Write Book Reports Using Visual Mind Mapping

For students faced with writing a book report, the challenge is to internalize the plot, characters, and themes of the book in a way that allows for thorough explanation in written form. It is, therefore, of utmost importance that students take notes on the book in a manner that makes it easy for them to process what the author is attempting to portray. Many students use diagrams or charts to help them sort through the various storylines and character conflicts found in a book. However, most of these diagramming methods do not contain the inherent advantages found in Visual Mind Mapping. The advantage of Visual Mind Mapping, as compared to other diagramming methods, lies in its spatial construction and use of highly associative visual images. Mind Maps, thus, offer students a creative and mentally intuitive way to organize the information necessary to write an effective book report.

What are Visual Mind Maps and How Are They Created?

A Visual Mind Map is “a means of organizing information that allows individuals to create diagrams, pictures, and other graphic visuals in order to show the relationship between ideas or other types of information”. With a Visual Mind Map, the creator makes use of images and colors to construct the map and represent his or her ideas in a non-linear format. When creating a Visual Mind Map, the individual usually begins by showing the key concept or main idea of the information as a graphic image, located in the center of the map. Any themes surrounding the main topic are shown on “branches” that are attached to the central image. Subsequent themes of less importance are then attached to these branches using “child branches”, and so on. The resulting diagram is a “map” of the ideas and information presented that includes the images, visual graphics, and colors the individual associates with each of the themes and ideas.

Creating a Visual Mind Map for a Book Report

A student has the unenviable task of writing a book report on Moby Dick, due in 2 weeks. Despite his best efforts, the student finds that he is having a difficult time understanding the complex themes and plotlines contained in the book. Hoping to make his reading process easier, the student now decides to organize the information in the book using a Visual Mind Map. To begin his mind map, the student finds a graphic representing Moby Dick, and places it in the center of the map. He then divides his Mind Map, via “branches” attached to the central topic, into sections showing the main themes of the book. The student next lists any characters or plotlines he feels relate to each theme on “child branches”. Throughout his Mind Map, the student makes sure to use colors and pictures that he associates with the themes and that make the map easier to conceptualize. When he has finished constructing his Visual Mind Map, the student finds that he has organized all of the book’s information into one diagram that looks similar to the Mind Map attached.

Writing the Book Report Using the Visual Mind Map

When it is time to start writing his report, the student finds the process much easier than he imagined. The student finds this so because the organization of the book’s information into a Mind Map assisted him in better understanding the book’s themes and plotlines. In addition, he has “mapped out” these themes in a neatly organized format, allowing him to essentially transcribe the information from his map into his report using the themes as section headers and character/plot information as the body. The student, thus, completes his report with time to spare, leading him to wonder why he has not used Visual Mind Mapping to write book reports before. The Visual Mind Map aided the student in both understanding the book’s contents and organizing his report’s structure, making this book report the easiest one of his student career.

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