Conceptual Map Introduction!

Summary

The video script introduces the concept of a conceptual map, an essential tool for organizing essay structure. It emphasizes the development of a thesis with a clear topic, stance, and significance. The map guides students to break down the thesis into manageable steps, creating a chronological flow for the essay. The instructor plans to use grammatical structures of theses to guide the essay's organization and will facilitate interactive sessions to practice and refine this technique.

Takeaways

• 📚 A conceptual map is introduced as a tool for organizing the structure of an essay.
• 🎯 The thesis is central to the map, needing a topic, stance, and 'so what' to be effective.
• 📝 The first step in creating a conceptual map is to develop the thesis in a step-by-step manner.
• 🔗 The grammatical structure of the thesis guides the breakdown of the essay into its component parts.
• 🗺️ The map is divided into sections: thesis development, essential steps to support the thesis, and paragraph development.
• 🛤️ Essential steps are likened to a Google Maps route, outlining the broad path from start to finish without over-detailing.
• 📈 The third part of the map involves developing main ideas for each paragraph using the PI (Point, Illustration) paragraph structure.
• 📝 The PI paragraph structure includes the main idea, stance, illustration, and relevance to the thesis.
• ✍️ Writing the introduction comes after the conceptual map is complete, setting the context for the thesis.
• 🔄 The conceptual map is a critical part of the essay writing process, facilitating clear thinking and structured execution.

Q & A

What is the primary purpose of a conceptual map in essay writing?

The primary purpose of a conceptual map in essay writing is to organize the infrastructure of the essay into an organized, cohesive model, using the thesis as a guide to break down the thesis into steps for organizing the essay around the different parts of the argument.

What are the three essential components that every thesis must have?

Every thesis must have a topic, a stance, and a 'so what' component, which signifies the significance or the reason behind the stance taken on the topic.

How should the first page of a conceptual map be utilized?

The first page of a conceptual map should be used to think through and develop the thesis in steps, starting with the topic and stance, and then developing the significance.

What is the significance of keeping the thesis to one sentence, if possible?

Keeping the thesis to one sentence, if possible, helps in maintaining clarity and focus, making it easier to understand the main argument of the essay.

How does the grammatical structure of the thesis influence the organization of the essay?

The grammatical and syntactical structure of the thesis is used to break down the thesis into essential steps, which then guide the organization of the essay.

What is the role of the 'essential steps' in the conceptual map?

The 'essential steps' in the conceptual map serve as a guide, similar to Google Maps, to outline the chronological order of the main ideas that support the thesis, helping the writer to navigate through the essay's argument.

Why is it beneficial to develop the main ideas of the essay before writing the paragraphs?

Developing the main ideas before writing the paragraphs allows the writer to have a clear understanding of the argument's structure, making the execution of writing each paragraph more straightforward and focused.

What is the PI paragraph structure mentioned in the script?

The PI paragraph structure refers to a method of organizing paragraphs with a main idea, supporting evidence, and an explanation of how the evidence relates to the thesis.

Why is it recommended to write the introduction of the essay after developing the conceptual map?

Writing the introduction after developing the conceptual map helps set the context for the thesis and provides a clear direction for the essay, making it easier for the writer to understand the overall goal of the essay.

How does the conceptual map assist in the writing process according to the script?

The conceptual map assists in the writing process by providing a structured approach to organizing thoughts and arguments, which simplifies the execution of writing the essay by breaking it down into manageable sections and steps.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Conceptual Mapping for Essay Organization

This paragraph introduces the concept of a conceptual map, a tool used throughout the term to organize the structure of an essay. The map begins with the development of a thesis, which must include a topic, stance, and significance (the 'so what'). The thesis serves as a guide to break down the essay into organized parts that support the argument. The first page of the map is dedicated to developing the thesis in steps, starting with the topic and stance, followed by the significance. The goal is to keep the thesis concise, ideally in one sentence, using complex compound sentences if necessary. The instructor emphasizes the importance of using the grammatical structure of the thesis to determine the steps of the essay, akin to using Google Maps to plan a route from point A to point B, focusing on the big picture steps rather than minute details.

05:02

🛠️ Utilizing Conceptual Maps for Essay Development

The second paragraph delves deeper into the process of using a conceptual map for essay development. It explains that after establishing the thesis, the map is used to outline the macro-level structure, or the broader map, of how the essay will unfold. The instructor likens this to a Google Maps navigation, where the steps are not overly detailed but provide a clear path from start to finish. The paragraph structure (PI - Point, Illustration, Explanation) is then applied to each step identified in the map to develop main ideas that support the thesis. Each step corresponds to a paragraph with a clear main idea, stance, and illustration that ties back to the thesis. The instructor suggests that writing the introduction should come after completing the conceptual map, as it sets the context for the thesis and helps the writer understand the overall goal of the essay. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing the importance of the conceptual map in the essay writing process, suggesting that it is the most critical part where the bulk of the thinking occurs.

