Abstract & Concrete
Recommended Practice: Connect abstract and concrete representations of concepts.
- Overview & Tools: Video overviews and professional development materials
- Learn What Works: Expert interviews about connecting abstract and concrete representations of concepts
- See How It Works: Videos and sample materials from schools
Connecting Abstract and Concrete Representations of Concepts
Organize Your Teaching > Abstract & Concrete > Overview & Tools
View this multimedia overview to learn about how connecting abstract ideas with concrete situations can help students understand difficult concepts and transfer their knowledge to new situations.
Resource Type
Overview
Using Concrete Situations to Introduce Content
Organize Your Teaching > Abstract & Concrete > Learn What Works
In this interview, Dr. Brian Bottge talks about how teachers can introduce content with real-world problem scenarios and make connections with abstract concepts.
Resource Type
Expert Interview
Making History Come Alive
Organize Your Teaching > Abstract & Concrete > See How It Works
Social studies teacher and curriculum trainer Matt Moorman explains how to help students understand abstract ideas by using visual techniques, including graphic organizers and visual...
Resource Type
School Example
Connecting Classrooms to the World
Organize Your Teaching > Abstract & Concrete > See How It Works
Teachers at Normal Park Elementary explain how they use learning expeditions to make abstract concepts from textbooks into more memorable and understandable, concrete experiences for their...
Resource Type
School Example
Demonstrating Thermal Layering
Organize Your Teaching > Abstract & Concrete > See How It Works
Using an aquarium and food coloring, science teacher Tasia Stamos re-creates the layers of warm and cool water in a summer lake to help her students visualize the effects of thermal...
Resource Type
School Example
Cupcake Geology: Using Models to Explain Abstract Concepts
Organize Your Teaching > Abstract & Concrete > See How It Works
In this multimedia presentation, fifth-grade teacher Deb Wickerham describes how she uses models and hands-on activities to help elementary students understand complex earth science concepts. See...
Resource Type
School Example
Student Assignment: Acme Landscaping Closure Activity
Organize Your Teaching > Abstract & Concrete > See How It Works
View an end-of-unit assignment from the math department at Kettle Moraine High School that asks students to explain in concrete terms the abstract concept of tangent ratios. Related...
Resource Type
Sample Material
Graphic Organizer for Teaching Vocabulary With Visuals
Organize Your Teaching > Abstract & Concrete > See How It Works
Middle-school teacher Bonnie Bowen uses this graphic organizer in her classroom to incorporate the use of visuals in vocabulary instruction. Related Files: Plainwell Middle School Description...
Resource Type
Sample Material
Lesson Plan: Cupcake Geology
Organize Your Teaching > Abstract & Concrete > See How It Works
View the lesson plan from Deb Wickerham's activity called "Cupcake Geology," which uses physical models to illustrate geologic concepts. Related Media and Files: Cupcake Geology: Using Models...
Resource Type
Sample Material
Learning Together About Connecting Abstract and Concrete Representations of Concepts
Organize Your Teaching > Abstract & Concrete > Overview & Tools
This training activity can be used to convene a school in-service session for teachers to learn why and how to make concrete connections to abstract concepts. Related Media and Files: Planning...
Resource Type
Tool
Discuss and Design: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Visual Representations
Organize Your Teaching > Abstract & Concrete > Overview & Tools
Use this tool to guide discussions, in groups, of ways to use graphics to promote learning. Related Media and Files: Using Graphics to Support Learning (Slideshow and Transcript)
Resource Type
Tool
Planning Chart Activity: Incorporating More Concrete Connections to Abstract Concepts
Organize Your Teaching > Abstract & Concrete > Overview & Tools
This tool provides a format for brainstorming activities that use understandable representations to teach difficult concepts.
Resource Type
Tool
