Text Mapping

If you follow me on Instagram {if you don't, you totally should!} then you have probably seen this picture I posted last week.

I had several people ask to learn more about what I did with my students. So, I decided to share it here with you! At the beginning of the year, I wanted to teach a little science in reading to help the science teacher out. We decided that I would cover a unit about how people and technology can aid in erosion and weathering. I saw a pin on Pinterest over a year ago. Here it is below.

I thought it was really cool, but I was afraid of it! It looked like a lot of planning, explaining, and patience. A couple of weeks ago, I knew I needed to teach this science unit ASAP. The science textbook had a lot of useful information, but I didn't want to just have the students read it. How boring is that? So, I finally decided to read the blog post. It had a ton of useful information, however the best information can be found on the Text Mapping Project page. There is a ton of information here and everything you need can be found. Once I read up on all the information I would need, I started to create my color codes. I then created a Powerpoint presentation and talked to the students about how to do it. 

Before you begin, you will need to copy the pages from the science textbook that you will be using. Since each student had their own copy, copyright should be okay. It would NOT be okay if you copied pages from a text that you do not have enough for each student. Students will need to tape together the pages to create a scroll. You can read all about the setup, prep, and process at the Text Mapping Project page.

To make it easier, I divided my class into 6 groups. Each group had their own caddy with all of the needed supplies in it. They were able to take it where they were working (mine worked on the floor) without having to get up and go get what they needed. I'm hoping this answered some of your questions! Let me know if you have others after reading my post :)