Techniques for Building Background Knowledge
1. Literature Groups: In literature groups, small groups of students gather together to discuss a piece of literature in depth. The discussion is guided by students' response to what they have read. Literature groups provide a way for students to engage in critical thinking and reflection as they read, discuss, and respond to books. This interaction guides students to develop a deeper understanding of what they read through structured discussion and extended written and artistic response.
2. Taboo: This activity is an academic version of the Hasbro game Taboo. The object of the game is for a player to have their partner guess the word on their card without using the word itself or five additional words listed on the card.
3. Manipulatives as Pictorial: Students use various manipulatives to build a pictorial of selected vocabulary words.
4. Word Walls: A word wall is a list of words that are related to each other in some way. Word walls are used as a tool to teach a concept. Student can add synonyms to a word wall or select words from a word wall to enhance written products. This website has some good ideas.
http://www.teachnet.com/lesson/langarts/wordwall062599.html
5. Word Parts: When students know the meanings of various word parts, they are able to determine the meaning of unknown words. This website has a lot of examples. http://www.sparknotes.com/testprep/books/newsat/powertactics/vocab/chapter2section4.rhtml
6. Vocabulary Role-Play: Students are introduced to new vocabulary and given an opportunity to discuss and use the vocabulary in context through role-playing. Students are given a vocabulary word and asked to write and perform a skit in which the words are used and demonstrated. When one word has more than one definition, several groups of students can role-play the different definitions.
7. Word Sorts: Students categorize words or phrases that have been previously introduced. The words or phrases are typed on a sheet of paper and students cut the paper into word strips and then sort the words according to meaning, similarities in structure (e.g., words ending in -tion, -sion, or –tation), derivation, or sounds. Another example of a Word Sort for the American Revolution, for example, might involve words and phrases related to content concepts such as right to bear arms, muskets, George Washington, rifles, Thomas Jefferson, democracy, Thomas Paine, knives, taxation, King George, bayonets, freedom of religion, Paul Revere, self-governance, cannons. After students cut apart the words and phrases, they sort them into groups and identify an appropriate label for each (e.g., People, Weapons, Issues).
People / Weapons / IssuesGeorge Washington / muskets / right to bear arms
Thomas Jefferson / rifles / taxation
Thomas Paine / knives / self-governance
King George / bayonets / freedom of religion
Paul Revere / cannons / democracy
8. Vocabulary Process: This provides students with multiple opportunities to use selected vocabulary words in various modalities. For example, as a word is written on a chart, someone demonstrates it, and then everyone practices saying the word, acting it out, or relating it to something with which they are familiar. Students can categorize words into collections. For example, if the new vocabulary word is amble, it is written on a word collection for other ways to use the word walk. This helps students explore precise meanings of the words and document their proper use in a personal vocabulary journal. These words can then be used to revise student writing.
Example:
walking
stomping
lumbering
ambling
9. Talk Show: This encourages the production of academic verbal English based on information and verbalizations studied ahead of time. Three students create an interview in which one plays the talk show host(ess), one plays the person to be interviewed, and the third provides a silent “acting out” or interpretation for the non-English speaker. Students formulate and ask questions to obtain information. The answers to the questions in a talk show simulation are based on knowledge gained from reading and research. Examples include interviewing characters in books the students have read, historical characters, and people in the news.
10. Academic Word Lists: This is a GREAT website!!
http://www.uefap.com/vocab/select/awl.htm
11. Writing Workshop: Students choose their own writing topics and move through prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Students revise writing to enhance and clarify style and fluency and create written products based on research. The students work together to discuss their ideas, work with a partner or group in revising and editing their writing for correct use of spelling and grammar, and interact verbally with others.
12. Realia, Photos, and Illustrations: The purpose for using realia is so that student can have a clearer image of an unknown or new vocabulary word or concept. After introducing a new vocabulary word with realia, ask students to turn to a partner and in a complete sentence include the vocabulary word.
13. Backwards Book Walk: The purpose is to familiarize students with a nonfiction text before they begin to read it independently. Begin with the conclusion, so that student can understand the overall meaning of the test before looking at the bits and pieces. After reading the conclusion, students continue in the backwards manner reading heading, captions, and keywords. Finally after the entire chapter has been viewed, ask student to guess the title of the texts.
14. Go to Your Corner: Choose a topic that has a least four possible dimensions. For example, the topic “political parties” has the Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, and Green Party. Give each student an index card with a picture and/or word that describes one of the political parties. Ask students to walk around the room, sharing their index cards with other students. Call “Freeze!” and then ask students to move to the corner where the political party on their card is represented. When all students are assembled in one of the four corners, tell students to share their cards with other students. Ask groups to come to consensus about whether the picture or word is related to their particular political party.
15. The Insert Method: With partners, students read together a nonfiction article. While reading, they insert the following codes directly into the test they are reading:
· A check mark (ü) indicates a concept or fact that is already known by the students.
· A question mark (?) indicates a concept or fact that is confusing or not understood.
· An exclamation mark (!) indicates something that is unusual or surprising.
· A plus sign (+) indicates an idea or concept that is new to the reader.
