Concept Definition Web

Concept map on blackboard (Wavebreakmedia, iStockphoto)

Concept map on blackboard (Wavebreakmedia, iStockphoto)
Format
This strategy helps students understand the meaning of key concepts through the use of a graphic organizer.
Why use it?
- To consolidate learning during reading or viewing new material
- To give students the opportunity to explain their understanding using specific examples from a text or video
- To have students develop skills of isolating, processing and reorganizing key information
- To have students to create visual representations of information which allow the mind 'to see' patterns and relationships between concepts
Tips for success
- This strategy is best used at the beginning of a unit of study. As the unit progresses, encourage students to refine their webs and reflect upon their learning.
- This strategy works best with an expository text or video which contains sufficient information about the given concept.
How do I use it?
- Show students the blank Concept Definition Web Reproducible Template.
- Discuss the four categories on the web and what they mean; for example:
- DEFINE: a definition of the concept (What is it?)
- EXAMPLES OF IT: types of things that fit within that concept or could be described by that concept (Where can I see it? When does it happen?)
- DESCRIBE IT: essential characteristics of the concept (What does it look like? What does it involve?)
- RELATE IT: similar or related concepts (What is it similar to?)

- Provide each student with an article to read or video to watch.
- After reading/viewing either the teacher can provide the students with a concept or the students could individually choose a concept to use with the Concept Definition Web.
- Using the article or video as a source of information, each student fills in the spaces on the Concept Definition Web template.
- Students can add to and refine their Concept Definition Webs as they gather more information from other sources.
Variations
- Create a multimedia version of the Concept Definition Web using embedded images and videos to illustrate the concepts.
Extensions
- Assign students different concepts and have them create web showing relationships between concepts.
Using this Strategy
Concept Definition Web Reproducible Template (Google doc) (PDF)
- A Taste of Heavy Metal: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Algae biofuel: can pond scum power the planet: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Arm Wrestling and Torque: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Billiards and Collisions: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Biofuels: An Alternative Energy Source: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Can chocolate make your brain work better?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Can You Store Electricity for Later?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Chemical Equilibrium and Panic Attacks: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- COVID-19: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Cows, methane and climate change: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- CSI Lac-Mégantic: How are victims identified after a disaster?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Dealing With Asteroids and Other Space Hazards: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Do Volts or Amps Kill You?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Do You Know What's On Your Plate?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Energy Efficiency Begins at Home: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Escape Velocity: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Eutrophication: Why you should care about pond scum?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Gamma rays: Helper or hazard?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Green Chemistry 101: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Green Walls: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Guppies, guppies everywhere: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- How can I go faster on my bike?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- How can understanding physics help me go faster on my bike?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- How did a piece of Canada end up in Australia?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- How do alkaloids cause addiction: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- How do birds help monitor the health of ecosystems?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- How do clouds form?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- How do plants use chemical signalling?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- How do sleeping bags work?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- How does a lavalamp work?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Is there too much carbon dioxide in your classroom?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s...a drone!: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Marine microbiology: meet the microbes of the sea!: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Measles and Measles Prevention: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Meringue: The science behind a wonderfully fluffy dessert: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Microbial fuel cells: making electricity from bacteria: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Moles and Molarity: Counting and Chemistry from Donuts to Soap: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- My stem cell donation story: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Natural selection in your backyard: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Osmosis and its role in human biology and health: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Polystyrene: The pros, the cons, the chemistry: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Searching for exoplanets around the star next door: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Should Scientists Clone Extinct Species?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Spaceflight and Bone Loss: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Stupendous suds: The extraordinary cleaning powers of soap: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Talking Trees: How do trees communicate?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Tapping underground energy with heat pumps: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- The Cold Pack: A chilly example of an endothermic reaction: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- The Environmental Impact of Wasted Food: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- The hovering human: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- The Milky Way: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- The Processes that Shape Landforms: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- The Rock Cycle in Canada: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- The View from CERN: Antimatter and Why It Matters to Me: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Thundersnow: winter thunderstorms: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- What are the pros and cons of ethanol biofuel?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- What if you could charge your phone using radio waves?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- What if you could choose your baby?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- What is a crystal?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- What is a tornado?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- What Is Air Turbulence?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- What is cloud seeding?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- What is ocean warming and why does it matter?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Where did viruses come from?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Who Created the Electronic Synthesizer?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Why a trip to Outer Space could be bad for your bones: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Why are Guppies so Diverse: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Why do apples turn brown after you cut them?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Why do curveballs curve? Part One: Bernoulli’s Equation: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Why do ice rinks stay frozen?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Why do scientists believe in the theory of evolution?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Why do ships float?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Why does the Earth have layers?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Why don’t fish freeze in cold Arctic waters?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Why is ketchup so hard to pour?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
