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Think-Pair-Share with a visual prompt.

1. Before our lesson begins, I want you to think back to a time where you were maybe outside, maybe at a park, or backyard.

Think: What did you see, were there plants? Insects? Animals? What do bugs eat? Then have students pair up to discuss what they see.

This hook allows students to activate prior knowledge from real world experience

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Graphic Organizers

A lesson without a graphic organizer is never as effective as a lesson with one.

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Why a Graphic Organizer Instructional Strategy Is Crucial for Effective Instruction

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A lesson without a graphic organizer is never as effective as a lesson with one. Learn why a graphic organizer instructional strategy is so important.

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Mind Mapping for Students

A visual thinking and learning technique that uses diagrams to represent information, ideas, or concepts around a central topic.

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Mind mapping for kids | How to create mind maps for good thinking and memory | Tutorial 9 part 2

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Anticipation Guides

This comprehension strategy activates students’ prior knowledge, builds curiosity about a new topic before learning about it, and then checks for understanding after reading.

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This comprehension strategy activates students’ prior knowledge, builds curiosity about a new topic before learning about it, and then checks for understanding after reading.

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Multimedia Connections

Show a video, image, or article related to the topic. Ask students to discuss how the media connects to their own experiences or what they already know.

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Think-Pair-Share

Have students think about a question related to the topic, discuss their thoughts with a partner, and then share with the class. This collaborative approach helps activate prior knowledge and promotes deeper understanding.

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Real-world Examples

Provide real-world examples that relate to the topic. Encourage students to come up with their own examples and discuss how they connect to what they're learning.

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Personal Stories

Ask students to share personal stories or experiences related to the topic. This makes the content more relatable and memorable.

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Activating Prior Knowledge

A process that helps students make connections between new information and information they already know.

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Page 9: Activating Prior Knowledge

Students' comprehension of new information can be improved by activating their prior knowledge, a process that helps students make connections between new information and information they already know. Students who already know something about a topic-perhaps from prior experiences at home or at school-often find it easier to understand related material and to gain new information because they can anticipate what they will encounter in their reading and relate those new ideas to what they already know. Of course, students sometimes have difficulty activating their prior knowledge independently or else they do not have the requisite background knowledge at all. To help students to activate prior or to build requisite knowledge teachers can:

Did You Know?

By having students participate in activities or discussions, content-area teachers can identify incomplete, faulty, or conflicting ideas or misconceptions that could interfere with the students' ability to successfully learn and apply new information.

Explain the topic or standard about which students will be learning

Provide an overview of requisite content or concepts (e.g., review preceding content, use media or a hands-on activity to create the necessary context for learning new material)

Preview the reading material to note headings and subheadings, words in bold or italic font, and titles and captions on graphic sources

Actively engage students in discussing and integrating information

View the video to see how Anita Archer, an educational consultant, connects the students' prior knowledge about the term depression to help them to learn about the Great Depression (time: 2:37).

Video is courtesy Anita L. Archer.

Transcript: Connecting Prior Knowledge

Teacher: One more time with enthusiasm, everyone.

Class: The Great Depression!

Teacher: And it occurred in the 19-what, everyone? The 19...

Class: 30's.

Teacher: You probably already know something about it, but we're going to particularly look at the causes today, and then later we'll look at how did the government respond to the Great Depression. Well, first thing is here we have the word depressed, and it is often used to talk about a person's affect, how they feel and are thinking. So, everybody, show me if you were really depressed, with your body, what you'd look like.

[The class mimics depression.]

Teacher: Okay, show me definitely not-depressed.

[The class is happier.]

Teacher: Okay, show me really depressed.

[The class is really depressed.]

Teacher: Show me not-depressed.

[The class is happier.]

Teacher: Okay, you got to do better on the not-depressed.

[The class laughs.]

Teacher: Okay, show me depressed.

[The class is depressed.]

Teacher: Show me not-depressed. Stay there for the period.

[The class laughs.]

Teacher: Now if I am depressed, my affect, my emotions, the way I feel would they be tend to be good or bad if I was depressed? Which one, everyone?

Class: Bad.

Teacher: Bad. Okay, and if I was depressed, would my emotions be going up or down? Which one, everyone?

Class: Down.

Teacher: Down. So from our own experience of using that term to talk about how people feel, we know that it is not good, but it is...

Class: Bad.

Teacher: It is not going up. It is going...

Class: Down.

Teacher: And you could be in a state, if you were depressed, you could be in a state of...what, everyone?

Class: Depression.

Teacher: Now the term as used in social studies is an economic term to talk about our economy. And when it talks about our economy, let's use what we already know about depressed. Is the economy good or bad if there's a depression? Which one?

