Prior Knowledge
Educator Definition:
Readers activate what they currently understand or misunderstand about the topic and use this knowledge before, during, and after reading to clarify misconceptions and understand the text.
Readers activate what they currently understand or misunderstand about the topic and use this knowledge before, during, and after reading to clarify misconceptions and understand the text.
Student Definition:
Use what I already know to help understand something new.
In this activity, students first use their prior knowledge of text features to discover the genre of a passage. Then for each of the seven texts, learners get to "look inside
the head" of a reader and help her use her prior knowledge to understand parts of the text. Audio feedback explains how each piece of prior knowledge helped to understand the passages. Text choices
include a fairy tale, a textbook selection, a poem, a newspaper article, a play, an advertisement, and a biography.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts
This activity meets the following grade 3 Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts:
Print Version (PDF)
Foundational Skills
Phonics and Word Recognition
3.RF.3
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
- Decode multisyllable words.
Fluency
3.RF.4
Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
- Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.
- Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
Literature
Craft and Structure
3.RL.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language.
3.RL.5
Refer to parts of stories, dramas, and poems when writing or speaking about a text, using terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza; describe how each successive part
builds on earlier sections.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
3.RL.10
By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 2-3 text complexity band independently
and proficiently.
Informational Text
Craft and Structure
3.RI.4
Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.
3.RI.5
Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
3.RI.7
Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
3.RI.10
By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 2-3 text complexity band
independently and proficiently.
Language
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
3.L.4
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 3 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
- Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
Download these short, lesson plans to practice the strategy.
Five Senses Chart (PDF)
Wondering Cube (PDF)
Rivet (PDF)
Pre-Reading (PDF)
List-Group-Label (PDF)
Anticipation Guide (PDF)
Prior Knowledge Bookmark (PDF)
Wondering Cube (PDF)
Rivet (PDF)
Pre-Reading (PDF)
List-Group-Label (PDF)
Anticipation Guide (PDF)
Prior Knowledge Bookmark (PDF)
Prior Knowledge Booklist
Andrews-Goebel, Nancy. The Pot That Juan Built. Illustrated by David Diaz. Lee & Low, 2001. 32 pagess
Arnosky, Jim. All about Rattlesnakes. Scholastic, 1997. 28 pagess
Brenner, Barbara. Thinking about Ants. Illustrated by Carol Schwartz. Mondo, 1997. 32 pagess
Florian, Douglas. Bow Wow Meow Meow: It's Rhyming Cats and Dogs. Harcourt, 2003. 48 pagess
Gibbons, Gail. My Soccer Book. HarperCollins, 2001. 32 pages (also available: My Baseball Book, My Basketball Book, My Football Book)s
Hartman, Bob. The Wolf Who Cried Boy. Illustrated by Tim Raglin. Putnam, 2002. 32 pagess
Hausherr, Rosemary. What Instrument Is This? Scholastic, 1992. 38 pagess
Jenkins, Steve and Robin Page. What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? Houghton Mifflin, 2003. 32 pagess
Ross, Alice and Kent. The Copper Lady. Illustrated by Leslie Bowman. Carolrhoda, 1997. 56 pagess
Prelutsky, Jack, compiler. The Beauty of the Beast: Poems from the Animal Kingdom. Illustrated by Meilo So. Random House, 1997. 101 pagess
Trivizas, Eugene. The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig. Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. Margaret K. McElderry, 1993. 32 pagess
Takabayashi, Mari. I Live in Tokyo. Houghton Mifflin, 2001. 32 pagess
Waldman, Neil. The Snowflake: A Water Cycle Story. Millbrook, 2003. 32 pages
Into the Book has nine 15-minute educational videos that help teach children how to use eight different reading strategies.
In this episode, Mrs. Pingel teaches the students the strategy of activating prior knowledge. During a read-aloud of The Story of Kate Shelley, Emmet is so engaged that he goes "into the book" and helps Kate. He then uses the strategy to help him with his rock climbing.
Video Clips
Learn about Prior Knowledge
Practice using Prior Knowledge
Apply the Strategy
©Copyright 2018
Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and University of Wisconsin Extension
Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and University of Wisconsin Extension