Comprehension Strategies to Activate/Build Prior Knowledge
K-W-L chart
Definition: K-W-L charts are a type of graphic organizer that is used to activate student’s prior knowledge about a text. The K is for know students brainstorm what they already know about the topic. The W is for want or what students want to learn about the topic. The L is for learned or what they learned about the topic. NEA says, “During or after reading, students answer the questions that are in the W column. This new information that they have Learned is recorded in the L column of the K-W-L chart” (2015).
Benefits: K-W-L charts give students a purpose for reading and helps students monitor comprehension throughout their reading. According to Literacy in Context, “When teachers repeatedly and explicitly teach this strategy to students through modeling, guiding, and independent practice, it can later become a strategy that readers may choose to use in order to better comprehend” (Miller and Veatch, 2011).
How writing is used: Students use writing to reflect on what they already know as well as what they learned from the text.
Supporting Writing Standard:
CCSS : 6.7.9.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research
Examples:
Definition: K-W-L charts are a type of graphic organizer that is used to activate student’s prior knowledge about a text. The K is for know students brainstorm what they already know about the topic. The W is for want or what students want to learn about the topic. The L is for learned or what they learned about the topic. NEA says, “During or after reading, students answer the questions that are in the W column. This new information that they have Learned is recorded in the L column of the K-W-L chart” (2015).
Benefits: K-W-L charts give students a purpose for reading and helps students monitor comprehension throughout their reading. According to Literacy in Context, “When teachers repeatedly and explicitly teach this strategy to students through modeling, guiding, and independent practice, it can later become a strategy that readers may choose to use in order to better comprehend” (Miller and Veatch, 2011).
How writing is used: Students use writing to reflect on what they already know as well as what they learned from the text.
Supporting Writing Standard:
CCSS : 6.7.9.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research
Examples:
- The K-W-L chart can be used individually where students are asked to fill out the chart before, during and after reading.
- The K-W-L chart can also be used during whole group instruction
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This is an informational video that describes and shows how to use a K-W-L chart.
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This video shows the K-W-L chart being used during a whole-class instruction.
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Survey Strategy and Guide
Definition: The survey strategy allows students to better understand specific features of a text before they begin reading. According to Literacy in Context, “Surveying the key parts of the text is critical to helping students better understand what they are reading” (Miller and Veatch, 2011). This allows student the chance to preview key features of the text before they begin reading. Text feature walks are similar, Reading Rockets says, "The text feature walk guides students in the reading of text features in order to access prior knowledge, make connections, and set a purpose for reading expository text" (2015). This is similar to Survey guides because it allows students to walk through the text before they begin reading.
Procedure according to Literacy in context:
1. Select appropriately leveled text
2. Think aloud while noticing and discussing specific features of the text (Pages, heading, main idea, opening paragraph, subheading, pictures/graphic features, highlighted or italicized vocabulary, conclusion, questions within text)
3. Encourage students to respond to think aloud
4. Students can work in small groups or with a partner to practice survey strategy and fill out guide
5. Have students use survey strategy and complete the guide for new sections they read
How Writing is used: Students are asked to find specific information about the text and record it in an anticipation guide.
Supporting Writing Standard:
CCSS 6.7.2.2 a. Introduce a topic; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension
Examples:
Definition: The survey strategy allows students to better understand specific features of a text before they begin reading. According to Literacy in Context, “Surveying the key parts of the text is critical to helping students better understand what they are reading” (Miller and Veatch, 2011). This allows student the chance to preview key features of the text before they begin reading. Text feature walks are similar, Reading Rockets says, "The text feature walk guides students in the reading of text features in order to access prior knowledge, make connections, and set a purpose for reading expository text" (2015). This is similar to Survey guides because it allows students to walk through the text before they begin reading.
Procedure according to Literacy in context:
1. Select appropriately leveled text
2. Think aloud while noticing and discussing specific features of the text (Pages, heading, main idea, opening paragraph, subheading, pictures/graphic features, highlighted or italicized vocabulary, conclusion, questions within text)
3. Encourage students to respond to think aloud
4. Students can work in small groups or with a partner to practice survey strategy and fill out guide
5. Have students use survey strategy and complete the guide for new sections they read
How Writing is used: Students are asked to find specific information about the text and record it in an anticipation guide.
Supporting Writing Standard:
CCSS 6.7.2.2 a. Introduce a topic; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension
Examples:
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In this video the survey reading strategy is described and shown. The narrator describes the strategy to his students and uses the strategy to show an example.
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This video shows a lesson involving a non fiction text feature walk. This is a whole-group strategy that could be used with any age group. Once the strategy has been modeled for students it could become an independent or small group strategy for students use. Once way to do this is to then use a survey guide.
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