Class: Bad.

Teacher: Is the economy going up or going down in a depression, everyone? Which one, everyone?

Class: Down.

Teacher: So it is a term that we use commonly, that is used in a economic way. So here we have depression, and it is a long period of...what, everyone?

Class: Time.

Teacher: And it is when the economy is...

Class: Bad.

Teacher: And one of the markers of a depression is many people do not have a...

Class: Job.
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For those students who do not have the requisite knowledge to take full part in a lesson, teachers might need to provide additional instruction. Listen as Sharon Vaughn discusses some ways to address this issue (time:1:04).

Sharon Vaughn, PhD
Professor of Special Education
Director of the Vaughn Gross Center for Reading and Language Arts
University of Texas, Austin

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View Transcript
Transcript: Sharon Vaughn, PhD

The way in which you accelerate comprehension is to assure that students have adequate background knowledge. The best way to build background knowledge is for students to read. The unfortunate cycle is that students who don't read also have decreased background knowledge, which means that when they read they learn less and remember less. So how do we get them out of this negative cycle and into a positive cycle? Well, one way is by teaching essential words. Another is by promoting reading across the content area, and the third way is by providing enriching background knowledge very quickly through very brief activities such as sixty- and ninety-second videos that quickly provide very important background knowledge that set the tone for the reading.

Activity

List three things Anita Archer does to help students activate their prior knowledge in order to learn the term corporation (time: 3:50).

Video is courtesy Anita L. Archer.

Transcript: Activity

Teacher: With that background knowledge, we're going to just review some of the critical terms in this. And the first term here is...what, everyone?

Class: Corporation.

Teacher: I need to hear everybody, though. What is it, everyone?

Class: Corporation.

Teacher: There are more than one way we could define this, but as your book uses it they're talking about a...what, everyone? A...

Class: Large business.

Teacher: Or a...

Class: Company.

Teacher: And so on the back of your page, your second vocabulary term, write down corporation, and then you could write underneath it either one of the synonyms: a large business or a company. Remember, your pencil down always tells me I can go forward. So I took some time just to think about some of the corporations in the United States in 2009. So we have Microsoft, which makes computer...what, everyone?

Class: Software.

Teacher: Dell, which actually builds...

Class: Computers.

Teacher: Walgreens, which is a...

Class: Drugstore.

Teacher: But all of them together form a...what? A...

Class: Corporation.

Teacher: A what, everyone? A...

Class: Class: Corporation.

Teacher: We have Macy's, which is a...

Class: Clothing store.

Teacher: Circuit City, which just went bankrupt, but makes what, everyone?

Class: Electronics.

Teacher: Or sells electronics. General Motors, which sells...

Class: Cars.

Teacher: And is hoping not to go bankrupt. So those are some of our corporations. Now I want you to think of other corporations that come to your mind. So thinking about some other corporations, large companies. Okay, first ones, then twos, tell your partner the name of another company and as you do it, one's, I want you to count the number that you and your partner are able to come up with. Come up with another corporation. Talk it over with your partner. First one's, then two's. Ones, count the number of ideas. And go.

Students: McDonald's.

Teacher: McDonald's, excellent.

Students: KFC.

Teacher: KFC, sure. That's a corporation. Wal-Mart.

Students: Foot Locker, Journeys, Big Lots.

Teacher: Yeah.

Teacher: Okay, fall silent. One's, show me the number that you came up with. 10, 5, 7, 4, 5, 4. Okay, we are going to do wraparound or pass. And that means everybody's going to quickly give an answer, and we are going to wrap around. If you can't think of one, just say "pass." But get one in mind now, a major corporation, a large company. Go.

Student: McDonald's.

Teacher: McDonald's.

Student: Fries.

Teacher: Say it again.

Student: Fries.

Teacher: Fries.

Student: Goodwill.

Teacher: Goodwill. It is a corporation.

Student: Walmart.

Teacher: Walmart, excellent.

Student: [Inaudible]

Teacher: Good.

Student: [Inaudible]

Teacher: You can say "pass." Say "pass."

Student: Pass.

Teacher: Pass.

Student: Target.

Teacher: Yes.

Student: Costco.

Teacher: Yes.

Student: Apple.

Student: Pass.

Student: [Inaudible]

Teacher: Right.

Student: [Inaudible]

Student: Walmart.

Student: Starbucks.

Student: JC Penny's.

Student: [Inaudible]

Teacher: Excellent job, alright!
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IRIS | Page 9: Activating Prior Knowledge

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Students' comprehension of new information can be improved by activating their prior knowledge, a process that helps students make connections between new information and information they already know.

