…and this part here shows how I have
loved mountain climbing ever since
my family visited Mount Washington
when I was five..
World Geography
A Map of Me:
Mind Mapping Our Physical and Cultural
Influences
Just like a road map is a way to visualize the organization of roads, a mind map is a
way to visually organize ideas and concepts, and it can be a powerful tool for making
sense of information. Throughout the year we will use this technique to organize new
concepts and ideas as well as to prepare for assessments. Today we are going to use
this technique to get to know each other!
Use ideas from the “Physical and Cultural Influences in My Life” brainstorming worksheet, and follow these steps to
create a visual representation of how physical and cultural elements have helped to shape the person you are today.
1.
Start with an image of yourself in the middle of the paper. You can use a photograph or draw your own
self-portrait.
2. Identify the physical and cultural elements that are most important to you and have had the greatest
influence on your life (which physical and cultural elements have shaped your perspective?).
3. Make thick “roads” that lead out of the central image. Each road will represent a different physical or
cultural influence in your life. See the teacher example for ideas.
4. Add smaller paths off of the larger roads. Each of these smaller paths is linked to the larger idea of the
main road. For example, if you have a road representing the “physical influences of your life in
Waterford” and you love going to the beach, you might include a smaller path labeled “Waterford Beach”
or “Long Island Sound” that extends off the larger ‘physical influences’ road.
5. Use different colors to represent different categories. For example, you might use earth colors when
creating roads to represent physical influences or the colors of a national flag if you refer to your cultural
heritage.
6. Add illustrations along with words/captions to explain how these elements have influenced you (this is
very important – you must have at least 3 explanations).
7. Use the information from your worksheet to get you started, but allow your thoughts to come freely; it’s
ok to jump around your mind map as you think of more ideas and make more connections.
8. Be creative. Use the mind map to create a visual representation of what makes you you!
IMPORTANT: Begin with a pencil and work lightly, and then go over your work with colored pencils, crayons, and an ultrafine tip marker.