How can thinking maps be used to strengthen the skills of primary writers?

The purpose of this capstone was to discover how the use of Thinking Maps supported primary students to become more successful in their writing. The author was interested in finding what specific elements of Thinking Map use helped her students improve as writers. She was influenced to complete this study by peers, grade level team members and a growing district-wide interest in incorporating Thinking Maps into curriculum. Her work was guided by Thinking Map creator David Hyerle, Arthur Costa\u27s Habits of Mind and Marilee Sprenger\u27s work with memory and learning styles. To obtain results the author had her students complete several writing samples. Half the samples were written with a Thinking Map. Following the writing samples, the students completed a survey about their experience. Results from the survey show that increased self-confidence was the most major benefit of Thinking Map use