17 Prior Knowledge
Learning Objectives
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Understand the connection between reading comprehension and prior knowledge. Practice activating prior knowledge when reading.
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Use metacognitive reading strategies before, during and after reading fiction, non-fiction and graphics.
Chapter & Discussion
This chapter includes a presentation that can be navigated in a classroom setting or independently. You can access the presentation via the link below.
Strategy One: Activating Prior Knowledge
Work through the different sections of the chapter and discuss ideas and topics as they arise. If you’re working independently, take notes instead. Notes and active discussion will be helpful in navigating this week’s assignments.
Introduction
Metacognitive reading strategies help you become a stronger reader by being self-aware of your goals and how you practice them.
The first strategy is called “Activating Your Prior Knowledge.”
Is what you already know about your book. This is probably more than you think! You can start with a few prompts like these:
- What is this book about?
- Who is the target audience?
- What do I remember about it?
- What do others have to say about it?
Pre-Reading
The process of looking ahead towards what you’ll be reading is called pre-reading.
The goal of this strategy is to help you comprehend new information by considering things you already know about the topic or text.
Connecting the reading with your prior knowledge and experience accounts for a lot of the comprehension process.
Research
Always try to find out what you can about your book before reading it. You can look into:
The information on the dust jacket or the back of the book
Reviews or videos
Check the page count
Interviews with the author
Chatting with someone who has read the book
*Note: If you discover that the book isn’t worth your time, don’t read it!
Example: Holes, by Louis Sachar
Dust Jacket
Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnatses. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys’ detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the boys build character by spending all day, every day digging holes exactly five feet wide and five feet deep. There is no lake at Camp Green Lake. But there are an awful lot of holes.
It doesn’t take long for Stanley to realize there’s more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. But what could be buried under a dried-up lake? Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment
—and redemption.
Praise
“[Sachar] comes fully, brilliantly into his own voice. This is a can’t-put-it-down read.” —The Bulletin
“A dazzling blend of social commentary, tall tale and magic realism.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
Audience Response
I relished this story of survival, as I saw it, across stark and har