WEBBING

What is it?
Webbing is a method of visually representing relationship among ideas,
concepts or events.
During this procedure, ideas and information are explored and
organized.
The resulting web of pattern of relationships is determined by the
participants knowledge and previous experiences, and by the purpose of
webbing.
Webbing is a note-taking strategy that uses the relative size of circles
to indicate the importance of ideas and lines to indicate relationships. The
ore important the ideas have larger circles than the less important ideas.
Lines from one circle to another indicate that the concepts in the connected
circles are related ins some way.

Purpose
To develop students ability to perceive relationships among
ideas, concepts or events
To generate and organize ideas prior to or after reading, writing
or researching
To encourage students to recall prior knowledge and experiences
To increase students knowledge and vocabulary in all subjects

How can you do it?

1. Topics to be webbed must be relevant to classroom learning
experiences and students interests.
2. The topic or title should be charted or displayed.
3. Guide a brainstorming session.
4. Record Brainstormed Ideas.
5. Record ideas in clusters or categories around the displayed topic
or title.
6. As students become familiar with this strategy, they may create
webs prior to writing, or before or after they read, research or
study.
How to adapt?
Webbing can reveal the extent of students knowledge about
topics of study or interest.
The use of this strategy following a unit of study or research
informs students and teachers what have been learned.
Webbing can provide an outline for students narrative or
expository writing
Webs can be used to show interrelationships among story plot
characters, setting and theme

Assessment and Evaluation

Monitor students ability to relate ideas and concepts
Note students use of this strategy to generate and organize
ideas during reading, writing and researching activities.

Advantage
One advantage of webbing strategy format is that it provides a visual
representation of the information.

Disadvantage
One disadvantage of webbing strategy is that it somewhat limits the
amount of information a student can record simply because the circles
themselves can hold only so much verbiage.

Introduction to Webbing
 Commonly used as a tool to help begin the writing process or a research
assignment, webbing is a brainstorming method that provides structure for
ideas and facts. Brainstorming webs provide students with a flexible
framework for idea development, organizing and prioritizing information.
Typically, major topics or central concepts are at the center of a
brainstorming web. Links from the center connect supporting details or ideas
with the core concept or topic.

Web Example

Definition of a Web
A web is a visual map that shows how different categories of information
relate to one another. Webs are typically used by students, teachers and
professionals as brainstorming strategies for developing and connecting
ideas.

Benefits of Brainstorming Webs

Help students develop and improve fluency with thinking
Allow students to discover new ideas and relationships between
concepts
Get the mind going to generate and organize thought processes, new
ideas and information
 Web Example

How to Use Different Types of Brainstorming Webs in the Classroom

The following types of brainstorming webs are commonly used for teaching
literary analysis, reading comprehension and writing across the curriculum.
Literary webs, character webs, comparison webs, and pre-writing webs are
easy to create using Inspiration Softwares visual learning tools -
Inspirations, Webspiration Classrooms and Kidspirations built-in
templates and activities. An immediate jumpstart into visual learning,
these cross-curricular learning exercises help students and educators
see how easy and fun organized thinking can be!
Literary webs are a type of brainstorming web that helps students
analyze stories or novels so that they can gain a better understanding of
the literary elements at play, as well as the composition of the story.
o A literary web helps students analyze the various literary
elements (plot, characterization, theme, etc.) at play in any given story. By
dissecting characters, plots and sequence of events, literary webs help
students learn about composition and get a better understanding of a
story as a whole.
Character webs are a type of brainstorming web that represents one
of the ways in which visual learning can support reading comprehension.
o In a character web, students identify the traits of a central
character. This reinforces the concept of point of view and helps students
understand a character's actions and motivation.
o When students are reading complex stories, a character web
can also show how the character develops as the story proceeds. For
example, teachers can instruct students to create a web after reading the
first chapter of a story and then save that web. After the second chapter,
they can return to the diagram and change what they've written to reflect
their new understanding of how the character has developed.
 Comparison webs are one of the most basic and powerful forms of
analysis in any discipline. For example, in a social studies class, students
may compare and contrast the characteristics of one culture with
another. This type of analysis helps students better understand the groups
being studied, as well as make unifying connections between them.
o Depending on the context and complexity of the comparison
webs, students may reveal:
The universality of cultures and religions
Why one civilization was able to survive at a specific
point in time, while another failed
Why two cultures responded to the same event in
different ways
How a culture could embrace two seemingly different
religions
Pre-writing webs describe the brainstorming and organizing
students do before writing. Once students choose a topic, they type it in the
center of a web. Then they rapidly add subtopic ideas in symbols connected
to the main topic. Each subtopic can have its own subtopics, which can also
have subtopics, and so on.
o When students are finished creating their diagrams, they can
switch to the integrated Outline View to expand their ideas in written form.
If writing is too difficult, younger students can use the Record Tool in
Kidspiration to record words or sounds and attach them to a symbol,
while older students use notes text in Inspiration to further develop their
outline into a complete essay.
For more examples of webbing, as wells as other graphic organizer
examples, click here.