the mind map to have a greater impact on the class, use a different colour for each branch of the tree. The EXTRA toolbar has 72 colours.
• If you have enough time, allow your pupils to draw the important elements. This will make the exercise even more fun for the class and will aid memory.

Benefits:

• PAPERSHOW has a wide array of tools (particularly colours), which can make a visual impact and make the mind map particularly memorable.
• Use the varying thickness of the lines to illustrate the different levels of the tree structure: thick lines for the main ideas, then medium thickness for the secondary ideas, and thin lines for the level below that.
• PAPERSHOW allows pupils control of writing the ideas. You guide them in their thinking and they organise and write for the rest of the class.
• Everything can be corrected or modified using the delete command or the undo action tool. PAPERSHOW re-introduces the idea of rough work. Mistakes can be made and are no longer important.
• At the end of the lesson you can share the summary notes with your pupils at the click of a mouse. They will then have the outline of ideas