8 Effective Ways to
Activate Prior Knowledge

"Good readers think about what they already know
before they start to read."

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This technique allows students from varying academic levels and personal backgrounds to participate and share their experience to build a classroom experience. Also helps the teacher to assess "where the class is at."

1. Elementary Social Studies: Topic of unit is Westward Movement. Teacher might ask the students For those who have moved or had friends/family move: What steps must one go through to prepare to move? Why did you move? What were you sad about and happy about when you moved?
2. Middle School Geometry: Topic of unit is Triangles. Teacher might ask students to write as many facts as they know about triangles for 2 min. Then students listen to the teacher's presentation and after highlight facts they knew that the teacher had repeated, and add in the new facts he/she learned after the presentation
3. High School English: Before reading a short story where the main character experienced something frightening, the teacher would ask students to free write about a time when he/she experienced something fearful. Then have students share vocabulary they used to describe their experiences. Make the link between students experiences with fear and the characters in the story.

Making predictions increases motivation, can activate prior knowledge/experiences, develop a purpose for reading.

1. Topic Survey: Use an overhead or PowerPoint to show students 8-10 statements that they could agree or disagree with related to the topic. Could be done as whole class, small group, or individual activity. Be sure students compare their answers to these questions before and after they read the assigned reading.
2. Possible Sentences: Teacher selects 8-12 terms from the reading, some familiar and some not. They write sentences hypothesizing the use of the words. Be sure they double check the accuracy of those sentences AFTER they have read the assigned reading.
3. Probably Passage (narrative text): Using teacher selected vocabulary related to the setting, characters, problem, events, solution, students write plausible stories. Be sure students compare their stories with the actual story after they have read the assigned narrative.
4. Guided Reading: Could be a group or individual activity. Be sure to ask these questions before the reading begins as well as periodically while students are engaged in reading.
   • Expository: What do you think we will learn from this text?
   • Narrative: What do you think might happen in this story?

Help students to remember these 5 steps when previewing text.

1. Read the Title: Think about what you already know about the topic.
2. Read all the headings and subheadings and bold print.
3. Scan the whole text to see how long it is and what it covers. Read the introductory sentence or paragraph.
4. Look at all the pictures, graphs, and charts. Read all the captions. Make note of words that are unfamiliar.
5. Read the chapter review summary and review questions.

1. Think-Pair-Share: Students write down own idea on the topic, then turn to a partner and they share their ideas (compare/contrast...could use a Venn Diagram) and then share with a larger group (whole class or combination of 2 small groups)
2. AB Teach: Partners take turns telling each other something they know or think about the new learning.
3. The Discussion Web: Use this activity to encourage students to think about both sides of an issue. Can be done individually, small group, or as a whole class.

• Make Word and PDF version of chart on pg 11 STRP

This is very closely related to Prior Knowledge and is very important in the content areas where students may not have much experience with the subject specific vocabulary

1. Semantic Maps: Word in the middle and students brainstorm words they associate with this word.
2. Scavenger Hunt: Individuals or groups can look through the text to find pictures or kids can look at home and else where to bring in items to put on display in the room. Terms and the related objects are discussed prior to the students reading the text.
3. Possible Sentences: See Making Predictions (#2)

1. Open Ended Questions: Teacher can pose a question to the class for an individual to think/write about. Or students could do the Think-Pair-Share activity as described above in Discussion (#1).
2. End of Chapter Questions: By reading the questions at the end of the chapter BEFORE students read the chapter, they are focusing on what the editors think is important information.
3. Student Generated Questions: Similar to K-W-L. Students brainstorm questions they think will be answered by the reading. Be sure you discuss the difference between these three types of questions.
   • Text Explicit- reader can find answer directly from the text
   • Text Implicit- reader has to infer the answer