Online Bibliotherapy: Mapping Your Heart

Maps help us locate places we have never been to before and aid us in finding directions to places we wish to go to. There are geographical maps, political maps, economic maps and maps in mobile apps programmed with GPRS like Google Map and Waze. In school, teachers often ask you to create mind maps. 

A mind map, like the maps mentioned above, functions as a tool and a strategy to keep your thinking focused on a specific concept or topic of study. It also helps you monitor your understanding of the concept or topic. Using a mind map allows you to see connections of sub-topics and factors that are related to a concept or may have effects on it. It shows you the bigger picture and the details affecting it.  

Click the link for examples of mind maps made by kids and teens.  After viewing the samples, move on to the next part of the activity.

Today, we will learn another kind of map, the Heart Map.

Writer and poet Georgia Heard collaborated with LitWorld.org to introduce Heart Mapping to as many kids, teens and young people all over the world. Because LitWorld.org is a global non-government organization that promotes literacy through storytelling and language arts activities, Heart Mapping is a core activity for its members and patrons who use it as a way to understand one's self. Furthermore, heart maps have become spring boards for storytelling, story and poetry writing.

According to Heard, mapping your heart is one way of figuring yourself out against the physical world you journey and traverse in every day. Through mapping the heart, you come to an understanding of who you are. When you are aware of your feelings, you can make decisions. When you have knowledge of your emotions, you can take an action that is proactive when faced with challenges, conflicts and crises. Heard believes that when we map our hearts, we find a pathway into what we know is true and what we believe in.

Many teenagers like you, even adults like me benefit from heart maps. Watch this short video of those who have made heart maps and listen to their story.

Before I give you the specific instructions for creating or mapping your heart today, what questions do you have so far? If you have some, write them down and we will discuss over Hangouts on Wednesday, 3-4pm. 

How to Make a Heart Map

1.Draw a large heart shape on a piece of paper or drawing app.

2. Inside the heart, draw or write about the ideas, the feelings, and the things that are most important to you at this time. 

3. Take a photo of your heart map and send it to my email address: teacherlibrarian@beaconacademy.ph on or before Tuesday, March 24, 2020.

Be ready to present your heart maps and tell us something about it during our chat this coming Wednesday, March 25, 2020.

To end this session, read this comic by Grant Snider.  I hope you are all doing well and reach out when you need help on school related matters.  

See you online! ~ Ms. Zarah J

March 22, 2020