Bubble Map Maker for Brainstorming
A bubble map is a brainstorming diagram: one topic in the center circle, related ideas in bubbles around it.
- A worked example you can copy
- A template for any topic
- Or build a map from your own lectures
Sample output
Cell respirationGlycolysisCitric acid cycleElectron transportATPOn this page
What Is a Bubble Map?
A bubble map is a simple graphic organizer: one topic in a circle in the center, and the ideas, traits or examples that belong to it in smaller bubbles around it. Teachers use it to help students brainstorm and describe, and it works for anyone who needs to get ideas on paper fast. Because there is only one level, you never have to decide where an idea goes. You just add a bubble. That is what makes it a good first step before an essay, a presentation or a revision session.
Bubble Map Example: Brainstorming an Essay
Here is a brainstorm for an essay on climate change, as a bubble map.
Center: Climate change Bubble 1, Causes: burning coal, oil and gas, deforestation Bubble 2, Effects: rising sea levels, heat waves, droughts Bubble 3, Who is hit hardest: coastal cities, farmers, poorer countries Bubble 4, Solutions: solar and wind power, public transport, planting trees Bubble 5, Politics: the Paris Agreement, carbon taxes Bubble 6, What I can do: eat less meat, fly less, vote
Six bubbles, ten minutes. Bubbles 1, 2 and 4 already make a three-paragraph essay: causes, effects, solutions. Bubbles 3 and 5 can become examples inside those paragraphs.
Bubble Maps for Describing
The classic school bubble map describes one thing with adjectives. Put a character in the center, for example Macbeth, and surround him with traits: ambitious, brave, guilty, paranoid, ruthless, easily influenced. Then add a quote or scene next to each trait as evidence. The finished map is the plan for a character essay. The same works for a place in geography, an element in chemistry or a word in a language class.
Bubble Map Template
Copy this layout onto a blank page or into any drawing tool:
Center bubble: your topic or question Bubbles 1 to 6: one idea, trait or example each, one to three words Detail bubbles: a fact, example or quote for your strongest ideas Bottom of the page: number the bubbles in the order you will use them
For a double bubble map, draw two center circles side by side. Put shared ideas in bubbles linked to both, and differences in bubbles linked to only one.
Making a Map from Your Course
When the ideas already live in your lectures, you do not have to brainstorm them from memory. Upload your slides, readings or notes to a StudyPDF course, press New material and pick Mind map. You get the central idea, the main concepts branching off it and the detail nested underneath, with the source pages listed below the map. Pan, zoom and fold branches to explore it, and export it as a PNG or SVG image to drop into your notes.
Tips for Better Brainstorming Bubbles
Keep each bubble to one idea and as few words as you can. Write fast and judge later, because the first pass is about quantity. If you get stuck, ask who, what, where, when, why and how about the center topic and give each answer a bubble. Use one color for ideas you will definitely use. When a bubble keeps growing details, it may deserve its own map. And when you are done, count your bubbles: fewer than four usually means you need to research more before you write.
Bubble Map vs. Double Bubble, Mind Map and Cluster Map
A bubble map describes or brainstorms one topic on one level. A double bubble map has two centers and compares two topics: shared traits in the middle, differences on the outside. A mind map starts the same way but keeps branching, so ideas split into sub-ideas and details, which makes it better for organizing a whole chapter. A cluster map is the loose, free-form version used in brainstorming, with ideas branching wherever they lead. A tree map sorts ideas into groups and subgroups, and a flow map shows steps in order. Start with a bubble map when you need ideas, and move to a mind map when you need structure.
What a Bubble Map Does for You
A bubble map lowers the cost of starting. You do not need an outline or a thesis, only a topic and a pen, and every idea you add is progress.
It also shows you what you know. Seeing all your ideas on one page makes gaps and repeats obvious, and it makes the strongest ideas easy to pick out for an essay or a presentation.
Finally, it is a revision tool. Redrawing a bubble map from memory before an exam is a quick self-test: the bubbles you cannot fill are the topics to review.
Start Your Bubble Map
Grab a blank page, write your topic in the center and give yourself ten minutes to fill the bubbles. Use the template above if you want a starting layout. When your ideas already sit in lecture slides or readings, let StudyPDF lay them out as a map for you, in your browser or in the apps on iPhone, iPad and Android.
How to Make a Bubble Map in 4 Steps
- 1
Put the Topic in the Center
- 2
Brainstorm Bubbles Around It
- 3
Add Detail Bubbles
- 4
Sort and Use It
Why Brainstorm with a Bubble Map
A bubble map gets ideas out of your head before you worry about order, which is the hard part of starting any essay or project.
- See every idea on one page
- Brainstorm first, sort later
- Gaps show up as empty space
- Turns straight into an essay outline
- Describe a character, place or concept
Questions and answers
What is a bubble map?
A bubble map is a graphic organizer for brainstorming and describing. One topic sits in a circle in the center, and related ideas, traits or examples sit in smaller bubbles around it, each linked to the center by a line. It shows everything you know about one topic on a single page.
How do you brainstorm with a bubble map?
Write your topic in a circle in the middle of the page. Around it, add one bubble for every idea that comes to mind, one word or short phrase each, without judging them yet. Aim for 5 to 8 bubbles, then add smaller bubbles for details, cross out duplicates and number the ideas you want to use.
What is a double bubble map?
A double bubble map compares two topics. It has two center circles side by side. Bubbles in the middle, linked to both, hold what the two have in common, and bubbles on the outside hold what is true for only one of them. It is a quick way to plan a compare-and-contrast essay.
2 more questions
What is the difference between a bubble map and a mind map?
A bubble map has one level: a center topic with ideas or traits around it. A mind map keeps branching, so each idea can split into sub-ideas and details. Start with a bubble map to collect ideas, then turn it into a mind map when you need structure.
Can I make a bubble map in Word or Google Docs?
Yes. Insert a circle shape for the center, add more circles around it and connect them with lines. In Word you can also use a SmartArt layout. For a map built from your own lectures, StudyPDF makes a mind map with the source pages listed below it.
Try it on your own notes.
Upload your notes, slides or a lecture and ask your first question.