Why is it important to help students activate their prior knowledge and connect it to their reading materials?
In general, the more students know about a topic, the better they comprehend and learn from the passages. Because prior knowledge and ability to comprehend are highly correlated, instruction that focuses on activating students’ prior knowledge and helping them relate their prior knowledge to the texts that they will read improves comprehension. How do we help children to activate their prior knowledge? • Prompt students to think about what they know about the topic prior to reading. • Ask students to predict what the text may be about based on the title. • Ask students to predict what the text may be about based on the illustrations. What are some ways to help children develop or expand upon their prior knowledge? • Read to the students often from a variety of texts. • Allow students to read a variety of texts. • Make a variety of texts available to students within the classroom. • Take field trips (virtual or live). • Show non-fiction videos. • Use the Web as a resource to gather and