Keywords

💡Conceptual Map

A conceptual map is a visual tool used to organize and structure ideas, particularly for academic writing. In the video, it is described as a method to break down the thesis of an essay into manageable parts, facilitating a clear and cohesive argument. The map begins with the thesis and branches out into essential steps and paragraph development, serving as a guide for the essay's structure.

💡Thesis

The thesis is the central argument or claim of an essay, which the writer aims to prove or discuss. The video emphasizes that a thesis must have a topic, a stance, and a 'so what' factor, which indicates its significance. The development of the thesis is the starting point for creating a conceptual map, as it dictates the direction and structure of the essay.

💡Topic

The topic refers to the subject matter of the essay. In the context of the video, it is the first element to be developed in a thesis, providing the area of focus for the essay's argument. The speaker mentions developing the topic as the initial step in creating a conceptual map.

💡Stance

The stance is the writer's position or viewpoint on the essay's topic. It is a crucial component of the thesis, as it communicates the writer's argument or perspective. The video discusses how the stance is developed in relation to the topic and is integral to the organization of the essay.

💡Significance

Significance, or 'so what,' refers to the importance or relevance of the thesis. It answers the question of why the topic and stance matter. In the video, the speaker explains that after developing the topic and stance, the significance is considered to understand the analysis and impact of the thesis.

💡Essential Steps

Essential steps are the main points or arguments that support the thesis and are outlined in the conceptual map. The video likens these steps to a roadmap, guiding the writer through the development of the essay. They represent the 'big picture' structure, showing how the essay's arguments will unfold.

💡PI Paragraph

The PI (Point, Illustration) paragraph is a structure used in academic writing where the main point is stated, followed by an illustration or example that supports it. The video suggests using this structure for each paragraph developed from the essential steps in the conceptual map, ensuring clarity and support for the thesis.

💡Chronological Model

A chronological model is a sequence of events or steps arranged in the order they occur. In the video, the speaker uses the analogy of Google Maps to describe how the conceptual map helps in creating a chronological model for the essay, outlining the logical progression from one argument to the next.

💡Introduction

The introduction is the opening section of an essay, setting the context for the thesis. The video emphasizes the importance of writing the introduction early in the process, as it helps to clarify the writer's intentions and provides a foundation for the rest of the essay.

💡Execution

Execution in the context of the video refers to the act of writing the essay based on the plan laid out by the conceptual map. It is the phase where the writer translates the ideas and structure from the map into the actual text of the essay, following the organized steps and points developed earlier.

Highlights

Introduction to the conceptual map as an organizational tool for essay writing.

Emphasis on the importance of developing a thesis with a topic, stance, and significance.

Guidance on breaking down the thesis into steps for essay organization.

The first page of the conceptual map is for developing and refining the thesis.

Advice on keeping the thesis to one sentence, utilizing complex compound sentences if necessary.

Explanation of using the grammatical structure of the thesis to guide essay organization.

Discussion on using the thesis to identify the 'essential steps' to support the argument.

Analogous to Google Maps, the 'essential steps' guide the writer through the essay's structure.

The process of chunking the thesis into big ideas and creating a chronological model.

Developing main ideas for each step using the PI (Point, Illustration) paragraph structure.

The significance of the introduction in setting the context for the thesis.

The value of beginning essay writing with the introduction for clarity and direction.

The conceptual map as a tool for executing ideas in a structured and efficient manner.

The importance of the conceptual map in the essay writing process and its impact on success.

Plan to practice creating conceptual maps in a virtual setting.

