Chapter 8Building and Activating Background Knowledge is Our Job

Fisher, D. & Frey, N. (2009). Background Knowledge: The Missing Piece of the Comprehension Puzzle. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

• Discuss the role of teachers in activating and building background knowledge

• Analyze a unit of instruction with your colleagues

• Revisit the background knowledge rubric to determine your own growth

Today’s Purposes

Teachers as Brain Workers

• We influence that which is stored in our students’ heads

• We teach in ways that keep head and heart connected

• Background knowledge isn’t basic skills--it is the foundation that new learning rests upon

Creating Habits of Mind • Persisting• Thinking and communicating with clarity and

precision• Gathering data through all the senses• Listening with understanding and empathy• Thinking flexibly• Thinking interdependently• Others? (Costa & Kallick, 2009)

Work with colleagues in your grade or content area to examine a unit of

instruction. The following 10 guiding questions are for discussion.

Background Knowledge is a Process

1. Have we identified enduring understandings for this topic?

2. Have we determined core versus incidental background

knowledge for this topic?

3. Have we assessed students such that we can recognize common misconceptions?

4. Have we established a purpose that makes learning

relevant for students?

5. Have we modeled and demonstrated our own understanding before

requiring students to complete learning tasks?

6. Have we focused on background knowledge that

moves beyond facts and isolated skills?

7. Have we provided students with wide reading opportunities to facilitate background knowledge

gains?

8. Have we planned live and virtual experiences to build background knowledge?

9. Are we regularly activating background knowledge?

10. Do we remind students that background knowledge is

critical to understanding?

Assessing Your Practice

• Learn more about the habits of mind at http://www.habits-of-mind.net/whatare.htm

• Want to build your content knowledge in virtually any subject? Visit the MERLOT website for online resources at http://www.merlot.org/merlot/index.htm

• Listen to some of the most innovative thinkers today at http://www.ted.com/

Building Your Own Background Knowledge