Introduction to Create a Mind Map in Google Drawings

In this lesson, you will think about recent events that have happened in your personal life, your community, or the world.

Then, you will use a diagram called a mind map to organize your thoughts about one of the events.

This will help you reflect on what has happened.

Taking time to pause and think about events in your life can help you understand them and recognize how they affect who you are today.

It can also help your friends and fellow students get to know you and understand how you feel and think.

For example, if your family experienced a job loss or illness during the pandemic, you might still have lots of feelings about those events now, which affect how you act, think, and behave with others.

One way to organize your thoughts is to create a mind map.

A mind map is a diagram that visually organizes information and ideas.

It can help you understand how things that happen affect how you feel, think, and act.

This lesson uses a mind map to help you organize your thoughts about a recent event, but mind maps are also great for brainstorming, studying, and note-taking.

They help you remember information and come up with new ideas.

Usually, a mind map starts at the center with the main topic and grows outward.

It can be helpful to think of a mind map as a tree.

The main topic is the trunk, and other ideas and details related to the main topic form the branches and twigs.

For example, in this mind map, the main topic is a big world event that many people experienced.

Each branch includes related events that represent how the main event affected people in different ways.

Finally, each twig includes a way those related events affected one person as an individual.

You will use digital tools to make your mind map.

Digital tools allow you to add to or change your project easily, and you can collaborate, or work together, with a partner or group if you choose.

This lesson uses Google Docs and Google Drawings, but you could apply these skills and concepts in most other word processing and drawing applications.

As you complete this lesson, you will… Brainstorm a list of recent events and select one topic, Brainstorm words about the topic, And plan the parts of your mind map.

Then, you will… Add a shape for your main topic in a drawing, Add shapes for the other words in your mind map and connect them, Choose whether to add color, photos or images, GIFs, or Word Art, And share your mind map if you choose.

The activities in this lesson can be done with a partner or group, or by yourself.

If you’d like to work with a partner or group and don’t have one, ask your teacher.

To work on this lesson, sign in to your Google account.

Open a new tab in your browser, and navigate to "google.com".

If you are not signed in, do so now.

If you do not have a Google account, pause the video and create one.

Then, click on the starter project link next to this video.

Make a copy and rename it.

If you will be brainstorming with a partner or group, only one person needs to do this.

Share the document.

Type in the email addresses of the people you will be working with...

...And select the permission you want to use: Editor means the person you share with can make changes directly in your document.

Commenter allows them to make comments, but not change the document.

And viewer lets them see your document only.

For this activity, choose Editor.

If the document was shared with you, open it at your own computer.

Now, it’s your turn: Sign in to your Google account, Open the starter project linked next to this video, Make a copy, Rename it, Share it with others if you are working together, And give others Editor permission.