Create Your Own Concept Definition Web
Concept Definition Web Reproducible Template (Google doc) (PDF)
Ready-to-Use Concept Definition Webs
- A Taste of Heavy Metal: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Algae biofuel: can pond scum power the planet: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Arm Wrestling and Torque: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Billiards and Collisions: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Biofuels: An Alternative Energy Source: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Can chocolate make your brain work better?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Can You Store Electricity for Later?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Chemical Equilibrium and Panic Attacks: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- COVID-19: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Cows, methane and climate change: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- CSI Lac-Mégantic: How are victims identified after a disaster?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Dealing With Asteroids and Other Space Hazards: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Do Volts or Amps Kill You?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Do You Know What's On Your Plate?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Energy Efficiency Begins at Home: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Escape Velocity: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Eutrophication: Why you should care about pond scum?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Gamma rays: Helper or hazard?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Green Chemistry 101: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Green Walls: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Guppies, guppies everywhere: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- How can I go faster on my bike?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- How can understanding physics help me go faster on my bike?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- How did a piece of Canada end up in Australia?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- How do alkaloids cause addiction: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- How do birds help monitor the health of ecosystems?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- How do clouds form?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- How do plants use chemical signalling?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- How do sleeping bags work?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- How does a lavalamp work?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Is there too much carbon dioxide in your classroom?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s...a drone!: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Marine microbiology: meet the microbes of the sea!: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Measles and Measles Prevention: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Meringue: The science behind a wonderfully fluffy dessert: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Microbial fuel cells: making electricity from bacteria: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Moles and Molarity: Counting and Chemistry from Donuts to Soap: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- My stem cell donation story: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Natural selection in your backyard: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Osmosis and its role in human biology and health: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Polystyrene: The pros, the cons, the chemistry: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Searching for exoplanets around the star next door: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Should Scientists Clone Extinct Species?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Spaceflight and Bone Loss: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Stupendous suds: The extraordinary cleaning powers of soap: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Talking Trees: How do trees communicate?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Tapping underground energy with heat pumps: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- The Cold Pack: A chilly example of an endothermic reaction: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- The Environmental Impact of Wasted Food: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- The hovering human: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- The Milky Way: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- The Processes that Shape Landforms: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- The Rock Cycle in Canada: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- The View from CERN: Antimatter and Why It Matters to Me: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Thundersnow: winter thunderstorms: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- What are the pros and cons of ethanol biofuel?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- What if you could charge your phone using radio waves?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- What if you could choose your baby?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- What is a crystal?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- What is a tornado?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- What Is Air Turbulence?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- What is cloud seeding?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- What is ocean warming and why does it matter?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Where did viruses come from?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Who Created the Electronic Synthesizer?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Why a trip to Outer Space could be bad for your bones: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Why are Guppies so Diverse: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Why do apples turn brown after you cut them?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Why do curveballs curve? Part One: Bernoulli’s Equation: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Why do ice rinks stay frozen?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Why do scientists believe in the theory of evolution?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Why do ships float?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Why does the Earth have layers?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Why don’t fish freeze in cold Arctic waters?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
- Why is ketchup so hard to pour?: Concept Definition Web Reproducible [Google doc] [PDF]
References
Barton, M. L., & Jordan, D. L. (2001). Teaching reading in science: A supplement to the second edition of teaching reading in the content areas teacher's manual. Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning.