Idea-mapping (i-mapping), a way of representing ideas from a text in the form of a diagram, is defined and illustrated in this document as a way to help students "see" how the ideas they read are linked to each other. The first portion of the document discusses the fundamental relationships found in texts (A is a characteristic of B, A causes B) and how symbols are used in i-mapping to represent these relationships. This section also illustrates how an i-map succinctly represents the structure of a text, such as description, comparison and contrast, or definition and characteristics. The idea of frames and their corresponding frame i-maps are introduced as a way of representing repeating patterns of information in particular content areas: static frames capture the information associated with the general concepts of a subject matter area while dynamic frames represent repeated patterns of behavior or sequences of actions. The second section of the document discusses why i-mapping might be a useful instructional technique in reading as well as how teachers might implement the technique in the classroom. Several tables illustrating i-mapping are included, and appendixes contain three texts which the example i-maps represent. (HTH)