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Picture Walks

A picture walk is a pre-reading activity where students and educators "walk" through a book's illustrations, discussing the images and making predictions about the story before reading the text. This technique helps students connect with the material, activate prior knowledge, and build excitement for the story, ultimately enhancing their reading comprehension.

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Early literacy development is crucial for young learners as they begin to navigate the world of reading and writing. Engaging in pre-reading strategies helps children build essential skills, such as oral language development, comprehension, and vocabulary One highly effective pre-reading strategy is the "picture walk." In this blog post, we will explore the benefits of picture walks and other pre-reading strategies that can be employed to support early literacy development in young learners.

Picture Walks: A Visual Journey to Boost Early Literacy Development

A picture walk is a pre-reading activity where children and educators "walk" through a book, discussing and making predictions based on the illustrations before reading the text. This process encourages students to make connections, activate prior knowledge, and generate curiosity about the story. Here are some benefits of incorporating picture walks into early literacy instruction:

Additional Pre-Reading Strategies for Early Literacy Development

Besides picture walks, there are several other pre-reading strategies that can support early literacy development:

Pre-reading strategies, such as picture walks, play a vital role in early literacy development. By introducing these activities in the classroom or at home, educators and parents can support young learners as they build essential skills and become confident, successful readers.

Enter your email below to receive updates and resources to support inquiry-based instruction in social studies and literacy development.

About inquirED

inquirED was founded by teachers with the mission of bringing inquiry-based social studies to every classroom. Inquiry Journeys , inquirED's elementary social studies curriculum, is used in schools and districts across the country to help students develop deep social studies content knowledge and build the inquiry skills that are essential for a thriving democracy.

Subscribe to receive email updates from inquirED

Early literacy development is crucial for young learners as they begin to navigate the world of reading and writing. Engaging in pre-reading strategies helps children build essential skills, such as oral language development, comprehension, and vocabulary One highly effective pre-reading strategy is the "picture walk." In this blog post, we will explore the benefits of picture walks and other pre-reading strategies that can be employed to support early literacy development in young learners.

Picture Walks: A Visual Journey to Boost Early Literacy Development

A picture walk is a pre-reading activity where children and educators "walk" through a book, discussing and making predictions based on the illustrations before reading the text. This process encourages students to make connections, activate prior knowledge, and generate curiosity about the story. Here are some benefits of incorporating picture walks into early literacy instruction:

Additional Pre-Reading Strategies for Early Literacy Development

Besides picture walks, there are several other pre-reading strategies that can support early literacy development:

Pre-reading strategies, such as picture walks, play a vital role in early literacy development. By introducing these activities in the classroom or at home, educators and parents can support young learners as they build essential skills and become confident, successful readers.

Enter your email below to receive updates and resources to support inquiry-based instruction in social studies and literacy development.

About inquirED

inquirED was founded by teachers with the mission of bringing inquiry-based social studies to every classroom. Inquiry Journeys , inquirED's elementary social studies curriculum, is used in schools and districts across the country to help students develop deep social studies content knowledge and build the inquiry skills that are essential for a thriving democracy.

Subscribe to receive email updates from inquirED

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Picture Walks and Other Pre-Reading Strategies for Early Literacy Development

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Early literacy development is crucial for young learners as they begin to navigate the world of reading and writing. Engaging in pre-reading strategies helps children build essential skills, such as oral language development, comprehension, and vocabulary One highly effective pre-reading strategy is the "picture walk."

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Concept Sorts

Concept sorts introduce students to the vocabulary or ideas of a new topic or text. Students are presented a list of terms or concepts and have to determine how they are related by placing them into  different categories.

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A concept sort is a vocabulary and comprehension strategy used to familiarize students with the vocabulary of a new topic or book. Teachers provide students with a list of terms or concepts from reading material. Students place words into different categories based on each word’s meaning. Categories…

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Pre-assessment Quizzes

Give a short quiz at the beginning of the lesson to assess students' prior knowledge. This can help identify areas that need more attention and tailor the lesson accordingly.

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Quick Writes

Have students spend five minutes writing everything they know about the topic. This activates their prior knowledge and helps them connect new information to what they already understand.

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Brainstorming Sessions

Encourage students to brainstorm everything they know about the topic. This can be done individually, in pairs, or as a whole class. Document their responses on the board or a shared online document.

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K-W-L Charts

Ask students to fill out a K-W-L chart (What I Know, What I Want to Know, What I Learned) about the topic at the beginning of the lesson. This helps them organize their thoughts and sets a purpose for learning.