Concept Mapping of Vocabulary Words samples and resources

Concept Mapping of Vocabulary
Words
Source: AVID resource book for World Languages, pp. 2—6. (See for more ideas)
Also, see AVID book for step-by-step lesson planning.
Samples:
Level I or II:
Students work in groups; each group is assigned a set of words (4, 6,
whatever number you choose.) They create concept map cards (see sample below).
They present them to the class. The cards are hung on the wall, folded so that you
can only see the word on the front, but so that you can open them to look inside.
The noun is in the target language, and the paper is folded. Inside, there is a
picture of the food (the clothing, the object, etc) on one side and a bulleted list of
descriptive words on the other side.
Follow up activities: Vocabulary logs or Cornell Notes, Gallery Walks, Quick
Writes in which they have to use 8 words from the wall, extra credit opportunities,
etc.
triste
Synonymes:
 chagriné
 déprimé
 désolé
 grave
 malheureux
 mélancolique
 misérable

une voiture
Mots associés:
 rapide
 sportif
 conduire
 Renault, Peugeot, Citroën
 aller vite
Mots associés: students can brainstorm these (ie. any words they associate
with a car). Any part of speech is fine, adjectives can be masculine/singular, verbs
can be in the infinitive, etc, nouns can be common or proper (culturally appropriate
is great!), etc.
Level II+
un ananas
Description:
 un fruit tropical
 jaune à l’intérieur, brun/doré à
l’extérieur, avec des feuilles
comme un pin
 on ne mange pas l’extérieur
 on les cultive dans les champs
d’Hawaii

Level II+, especially the advanced levels
Throughout a semester, students create a word wall of vocabulary concept
maps for new vocabulary that shares roots with English language vocabulary. Goal:
to build students’ English vocabulary base, to increase student SAT/ACT scores, to
increase English language comprehension and usage of ELL.
Sample:
mourir
Definition: ne plus vivre, cesser
de vivre
Antonymes:
vivre
naître
Partie du discours:
verbe (infinitif)
(Participe passé—mort)
Synonymes:
périr
expirer
décéder
être tué
Image:
Anglais (mots relatifs)
1. mortician—funeral director
2. morgue—place where dead bodies are kept
3. mortuary—place where dead bodies are kept
4. mortgage—“dead pledge;” a debt instrument that is secured by the collateral
of specified real estate property
5. mortal—living; liable or subject to death
6. immortal—not subject to death; everlasting
7. rigor mortis-- [Latin : rigor, stiffness + mortis, genitive of mors, death]
stiffening of a dead body

8. mortify—to cause to experience shame, humiliation, or wounded pride;
humiliate
Phrases (en contexte):
 Quelqu’un l’a tirée avec un fusil, et elle est morte immédiatement.
 L’homme qui est perdu dans le desert ne mange pas depuis cinq jours ; il va
mourir de faim.
Phrases idiomatiques:
 mourir de faim
 mourir de froid
 mourir d’ennui
 mourir d’envie de faire quelque chose
 mourir de rire
 mourir d’inquiétude
 ennuyeux (ennuyeuse) à mourir
 mort-né, mort-née
Online resources (students may find these to be useful in these
assignments) :
 http://www.linternaute.com/dictionnaire/fr/
o A French dictionary with synonyms, themes, word uses, etc.
 http://www.forvo.com/languages/fr/
o All the words in the world—pronounced!
 www.linguee.fr
o Dictionnaire et moteur de recherche de traductions
 http://dictionary.reverso.net/english-french/
o Robert Collins dictionary: online!
 http://www.synonymes.com/
 http://www.antonyme.org/
Documents from the AVID World Language Resource Book: