Up and Away - National Council for Curriculum and Assessment

168
Autumn:
Shorter days
Falling leaves
Notes
For pupils
Spidergrams are an extremely effective learning tool as
they locate words in context. The visual impact of
spidergrams (especially those drawn up by the class
themselves) will help pupils to learn, remember and revise
vocabulary.
For teachers
Spidergrams are especially useful as they can be adapted
across the different levels and for any theme. The key to
creating a spidergram is to break the theme into distinct,
simple categories. In this example the visual accompanying
the text is ideally suited to the purpose.
In the next example, the idea for the spidergram is
suggested by the visuals. It requires a little creativity.
Winter:
Spring: Summer:
Extension
Pupils write a short piece of text
related to the theme (e.g. five
sentences saying which is their
favourite season and why).
Variation
For pupils at a higher level of
proficiency, distribute copies of the
spidergram. In pairs/groups pupils
write their own ideas into the
different categories.