Why Strong Background Knowledge Matters for Reading Comprehension

My friend recently shared this story with me, and I couldn’t help but share it as we discuss background knowledge on the blog!

“I was recently reading a book and asked me a question about the word operation. The book was talking about a student who needed to solve a math problem at school and was trying to figure out what math operation to use. My daughter told me, “I thought the word operation was used to describe a medical procedure”. I explained to her that she was correct; the word operation can refer to a medical procedure, but it has other meanings. After discussing the different meanings, I reflected on what happened. My daughter was using her background knowledge of the word operation to try to understand what she was reading, but she was lacking vocabulary knowledge of the word operation.”

Background knowledge is essential for comprehending texts because it provides a foundation for understanding new information. It acts as a scaffold, giving students the opportunity to connect what they already know with new information. This allows students to better comprehend what they are reading and engage more effectively with the text.

How Background Knowledge Supports Readers

Having and using background knowledge, or schema, enables students to engage better with a text. It allows them to connect what they already know with new information. Let’s look at some ways having schema helps students with reading skills.

• Making Inferences – When students are making inferences, they use what they already know, or their schema, and clues from the text to make an inference. Their background knowledge helps them draw conclusions and understand what is not explicitly stated in the text.

• Making Predictions – As students read, they take information from the text and use their schema to help them think about what might happen next. Having background knowledge helps them make reasonable predictions!

• Visualizing– Background knowledge helps students create mental images of the text. This helps them better understand characters and events in the text.

• Vocabulary– As students read, they may encounter unfamiliar vocabulary, like my daughter. Their background knowledge can help them infer what unknown words might mean and lead to a deeper vocabulary. You can learn more about teaching vocabulary HERE in this blog post.

• Bridges the Gap – In many types of texts, authors must leave out some details or information. Having background knowledge about a topic enables students to better fill in the gaps of what the author left out, so that they can better understand the text.

• Determining Facts and Opinions – Having knowledge about a topic helps our readers determine what is true (facts) and what opinions are.

• Asking Questions – When readers have background knowledge about a topic or event, they are able to ask questions before, during, and after reading.

How To Build Background Knowledge

Background knowledge is so important for our growing readers! It gives them a solid foundation for learning new information and engaging deeply with the text. Let’s look at some ways to help build background knowledge.

• Read aloud a book! You can grab a FREE list of science read alouds HERE.

• Explicitly teach vocabulary! Yes, this simple task will help prepare your readers for academic conversations as well as conversations with their peers!

• Provide hands-on experiences! Engage students in experiments, building a structure, or creating a project to grow their background knowledge.
• Invite guest speakers into your classroom! They can help build students’ background knowledge by teaching them something new!
• Use different types of media! Introduce your students to pictures, videos, and audio!
• Sing a song! Yes, a song! You can find fun songs and poems HERE in my shared reading bundle! They are all science-based!

Ready to Jump Into Read Alouds?

Are you looking for ready-for-you read alouds lessons each month that focus on specific reading skills like inferencing, cause and effect, and many others?  Are you not sure how to teach your students to infer or synthesize?

My monthly Read Aloud Library lessons include these comprehension skills as well as many others.  Everything you need from building background knowledge, to explicit teaching reading comprehension skills, to giving students the opprotunity to write about their reading is included. The sticky notes and teacher language are already planned and written for you, too. You can join with confidence knowing your student’s reading comprehension will be supported and your students will soar!

Learn more about The Read Aloud Library here!

Do you try to activate students’ background knowledge before reading a text in your classroom? In what ways do you activate their background knowledge? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.