MindWing Concepts Blog

We are often asked which books/materials to use with the SGM^® and ThemeMaker^® maps. Although there are many suggestions given in our manuals, the answer is: any selection that you are using will work! The strength of the SGM/ThemeMaker lies in the fact that it is a flexible approach that adds needed scaffolding to make text, whether narrative or expository, assessable to all students.

A recent post, Exploring Expository Text Using the SGM Descriptive Map (August 12, 2015), focused on transitioning from the Narrative Character Map to the Expository Character Descriptive Map.

It’s an Armadillo! written by Bianca Lavies was the text chosen for that first post. Today, we present an extension of this Descriptive Map activity with the topic of cheetahs, which we have presented whole group in grades 2-4. You may modify to meet your needs...

Creating foldables is one way to make reinforcing the SGM icons an enjoyable experience. Using a flipbook and our Icon STAMPede Stamp Activity Set is a versatile way to engage students. There are a variety of flip book ideas online which may be adapted to this activity and the stamps make it easy for students themselves to create their own booklets during centers.

The Basic Flip Book/STAMPede activity…

1. Decide which icons you would like students to work on… this will vary by what you want to reinforce with your students
2. Place as many sheets of paper as needed, one on top of the other...

As they are contextual tools, it’s important to consider context when developing narrative and expository language with SGM^® and Thememaker^®, respectively. Picture books naturally make terrific contexts to work on narrative at a range of developmental stages and teach identification and use of expository text structures. This summer, while you are away from your school libraries, you can check out the gold mine of contexts that is the EPIC! Unlimited Books for Kids app (free for iPad). When you launch the app, sign up for an educator account (also free) and you will have access to an amazing library of picture and chapter books from leading publishers such as Harper Collins, National Geographic and MacMillan. As the app claims to be, “it’s like a Netflix for children’s books!”...

Several lessons on characters and settings have been presented in past blog entries. Increasingly, children are asked to take informational selections and summarize what they have learned. There is a great need to help students find ways to organize and express expository texts. We have found it helpful to take the time to transition from the use of the Character Map—that the children are already familiar with—to the Descriptive Expository Map. Begin by showing your students the Character Map and the Descriptive Map.

Do you travel from classroom to classroom teaching Braidy the StoryBraid lessons? Canvas tote bags are very helpful! You can fit Braidy and all the accessories plus the books/activities needed for your lessons in the bag. One teacher used large plastic envelopes and put the book and activity for each class in separate envelopes. Everything fits nicely into the bag. Shown are two of my “Braidy Bags.” The bag shown at the right was made by my kindergarten students. Each child had a part in the “creation” of this bag using his/her thumbprint and paint as part of the design...

Are you looking for a quick lesson to reinforce the SGM or Braidy Character Map? Have students each fill out a character map or work with a partner to fill out the map in an interview format: • How old are you? • What best describes how you look? • What are you like as a person? • Are you friendly? • Are you curious? • What do you like (to eat, to do, etc.)? • What don’t you like?...