It was recently suggested that I talk a little bit about how to create a web that will help you in creating lesson plans. I am going to present a few very basic webs just to get you thinking!
Centers
This first web is focused on centers. This web is simply an example of how webbing can be used to help you think through all aspects of your classroom planning. In every web you want to start with the middle of the web. The middle of the web is the core idea that you will build all other parts of the web from.
Webbing out from the word in the middle are the centers I have elected to set up in my classroom. I could have added fewer or more centers. The point of this article is not to tell you what centers to include in your web or classroom, rather to show you how to use the webbing method.
Thematic Web
Now let's take a look at another simple web. This web takes a thematic approach but still focuses on centers. The chosen theme is birds. Now I have to decide what I want to include in my centers to allow for further exploring of the theme.
In the web to the left, I have added ideas to include in each center. Again this is a very basic example of webbing.
The purpose of webbing is to brainstorm ideas for your lesson plans. You can add more lines to each of the outside circles and at the end of each line, add more ideas.
Going off of this very basic web I would then choose the ideas I like best and transpose the chosen ideas into a lesson plan format.
Here is a basic lesson plan that I created from this simple web...
Webbing is for brainstorming ideas...
Grab a sheet of paper and draw a circle then start building your web of ideas. Your web can be simple or complex.
- Webbing helps you build on a basic idea.
- Webbing illustrates how each idea builds off another.
- Webbing helps you think outside of the box.
- Webbing helps you know where your lesson plans are weak and where they are strong.
11 comments:
This reminds me a bit of a Montessori set up. Very inspiring design!
Love webbing. I even use it in my every day life. Great post>
Agh! This makes me feel so inadequate Deborah. Most of my lesson planning is done during my commute to school each morning. My poor kids!
I was still thinking about htis post as I started my day and thought that webbing might be easy to introduce to preschoolers too. They won't know that it is a graphic organizer of course but they will recognize it when they come across it later and understand how to read it. I was thinking it would be great to work with my son on beginning letter sounds. I'll put the letter in the middle and we can draw pictures in the outer circles of things that start with that letter or it could be used for rhyming. I'm sure there are a ton of ways! Anyway, thanks for sparking the idea!
Webbing is awesome for little ones you can really integrate Math language Science Art etc...
We love to web during circle time. The children each add to the web different ideas about a theme... ie. deserts. "hot, sand, rocks, coyotes, rhinos," we write it all on the board... correct or not.
we discuss what they want to find out more about and
then we take their web and go from there.
Those are great ideas! I hadn't thought about webbing with the kids. Of course they could do this and it is a great idea to introduce to them!!!
Hi Deborah, In a High/Scope program I webbed with the kids, too. Same concept and around loose theme that was usually a question I asked the kids, like "What do you like to do outside?"
All their answers were in bubbles and then I could organize it around learning experiences after they were done. (ie math, writing, large motor etc.) I would draw lines to connect it to each response-it really did look like a web! It's my favorite way to plan!
Barbra,
This is such a great idea! I am going to start introducing webbing in the future to preschoolers. Thank you so much for sharing.
Hello Deborah,
I choose this blog because as a teacher, I often run out of ideas (and usually wait to the last minute to put lesson plans together). I figured using the web would motivate and help me with my lesson plans as well as my themes! This blog is very helpful! I also read the comments made by other users in which I could use the web for actual lessons with the students!
Hi Briana,
Thank you for your comment. I hope you will join me at my new location as I am still posting for excellence in early childhood education there:)
Deborah
www.deborahjstewart.com/blog
Post a Comment