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Activating and Connecting to Background Knowledge: A Bridge from the New to the Known
Pages 91-108 photo: Margolove. http://www.flickr.com/photos/margolove/1252522330/



In Chapter 7, Harvey and Goudvis provide the reasoning behind activating and connecting your background knowledge while reading. They emphasize that the knowledge a reader brings to the task of reading heavily influences learning and understanding. If a reader has nothing to hook the new information to that he is learning, he will struggle to construct meaning. Harvey and Goudvis suggest teaching a reader to activate his background knowledge and connect the new information to the known.

Throughout the chapter, they give suggestions for connecting the new to the known by starting out close to the reader's own lives and experiences and then bridging to more global issues that are farther from the known. This allows the reader to build a diverse knowledge base that will aid him in future readings.

__Professional References to Extend Your Learning__

 * Anderson, R. C., and Pearson, P. D. (1984). A schema-theoretic view of basic processes in reading. In P.D. Pearson, R.Barr, M.L. Kamil & P. Mosenthal (Eds.) //Handbook of Reading Research// (pp. 255-292). White Plains, NY: Longman.
 * This seminal research article on schema and schema theory helps ground the reader's understanding of the importance of having, building, and using schema for learning and understanding. Anderson and Pearson speak at length about the different ways a reader accesses the new through the known and uses extensive research on the topic to back up their claims. This piece is a foundational article that will help ground your understanding and build upon the meaning of schema and comprehension.


 * Pearson, P. D., Hansen, J., & Gordon, C. (1979). The effect of background knowledge on young children's comprehension of explicit and implicit information. //Journal of Reading Behavior, 11//(3), 201-209.
 * In this research article, the authors confirm that background knowledge is an important aspect of a young child's comprehension of information. The authors questioned second grade students on their knowledge of spiders, then had them read a passage about spiders, and finally answer both implicit and explicit questions about the text. The results showed that the students with more background knowledge of spiders prior to reading were able to answer implicit questions better than their peers who had little background knowledge prior to reading. Yet, on the average, both groups were able to answer the more explicit questions. This research is important because it helps us realize that young readers who lack background knowledge on a topic will struggle more than their more knowledgeable peers in comprehending and will need the support of activating and building knowledge to help them achieve greater success.


 * Richards, J. C., & Gipe, J. P. (1992) Activating background knowledge: Strategies for beginning and poor readers. //The Reading Teacher, 45//(6), 474-476. @http://www.jstor.org/stable/20200900
 * Richards and Gipe share two strategies that help struggling readers connect the new to the known through simple activation activities. The yes/no and why strategy as well as the it reminds me of... strategy. Both strategies have students thinking about what they already know about the topic and how it helps them understand the new information they are learning. These are just two simple activities that support the ones Harvey and Goudvis suggest in the text for helping struggling readers (and all levels of readers really) comprehend the text they are reading.

__**Technology Resources to Support Background Knowledge**__

Harvey and Goudvis recommend the use of sticky notes and chart paper as a way to organize and collect connections made to the students' background knowledge. This is an amazingly easy way for everyone to have access to their thinking, but it is sometimes limiting in size and accessibility to others. What if you want to save it for later? You need to have the space available to hang it up or store it for easy retrieval. With that in mind, what about integrating technology to aid in decluttering the sticky notes and chart papers and accessing a new and exciting avenue for learning. There are many tools that can assist in this endeavor that teachers have available in their classrooms, below is one we think would be very helpful in developing background knowledge for all readers.


 * Interactive whiteboards
 * Interactive whiteboards are a technology tool that brings the ordinary blackboard of yesterday to life. It allows active learning to take place in an approachable way for all leveled learners. Interactive whiteboards extend learning beyond paper and pencil. Instead of using multiple sticky notes to record their connections to the text, students could use web-based writing space (e.g., Wikispaces or [|Google Docs]) and project those connections onto the interactive whiteboard. This allows everyone to see what connections are being made and add to them easily. This allows everyone to see that our connections are different based on our background and that by talking about what we know we can help each other learn. It will spark more conversation about the text and the connecting of the new with the known, thus extending learning for everyone. These connections can also be saved electronically, doing away with stacks of papers and clutter.
 * The interactive whiteboard not only could be used as a writing space, but as a research tool as well. Providing access to the web for learning about the unknown prior to reading, thus helping those with less background knowledge extend their knowledge and build their understanding.


 * Into the Book website provides teacher tools for assisting in teaching background knowledge.