Inspiration Maps Lite

Inspiration contains pre-designed, digital graphic-organizer templates for use in English, History, or Science classes. Plus, Inspiration also contains graphic-organizer templates for general teaching strategies such as the KWHL, a root-cause analysis, a cycle diagram, and a compare/contrast chart. Unique features of Inspiration are that it automatically converts each graphic organizer into an outline form. So, if users input data using the outline, they will see that information added to their graphic organizer. Or, if users input data on the graphic organizer, they will see that information added to the outline. Additionally, Inspiration allows users to email their graphic organizers, which lets users share their work.

Please note: Inspiration Maps Lite limits the number of documents users can create and how they can manage them.

Instructional Ideas

1. Before reading a text, teachers can select a graphic organizer they want students to complete while reading a text. After reading the text, students can finish adding information to the graphic organizer, and then email their work to their teacher.
2. After reading a text or completing an experiment, students can be assigned to select a graphic organizer that would best display their understanding of the text or findings from the experiment. The students can then add the appropriate information to complete the graphic organizer.
3. When brainstorming a piece of writing (e.g., informative essay, persuasive essay, lab report, or plot analysis), students can select the outline feature of a graphic organizer and use it to help them structure/brainstorm their piece of writing before composing it.
4. Teachers can assign students to complete a graphic organizer after viewing a movie, reading a text, or completing an experiment. Next, teachers can require students to email their graphic organizers to another student for feedback about their work. The second student would then email his/her feedback back to the student who created the graphic organizer, and that student would make the appropriate edits. Teachers could cap this assignment by requiring students to compose a piece of writing that explains the content of the graphic organizer.
5. Steps in an epic hero’s journey—Joseph Campbell developed a theory that there are 12 steps in an epic hero’s journey. As the students are reading, they can fill out a map linking those 12 steps to the epic hero. After they identify a step, they must cite evidence to prove the step and its connection to the epic hero.
6. Character analysis, theme, or plot development in a novel—As the students read, they can develop separate maps for all of the main characters, theme, and plot. Each of these maps can be used to track the development of the characters, theme, and plot as the story progresses. 
7. Outline for a research paper—Any map that is created using this app can be turned into an outline. If the students develop a map to organize their introduction, thesis, important points, supporting details, and conclusion, they can easily turn it into an outline to help develop their paper.
8. Comparison between a book and its movie—As the students are watching a movie of a novel they have read, they can create a map showing the comparisons of characters, theme, plot, setting, and other comparative elements. Once the movie ends, the students can then find evidence from the novel and truly compare the two mediums. Lastly, students can construct a piece of writing, whether essay-length or short constructed response, that explains the comparisons.
9. Biography for an author as a precursor for the novel—Before the students read a novel, they can conduct independent research to create a map that outlines the biography of the novel’s author. They can create several different biographical categories (e.g., education, childhood, professional life, personal life) and find information pertaining to each one.  This map will help students develop schema on the author before they dive into the novel.

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