Content area vocabulary is a key part of children's success in the subject. Developing content area vocabulary in their students is sometimes a challenge for teachers. There are many strategies to help teachers develop and strengthen vocabulary in their classroom. A strategy is a type of graphic organizer called a concept definition map. “Using graphic organizers to organize information sometimes gets a bad rap. However, using these tools involves much more than just putting information into small boxes” (Concept/Definitive Maps for Understanding Curriculum Content, 2011). A concept definition card is a graphic organizer that some teachers use in their classroom to develop vocabulary. A concept definition card is a great way to build vocabulary in content areas, by expanding concept definitions into a diagram that connects to previously learned information. What is a concept definition map? The classroom book, 35 Strategies for Developing Content Area Vocabulary, defines a concept definition map as a “graphic organizer that shows the relationship between the definition of a concept and other information about it” (Spencer and Guillaume, 2009, p. 9). One article defines a concept definition map as a “graphic organizer that helps students enrich their understanding of a word or concept and develop new vocabulary” (Concept Definition Map). A concept definition map is a type of graphic organizer; more precisely, it is a conceptual map. As a type of graphic organizer, it visually represents the information students need to learn. Since a concept definition map is specifically a concept map, it visually shows the relationships between concepts and subconcepts of a topic or main idea. What makes a concept definition map special c...... middle of paper .......Chan, C (2009). Assessment: concept map, Assessment Resources@HKU, University of Hong Kong. Retrieved from: http://ar.cetl.hku.hk/am_cm.htm#4Concept definition map. International Center for Educational Leadership. PDF file. Retrieved from: http://www.hammond.k12.in.us/icle_reading/5%20CTE%20Reading%20Strategies/4%20CTE%20Reading%20Concept%20Definintion%20Map.pdfExample Concept Definition Map. Scholastic RED resource for teachers. p. 1. Retrieved from: http://teacher.scholastic.com/reading/bestpractices/vocabulary/pdf/tr_AllConcept.pdfSpencer, BH and Guillaume, AM (2009). Definition card concept. 35 Strategies for Developing Content Area Vocabulary (pp. 9-13). Boston: Allyn & Bacon/Pearson. Using a concept definition map. Red school resource for teachers. PDF file. Retrieved from: http://teacher.scholastic.com/reading/bestpractices/vocabulary/pdf/concept.pdf