Background Knowledge

Featured Video: Background Knowledge

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Our PBS Series:
Launching Young Readers

Frank McCourt
Reading for Meaning

Learn more about effective classroom strategies to help kids understand — and care about — what they read.

Earl Phalen
Adventures in Summer Learning

Explore ways to create a literacy-rich summer for kids, including struggling learners.

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The Basics

How Knowledge Helps
Knowledge in the Classroom
Preparing 21st Century Learners
Preparing 21st Century Learners
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For Parents

Use Summer Fun to Build Background Knowledge
Use Summer Fun to Build Background Knowledge
Talking Counts!
Talking Counts!
Think Alouds to Build Comprehension
Think Alouds to Build Comprehension
Reading Tips for Parents of First Graders
Reading Tips for Parents of Kindergartners
Reading Tips for Parents of Third Graders
Mother reading informational book to her two young kids
Family Reading Activities
The Night Before the Museum
The Night Before the Museum
Summer Learning, Side-by-Side
Summer Learning, Side-by-Side
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For Teachers

Child holding a turtle specimen at a nature center
Building Background Knowledge
Connect Students' Background Knowledge to Content in the ELL Classroom
two elementary girls in classroom with globe
Nonfiction and the Common Core
Building World Knowledge: Motivating Children to Read and Enjoy Informational Text
Key Comprehension Strategies to Teach
Group of young elementary students listening to presentation
Accessing Students' Background Knowledge in the ELL Classroom
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Classroom Strategies

Each strategy includes instructions on how to use, downloadable templates and examples, video demonstrations, children's books to use with the strategy, differentiation for ELLs and students with learning disabilities, and supporting research.

Jigsaw
Inquiry Chart
Concept Maps
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Research & Reports

Improving reading comprehension, science domain knowledge, and reading engagement through a first-grade content literacy intervention
Reading Comprehension Requires Knowledge — of Words and the World
How Much Knowledge Is Too Little? When a Lack of Knowledge Becomes a Barrier to Comprehension
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Additional Resources We Recommend

5 Essential Features of Knowledge-Rich Curriculum
Knowledge Matters Campaign
Why Knowledge Matters: Restoring Wonder and Excitement to the Classroom
Knowledge Matters Campaign
Learning to Read: A Primer (Part 2)
Amplify | Center for Early Reading
Article-A-Day
ReadWorks
Newsela: Current, authoritative classroom-ready content
Newsela
Building Background Knowledge and Reading Proficiency: One Article at a Time
TextProject
To Reverse The Decline In Reading Scores, We Need To Build Knowledge
Natalie Wexler | Forbes
21 Ways to Build Background Knowledge—and Make Reading Skills Soar
We Are Teachers
"Wear the old coat and buy the new book." — Austin Phelps