1. RP DP Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program RP DP
Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program
RPDP.net
RPDP Secondary Literacy

2. Ready, Set, Read Activating Prior Knowledge
Created and Developed by Jill M. Leone Reading Specialist © 2007
RPDP Secondary Literacy

3. RPDP Secondary Literacy
Today's Objective
We will discuss –
Reasons for accessing your own prior knowledge when you read
Strategies to activate prior knowledge
Importance of making connections
RPDP Secondary Literacy

4. RPDP Secondary Literacy
Question
Have you ever read a story that reminded you of something that happened in your own life?
Or maybe you read about a character who reminded you of someone you knew?
RPDP Secondary Literacy

5. RPDP Secondary Literacy
Finding similarities between what you’re reading and your own experiences in life is called activating prior knowledge.
Prior means before, so prior knowledge is what you already knew before you started reading the story.
Using this knowledge helps you understand what you read.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

6. Prior knowledge is a combination of your -
In other words -
Prior knowledge is a combination of your -
preexisting attitudes and beliefs
life experiences and activities
knowledge and strategies
motivation for reading
present mood
personality
memories
Basically, it's all the knowledge you've acquired in your lifetime.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

7. Your Reading Experience -
You bring your own personality, mood, memories, etc. to everything you read.
What you, as a reader, bring to a page affects your ability to understand the writer’s words and ideas.
This makes your experience while reading almost as unique as a fingerprint.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

8. Your teacher may use different words
What's in a name?
Your teacher may use different words
when referring to prior knowledge:
Background knowledge
Previous knowledge
Personal knowledge
Frame of reference
Their meaning is the same.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

9. RPDP Secondary Literacy
What Good Readers Do:
Good readers activate relevant prior knowledge before, during and after reading.
They use this knowledge as a framework for learning new information.
They also decide if they need more information for understanding.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

10. By finding connections between your life and the lives of the people
Find Connections
By finding connections
between your life and
the lives of the people
you’re reading about,
you can better
understand
what those people do and why.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

11. As they read. good readers -
Add to or change their thinking as they discover new ideas and information.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

12. As they read. good readers also -
Confirm their hypotheses or theories.
They say: “That’s what I expected,” or
“That’s really surprising.”
RPDP Secondary Literacy

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Let's talk.
Making Connections
RPDP Secondary Literacy

14. There are 3 Types of Connections:
TEXT to SELF: How does this text connect
to my past experiences, or prior knowledge?
TEXT to TEXT: How does this text connect
to another piece of writing?
TEXT TO WORLD: How does this text
connect to what I know about the world?
Use these to help understand what you read.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

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Good readers
Good readers ask questions:
before reading
during reading
after reading
RPDP Secondary Literacy

16. Questions that help activate prior knowledge:
What knowledge will help you understand the information in this selection?
Which details connect to your own life experiences?
What background knowledge would help a reader understand this?
Would you recommend this to other readers? Why? Why not?
RPDP Secondary Literacy

17. Questions that help activate prior knowledge:
What connections did you make with the information in this selection?
What other selections did this article remind you of?
What did you learn about the world from this article?
RPDP Secondary Literacy

18. Questions that help activate prior knowledge:
Where would you find more information for the topic of this article?
Based on the topic, what information did you expect to read in this selection?
What details did you add to your own knowledge based on this article?
RPDP Secondary Literacy

19. Questions that help activate prior knowledge:
How are the events described in this article related to your life?
Are there similarities?
Are there differences?
How are the events similar or different to the lives of people you know?
RPDP Secondary Literacy

20. Accessing Prior Knowledge
Memory often plays tricks on us. Much of what we already know lies hidden in our brains.
Successful readers learn how to reawaken this information.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

21. Also, writer’s don’t tell you everything.
Many things you need to figure out
on your own.
Good readers learn how to use what
they read and connect it to what
they already know.
They come to conclusions
after studying the facts.
A conclusion is an inference.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

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Making Inferences
Prior knowledge helps you make inferences.
When reading about a football game, imagine:
the cheering fans
the half time band
the score board
the smell of hot dogs
the victory for the winning team
RPDP Secondary Literacy

