Mind Maps and Graphic Organizers思维导图与图形组织器

Getting a new assignment is often overwhelming. When all you have to start with is a blank page, it is often very difficult to get started. Creating something out of nothing is a lot harder than building something out of pieces.

This is where graphic organizers are helpful. These are ways of organizing and sorting your ideas into categories, prompting deeper thinking, and planning for more complex tasks.

There are many types of graphic organizers, and each has its own use depending on what you have been asked to do. Organizers are tools – not every organizer will be useful or practical for the work you need to do. In the same way that hammers and screwdrivers have very specific purposes (one to hit and one to turn), each graphic organizergraphic organizer 图形组织器：把想法按类别整理、便于规划与思考的可视化工具。 also has a very specific purpose. Some organizers help you generate ideas, others help you organize those ideas, and others can help you make connections between ideas.

This lesson will teach you about 3 kinds of graphic organizers: Mind Maps, KWHL Tables, and Outlines.

Concept maps or mind maps are a great way to brainstormbrainstorm 头脑风暴：不加评判地快速生成大量想法的过程。 ideas and make connections between ideas.

A concept mapconcept map 概念图：以中心概念为起点、向外发散并连线的图，用于头脑风暴与展示关系。 starts with a 'centre bubble' or 'box' where you write the question, idea, or concept that you are working with. As you generate ideas, you draw arrows or lines to other 'bubbles' in which you record the ideas.

Benefits of Using a Concept Map

• Help you brainstorm and explore any idea, concept, or problem
• Help you take study notes and plan tasks
• Helps you develop a better understanding of relationships and connections between ideas and concepts
• Make it easy to communicate new ideas and thought processes
• Allow you to easily recall information
• Make it easy to organize ideas and concepts

Here's an example of how it might be used in an English class for character analysis.

To create a simple mind map by hand:

1. Draw a circle in the centre of a blank page. Inside the circle, write your question or main idea.
2. Around the main idea, draw other circles/ boxes/ bubbles in which you record your supporting ideassupporting ideas 支撑想法：围绕主想法展开、对其进行说明或拓展的次级想法。/ details. Use lines or arrows to connect each of these supporting ideas to the central main ideas or other ideas that they are connected to.
3. Continue to add bubbles to expand the ideas in the bubbles you have created. Use lines to connect related ideas or concepts.

While drawing a mind map by hand is often the easiest, there are also a number of digital tools that work well. Here is a list of some tools you might want to explore.

• bubbl.us
• Mindmeister
• Canva
• Lucidchart
• Piktochart
• Google Draw

KWHL charts are particularly good for research projects, and they work great not only in English, but also in science and history courses as well. Here's an example of a filled in chart:

Having a KWHL chartKWHL chart KWHL 表：由 Know（已知）、Want（想知）、How（如何找）、Learned（学到）四栏组成的研究规划表。 not only helps you identify what questions you want to ask, but also helps you keep track of where information came from. It also makes it easier when it comes time to write your final product, such as an essay or creating a thesis, because all the information is already organized and referenced.

Creating a KWHL Chart

To create a KWHL Chart, simply create a 4 column chart on paper or in a word-processing program.

The purpose of an outlineoutline 大纲：用标题／子标题把想法纳入固定结构的规划工具，常用于作文与演示。 is to help you organize ideas by main ideas and to help you organize your thoughts in a specific structure. For example, an outline can help you organize ideas into paragraphs when planning a larger writing piece, such as an essay, or into slides, when planning a presentation.

There are different ways to create outlines. Outlines generally are created using headings and subheadings to organize the ideas. For example, an essay outline might look like this:

1. Introduction a) Background information b) Thesis statement
2. Body Paragraph 1 a) Example A b) Example B
3. Body Paragraph 2 a) Example C b) Example D
4. Conclusion a) Summary of arguments b) Acknowledgment of counter-stances c) Final thought

The outline is completed by adding in notes that you take from your research or writing down your own ideas. It is good practice to write these down in point form, but not necessary. Just be careful that you are not copying your source word for word, as this is considered plagiarismplagiarism 抄袭：未注明出处地照搬他人文字或想法，是学术不端行为。.

Below you see an example of a completed outline using this format:

1. Introduction: Everyone who can should adopt a cat. a) General intro: Cats have been a staple of households for 10,000 years b) Thesis: Families should have a cat because they provide pest control, live a long time with proper care, and can help owners' mental health.
2. Body Paragraph 1: Cats are great for pest control, so families benefit from having a cat. a) Cats are capable of catching mice and bugs in your house b) This can prevent disease or having to throw out contaminated food (LOGOS)
3. Body Paragraph 2: Cats live a long time, so they make good long-term companions. a) Due to advancements in vet science and nutrition, indoor house cats often live to be 14 years, and sometimes older b) Unlike small pets like hamsters, cats live a long time, leading to greater bonding opportunities (PATHOS)
4. Body Paragraph 3: Cats' companionship can improve owners' mental health a) I was depressed before getting my cats, but I found that taking care of animals who love me helped me feel like I had a purpose (ETHOS) b) It also provides a routine to people with depression, as you have to take care of a cat (LOGOS/PATHOS)
5. Conclusion – Therefore, cats are valuable companions that should be a part of every family. Obviously, if you have allergies, do not get a cat, but if you can, they make great family members.

A completed outline can be used to write your actual paragraphs or slides. To do this, you need to expand on the ideas in the outline, write notes into full sentences, include citations, add more detail, and add in transition wordstransition words 过渡词：如 however、therefore 等连接词，用来串联句子与段落、理清逻辑。 to help connect all of the ideas.

Creating an outline allows you to create a "rough" draft of the ideas that you want to use in your writing. It helps you organize your ideas and identifies where you might need to find more information.