Core Vocabulary Word Pictures: Semantic Maps for the Core Vocabulary

TextProject’s Core Vocabulary Word Pictures are semantic mapping tools based on the core vocabulary of the 4,000 simple word families. These 4,000 word families account for 90% of the words in written English. The Word Pictures are useful in teaching the subset of the core vocabulary which can be represented visually. High frequency function words in the core vocabulary like “the” and “of” , and general academic words like “compare” and “relate” are not included.

The Word Pictures are grouped into the 4 topic areas below. Each download includes word-picture cards and semantic maps grouping the words graphically. Semantic mapping techniques have been shown to improve problem-solving, summarizing, and inferencing as reading comprehension.