CONCEPT MAPPING<br > hroughout your study of science， you will learn a variety<br > of terms， facts， figures， and concepts. Each new topic you<br > encounter will provide its own collection of words and<br > ideas---which， at times， you may think seem endless. But<br > each of the ideas within a particular topic is related in some way<br > to the others. No concept in science is isolated. Thus it will help<br > you to understand the topic if you see the whole picture; that is，<br > the interconnectedness of all the individual terms and ideas.<br > This is a much more effective and satisfying way of learning<br > than memorizing separate facts.<br > Actually， this should be a rather familiar process for you.<br > Although you may not think about it in this way， you analyze<br > many of the elements in your daily life by looking for<br > relationships or connections. For example， when you look at a<br > collection of flowers， you may divide them into groups: roses，<br > ~.~ carnations， and daisies. You may then associate<br > colors with these flowers: red， pink， and white.<br > The general topic is flowers. The subtopic is<br > types of flowers. And the colors are specific<br > terms that describe flowers. A topic makes<br > more sense and is more easily understood if<br > ~ you understand how it is broken down into<br > individual ideas and how these ideas are related<br > to one another and to the entire topic.<br > It is often helpful to organize information<br > visually so that you can see how it all fits<br > e:" ，，~，~2~ ht together. One technique for describing related<br > ~$，~，~，z ideas is called a concept map. In a concept<br > B<br >ili[ :i ~?~. ~ map， an idea is represented by a word or phrase enclosed<br > ; L in a box. There are several ideas in any concept map. A<br > : i" " i~.]~ connection between two ideas is made with a line. A<br > ~ ...~， word or two that describes the connection is written on<br > ~ ~ or near the line. The general topic is located at the top<br >jl ofemawato isenroeno into<br > subtopics， or more specific ideas， by branching lines.<br > The most specific topics are located at the bottom of<br > the map.<br > To construct a concept map， first identify the important<br > ideas or key terms in the chapter or section. Do not try to<br > include too much information. Use your judgment as to what is<br >