Transcripts

hi everybody how you doing i wanted to

talk

uh very briefly about the conceptual map

this is a tool that we're going to be

using all term

to organize the infrastructure of your

essay to put your essay together

into an organized cohesive

model and we're going to be using your

thesis to do that so every conceptual

map is going to begin with the

development of your thesis

um we're going to talk about thesis

separately but uh

the the the crucial thing about a thesis

is that it must have a topic

it must have a stance and it must have a

so what

right so those are the three things that

every thesis needs to have

what we're going to be doing with um

your

your organizational model for your essay

your developmental model for your essay

is to use that thesis as our guide and

to break that thesis down into steps

so that you can organize your essay

around the different parts of that

argument

right so the first page of your

conceptual map is just designed

to think through your thesis to develop

your thesis

you'll do that in steps you'll you'll

develop the topic in the stance first

and then you'll try to develop the

significance

so what so you can figure out how you're

going to analyze

that stance i'm down here at the bottom

there's some space for you

to combine those into into one thesis

remember that we want to try to keep

that thesis one sentence

if we can help it but you can use those

complex compound sentences so that you

have

one sentence on the left hand side for

the topic of the stance

and one sentence on the right hand side

for your significance right

once you've developed your thesis we're

going to be using the way that that

thesis is

actually put together grammatically and

so

we're going to do this together all the

time for every one of the essays

i'm going to be looking at models i'm

going to be having students share

their thesis models and then i'm going

to be putting them up on the screen and

we can look at them together look at how

they work

and look at why we might organize the

essay based on that particular thesis in

a particular way

right so once we've developed your

thesis we're going to use the actual

grammatical syntactical structure of

your thesis

to break down what the steps should be

that relate to that thesis how are we

going to make

our way through right so think of the

second part this is the

i call them the essential steps to

support your thesis i want you to think

of it as almost like using google maps

right so you need to go from um

skyline college in san bruno to east

oakland

high and inner or high in um brookdale

where i live

and so when i'm on campus if i need to

figure out how to go from

san bruno to oakland i'm going to type

in

the address and it's just going to break

down in steps

how do i make my way from point a to

point b

right now just like google maps

the goal here isn't to be so minuscule

that it takes you forever to get there

right so google maps doesn't say

make sure make sure your shoes are tied

stand up and walk to the door you know

unlock the door

it's not going to go through every

single thing that has to happen for you

to get from this area to this area

it's going to go through the sort of big

picture steps

right you gotta if you're if you're if

you're leaving

san bruno you've got to get down to the

101 and then you've got to get down to

the

92 and cross the san mateo bridge and

then it's gonna it's going to take you

through the

big steps right and that's what this is

doing

it's taking your thesis and it's

chunking it it's chunking the big ideas

in your thesis

and it's coming up with some kind of

chronological model

that allows for you to say okay this

this obviously has to be the first thing

and once i once i kind of introduce this

idea what would have to come next

for this to make sense right so here

what you're doing is you're just kind of

developing okay so

you know the the essay prompt is about

the legalization of marijuana

you know i want to i want to begin by

discussing the sort of background

context for for um why marijuana might

have been um illegal in the first place

so so you're kind of kind of trying to

develop what you're what your um

your path through that argument is going

to be right

once you've done that then the

conceptual map asks you to go

even further into the details further

into the weeds so we're starting the

thesis

is like the big argument the essential

steps is like

the chronological map the way we're

going to make our way through this

and then the third part is the actual

development of your paragraphs based on

those steps

right so once we've kind of figured out

so these are the big ideas that i need

to kind of

i need to to negotiate in some way i

have to make my way through these ideas

then you're going to use the actual form

of the paragraphs to develop main ideas

that show us what those steps are right

so each one of those steps is going to

have a paragraph that belongs to it

that has a main idea that uses the pi

paragraph structure for us to take that

idea and put it into a structure

right so essentially what you're doing

with a conceptual map

is you are beginning first with your um

your beginning first with the

development of your big idea your thesis

and we're going to have that thesis here

at the bottom once you have your big

idea

then we're looking at the macro level

the big picture

and we're looking at the kind of broader

map of how you're going to make this

happen

and then once you've done that we're

going to use the model of the pi

paragraph to take each one of those

steps and kind of map it out a little

bit

what's going to be my point here what am

i going to use to illustrate it

what does it have to do with my thesis

what's going to be my point here

what am i going to use to illustrate it

what does it have to do with my thesis

and this is going to allow for you we

don't have to do that thing that you did

in high school where we use the sort of

roman numerals and there were all these

different points this is just big

picture

right i have to make these points this

is how i'm going to do it

right i'm going to use a pi paragraph as

a model and this is the way that i'm

actually going to

execute these ideas and each one of this

is just based on

the main idea topic stance so what right

so here's going to be your main idea

what's your stance what are you going to

use to illustrate it what does this have

to do with your argument

right you're going to do that every

single paragraph once this is done

then you're going to write your

introduction right so

you really need to have this done before

you do anything else in your essay

and it makes a lot of sense to begin

with an introduction i know you probably

will have professors

that will make the argument that you

should just start the essay and you can

go back to the introduction later

and sometimes that works especially if

you're feeling um

stuck if you don't if you don't know

where to go next and you don't know how

to proceed

that might work but for most people

beginning with the introduction is

valuable because it sets the context for

your thesis

it really helps the the writer

understand what am i really trying to do

here

so that when you then have your

conceptual map you've written your

introduction you've contextualized your

thesis

now you're ready to be like all right

now all i have to do is just make my way

through each one of these paragraphs

boom boom boom

execute each one of them and then the

essay is done this is where the real

thinking takes place

right i think of the conceptual map like

really

the hardest part of the of writing an

essay is doing this because this is

where the thinking takes place

the writing of the paragraphs by the

time that you're writing a paragraph

you should have such a good clear idea

of what you're doing

but then you're just executing you're

just going step by step and being like

oh yeah this is the paragraph where i

was going to do this

you already have a clear idea you

already have a clear model of

of what you're going to use for for the

stance what you're going to use for the

context what you're going to use to

establish the analysis and then you just

have to go through one after the other

and at that point

it's really easy you can write a

paragraph put your essay away

do something else go for a jog go see a

movie do whatever and then come back and

be like all right well

i still have this map i still know

exactly what i need to do and you can

just drop in

at any moment and just continue with

your with your project

right um so this this tool is going to

be imperative to our success in this

class

and this this is just an introduction to

help you understand how it's supposed to

work

now what we're going to do is we're

going to actually get together in person

or i guess not in person but via zoom

virtually in person

and we're gonna we're gonna practice how

this works okay

so let's get to that now