Abstract: Difficult to understand because of its detachment from concrete existence; opposite of concrete.

Analogy: A general likeness; partial likeness. In this module, two concepts (one new, the other familiar) with partial similarity are compared to enhance the understanding of the new concept. For example, a teacher might introduce the new concept of parasitism by comparing it to the more familiar concept of unwanted guest or might compare solving a math problem with solving a mystery.

Attribute: Key features and qualities; characteristics.

Background knowledge: A personal reservoir of information on a variety of topics; information retained in one's long-term memory.

Clause: An arrangement of words containing a subject and verb that creates part, but not all, of a sentence. Clauses can be dependent or independent.

Cognitive: Involving the process of knowing by thinking, comprehending, analyzing, or evaluation. Example: Students use the cognitive process to be able to understand or gain meaning from spoken or written material by reasoning, making inferences, seeing relationships, etc.

Comparative structure: (also known as comparative visual depiction device) A type of visual depiction that shows the relationship between at least two concepts that are being compared or contrasted and organizes them in a manner that makes the information easier to learn. Examples include relationship charts, matrices, and concept analysis diagrams.

Concept: A distinct idea or category into which examples with shared characteristics may be placed.

Concept anchoring routine: A method used to teach a complex, abstract concept through the creation of an analogy to a similar, better-known concept.

Concept anchoring table: A table used to teach a new idea by creating an analogy to another, better known idea and graphically depicting the key elements involved. The concept anchoring table is co-constructed by the students and teacher and serves as the "centerpiece" of the Concept Anchoring Routine.

Concept comparison routine: A set of instructional methods used to compare and contrast two or more ideas or examples of ideas.

Concept comparison table: A two dimensional instructional tool used by a teacher to display information about two or more ideas, or examples of ideas. The teacher uses the comparison table to draw student attention to critical characteristics of each idea, determine their similarities and differences, and show the categories into which the characters fit.

Concept development: The process of gaining an understanding of an idea.

Concept diagram: A two-dimensional instructional tool used by a teacher to display information related to a key idea. Complex and abstract pieces of information, and their relationships, are displayed in a way that enhances student understanding and retention.

Concept ladder: A device that uses superordinate, subordinate, and coordinate ideas to teach hierarchical concept relationships.

Concept mastery routine: Instructional procedures built around a visual device, called the Concept Diagram, used by a teacher to display and analyze information related to a key idea for the purpose of gaining meaning about that idea.

Content enhancement: A systematic teaching procedure for content instruction that involves making decisions about what content to teach, manipulating and translating that content into easy-to-understand formats, and presenting it in ways that are easy to remember.

Content enhancement routine: A systematic teaching procedure for content instruction that involves making decisions about what content to teach, manipulating and translating that content into easy-to-understand formats, and presenting it in ways that are easy to remember.

Coordinate concept: As used in this lesson, an idea or category that has the same position and status as another idea in a hierarchy. For example, Siamese, Persian, and Main Coon are all types of cats. They all belong to the same class, which makes them coordinate concepts.

Cue-do-review sequence: A component of content enhancement routines involving the instructional method used to draw students' attention to the use of a certain instructional process, involve them in that process, and check the effectiveness of that process.

Cycle: In this module, a visual device that shows a process or a series that repeats itself.

Dialect: Distinctive variety of language spoken in a particular region or by a particular group which is mutually understandable by speakers of the mother tongue.

Directional structure: A type of visual depiction in which items of information are placed in a sequence, and in which one element is not necessarily subordinate to another. Examples include timelines, cycles, and flowcharts.

Elaborative language: Language that is more complex than the usual public language, thereby expanding the meaning and context of words.

Explicit: Completely and clearly expressed without ambiguity or vagueness; fully developed. Example: Explicit instructions would leave no doubt in one's mind about what to do. Every part would be "spelled out."

Flowchart: A diagram or visual device that shows the step-by-step progression of events in which the order is determined by decisions or outcomes at each step.

Full concept knowledge: Knowledge that allows an individual to demonstrate a broad understanding of a word and to use this knowledge to manipulate meaning, as in finding an antonym or comparing and contrasting similar words.

Graphic organizer: Visual depiction of information organized to enhance comprehension of it.

Hierarchy: In this module, the order of relationships among ideas, determined by degree of inclusiveness.

Inconsiderate text: Text that is poorly written, poorly organized, or both, thereby making it difficult to understand.

Language connection: The process of setting up and building an association between the differing processes of language; namely, listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

Matrix: A two dimensional, visual depiction that is used to aid in student learning.

Partial concept knowledge: Word knowledge that is characterized by limited use and difficulty discriminating a word's meaning from meanings of similar words.

Reading comprehension: The process or result of gaining intended and personal meaning from written material.

Reading disability: Condition characterized by reading performance that is significantly below what would be expected for an individual's age and reading potential.

Relationship chart: A visual depiction that shows the association among different terms and concepts.

Semantic: Part of the structure of language, along with phonology, morphology, syntax, and pragmatics, which involves understanding the meaning of words, sentences, and texts.

Semantic feature analysis: A graph or table that focuses on specific relationships, including similarities and differences, among words.

Semantic map: A graphic structure that is focused on a single, central idea or concept from which all information radiates outward; semantic web

Subordinate Concept: As used in this lesson, the smaller idea or concept that fits under a larger one. For example: humans are subordinate to mammals and mammals are subordinate to animals.

Superordinate Concept: As used in this lesson, the all-inclusive concept or category to which the targeted concept belongs. For example: animals are superordinate to mammals and mammals are superordinate to humans.

Timeline: A visual device used to chronologically arrange past events.

Visual depiction: Graphic structures used to organize information in a manner that makes the information easier to learn and remember.

Visual device: A teaching device used to aid teachers with their presentations. Examples include graphic organizers, diagrams, tables, outlines, webs, models, films, and demonstrations.

World knowledge: Labels, concepts, ideas, and facts about the world in general; general information shared by people in a given culture.