Purpose
One purpose of the Fast Mapping activity is to help students attach meaning to a new word when it is presented within a set that includes words they already know. Another purpose of the Fast Mapping activity is to help students develop the known/unknown strategy to use to learn new words. When an unknown word is presented within a set of known words, students can develop an initial understanding of the new word. Through the Fast Mapping activity students not only learn new words, they also learn a strategy for independently learning new words in the future.
Preparation:
Prepare sets of words; 1 target (unknown) and 2 known words in each set.
Example Word set:
Procedures:
- Lay one set of cards face up in any order in front of student.
- Say, sign, or fingerspell the target word (e.g. "toothpaste") and ask the student to point to the picture of the target word.
- Praise students when they identify the right picture card for the target word. Ask student, "How did you know that was the word?" Explain briefly the known/unknown strategy, "We know this is a dog and this is a car, so this has to be toothpaste." In subsequent steps, prompt students to explain the strategy themselves (see Fast Mapping Sample Script for Dental Health).
- Repeat the target word. For students who sign, “sandwich” the target word by providing both the sign (if there is an acceptable sign) and the fingerspelled version of the word.
- Provide child-friendly definition of target word.
- Remove cards and repeat with next set.
Fast Mapping Demonstration Videos:
Fast Mapping Sample Script for Dental Health Unit
View or download a sample script for the Dental Health unit fast mapping strategy.
Fast Mapping Quick Reference Sheet
Fast Mapping Quick Reference Sheet.pdf
View or download a quick reference sheet for Fast Mapping.