23. Always preview the text content and structure.
Strategies to activate prior knowledge:
Always preview the text content and structure.
Read the title. Titles provide clues about the main idea.
Try to predict what the passage will be about.
Continue to make predictions Modify them as you get deeper into the passage.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

24. Don’t just glance at it and move on. Think about it.
Stop!
Really read the title.
Don’t just glance at it and move on.
Think about it.
Now you're activating your previous knowledge.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

25. Remember to ask yourself questions. Then try to answer them.
Strategies to activate prior knowledge:
Connect what you read to what you already know. The more connections you make, the easier job you’ll have with comprehension.
Remember to ask yourself questions.
Then try to answer them.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

26. Have a purpose for reading. This will focus your attention.
Strategies to activate prior knowledge:
Read the questions before you read the passages. This helps activate your memory and prior information.
Have a purpose for reading. This will focus your attention. 
Reread information that seems important or difficult to understand.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

27. Have you heard this expression?
A picture is worth a thousand words.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

28. It’s important to visualize what you read.
You must “see” it to understand it.
It’s important to visualize what you read.
“Visualization is one of our strongest memory techniques.”
It will help you to focus and connect.
Saralyn Lasley, Clark County School District
RPDP Secondary Literacy

29. If I can’t picture it, I can’t understand it.
A quote from one of the greatest geniuses of all time -
If I can’t picture it, I can’t
understand it.
-Albert Einstein
RPDP Secondary Literacy

30. Active Reading K-W-L Chart
What I Know
What I Want to Know
What I’ve Learned
Graphic organizers can help.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

31. Two Column Chart What the passage is about What it reminds me of
Dinosaurs are extinct.
After the dinosaurs died out, 65 million years passed before people appeared on Earth.
I saw a dinosaur exhibit with my 6th grade class.
I just saw the movie Jurassic Park.
For a passage about dinosaurs
RPDP Secondary Literacy

32. Your teacher asks you to complete an anticipation guide.
Here's a great prereading strategy.
Your teacher asks you to complete an anticipation guide.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

33. Anticipation Guide
Directions: Read each statement. If you believe that
a statement is true, check the Agree column. If you
believe the statement is false, check the Disagree
column. Be ready to explain your choices.  
Agree   Disagree  
_____ _____  The average worker in the USA
spends more than 2 hours a day
using computers in the workplace.
You answer key statements about the topic.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

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Good readers -
Try to identify important information in a text
Read the parts that present “news” more carefully
Process that important information differently:
reread it
underline it
paraphrase it
connect it
RPDP Secondary Literacy

35. What if your teacher wants you to read about the Mexican Revolution?
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36. The only thing you can remember is the name Pancho Villa.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

37. Where do you start?
You know that Pancho Villa was a rebel general in the Mexican Army.
You also know that he was a great hero to the poor.
Thinking about what you already know prepares your brain to learn more.
Now connect your knowledge to what you read.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

38. You will probably have an easier time understanding
a passage about the
Mexican Revolution than a reader
who does not bring such background
knowledge to the reading.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

39. Brainstorm with classmates whenever possible.
Brainstorming
Hmm...
Brainstorm with classmates whenever possible.
This will allow you to share your knowledge and experiences with others and create interest in the topic.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

40. Reading will help you build more
Remember -
The best advice your teachers
can give you is to always
read and think.
Reading will help you build more
background knowledge.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

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And remember to always connect what you’re reading to what you already know.
RPDP Secondary Literacy

42. Key Strategies and Terms
Today we discussed:
Importance of prior knowledge
Accessing prior knowledge
Connecting prior knowledge
RPDP Secondary Literacy

43. RPDP Secondary Literacy
Copyright Notice
Permission is granted to copy (unmodified) all or part of this PowerPoint for educational, personal, non-commercial use off-line as long as the copyright message (Copyright © 2007 by Jill Leone) is maintained on the title page. This material may not be sold, duplicated on other websites, incorporated in commercial documents or products, or used for promotional purposes.
Copyright © 2007 by Jill M. Leone
RPDP Secondary Literacy