When the partners finish reading and marking the text, they share their markings with another pair. If any misconceptions or misunderstands are cleared up, then the question mark is replaced with an asterisk (*). When groups finish working, the whole class discusses text with the teacher.
16. Student Journals: Students reflect back on their previous learning and have the opportunity to build on that knowledge while reading and writing about a topic. Students will take more risks using a new vocabulary word in their writing before they use the word orally. When teachers respond to students’ journals, the teacher can model the use of new words and they can better understand what students are learning and how they are thinking.
17. Personal Dictionaries: Students create personal dictionaries as an individual vocabulary resource. They can be used as a spelling or vocabulary resource. The words can be categorized by alphabetical order, content, topic, etc. An inexpensive address book can be used to record words.
18. Four Corner Vocabulary: Create a chart with (1) an illustration representing the vocabulary word, (2) a sentence that includes the word, (3) a definition of the word, (4) the actual vocabulary word.
Illustration: / Sentence:The fluffiest clouds, that look like cotton, are called cumulus.
Definition:
A white billowy cloud type with a dark, flat base. (From the Latin cumulus, meaning “a heap”.) / Vocabulary word:
Cumulus
19. Jigsaw:
· Choose learning material that can be broken into parts such as parts of a science experiment or a text that has different sections or subheadings
· Count the number of learning segments and the number of students. In an equitable manner, give out different assignments to different groups of students. For example, imagine a class of 12 students. Assume that you can divide learning materials into three segments or chunks. You might then be able to form quartets, assigning each group either segment 1, 2, or 3. Then, ask each quartet or "study group" to read, discuss, and learn the material assigned to them.
· After the study period, form “jigsaw learning” groups. Such groups contain a representative of every "study group" in the class. The members of each quartet could count off 1, 2, 3, and 4. Then form jigsaw learning groups of students with the same number. The result will be four trios. In each trio will be one person who has studied segment 1, one for segment 2, and one for segment 3.
· Ask the members of the “jigsaw” groups to teach each other what they have learned.
· Reconvene the full class for review and remaining questions to ensure accurate understanding.
20. Free Association: Provide a term for the students and ask them to write related words that are associated with the term. Together review the associated words and discuss the relation.
Example:
Target Term: Requirements for life
Related Words: water warmth food homes
shelter family oxygen society
21. Comparing Terms: Sentence stems provide very structured guidance for students, thus helping them avoid common errors in their thinking.
Example:
· ______and ______are similar because they both
· ______.
· ______.
· ______.
· ______and ______are different because
· ______is ______, but ______is ______.
· ______is ______, but ______is ______.
· ______is ______, but ______is ______.
· Monarchy and dictatorship are similar because they both
· are forms of government.
· are governments with major power given to one person.
· have examples from history in which the powerful person was a tyrant.
· Monarchy and dictatorship are different because
· In a monarchy, the ruler is often in power because of heritages, but in a dictatorship, the ruler often comes to power through force or coercion.
· In monarchies today, the rulers are often perceived to be loved by the people, but in dictatorships, the rulers are often feared and hated by the people.
· A monarchy can coexist with a representative government, but a dictatorship often is a police state.
22. Double Bubble: Students identify two items they are going to compare and then record the information in the appropriate bubbles.
Example:
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23. Matrix: Another technique for comparing and contrasting information
Example:
Item 1 / Item 2 / Items 3Characteristic 1 / Similarities & Differences
Characteristic 2 / Similarities & Differences
Characteristic 3 / Similarities & Differences
Monarchy / Dictatorship / Democracy
How the leaders come to power / King or queen gains throne out of heritage. Sometimes a monarchy takes over a country by force. Often a leader for life / The dictator usually takes power through coercion or force. Often is leader for life / Leaders are elected by the people, sometimes influenced by others. The leader doesn’t have total power. May be voted out of office. / Similarities & Differences
Actually, monarchy and dictatorship are more alike and democracy is different. Monarchs and dictatorships are similar in that power o
The reaction from the people / Throughout history are examples of monarchs loved by the people, but some were hated by certain persecuted groups / Often in history the dictator is hated or feared my most people. / People are often split on their reaction but accept the elected leader, knowing they can try to elect a new one before too long. / Similarities & Differences
The role of the people / People are generally expected to obey the rule of the monarch. Monarch holds power and can change laws. Can become like dictators. / People must obey the dictator. Often there are serious consequences to not being loyal. / Generally the people are seen to have power through their votes. If they don’t like what’s happening, they can elect new leaders. / Similarities & Differences
24. What is the Question?: This game is modeled after the show Jeopardy! The teacher can use the game matrix below, or as a slide using PowerPoint. The teacher or the students can prepare the game questions and answers. The “answers” are turned face down. To play the game, one student chooses a category and a number amount (i.e., 100, 200…). For example, “Science for 200.” When the term “earthquake” is revealed, an acceptable answer the student could say would be, “What is measured on a Richter scale?”
Science / Category / Category / Category / Category100
200 / Earthquake
300
400
500
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25. Name That Category: This is modeled after the television show The $100,000 Pyramid. The object of the game is for a clue giver, who sees one category at a time on the game board, to list words that fit that category until teammates correctly identify the category name. Write a category name within each cell, ideally increasing the level of difficulty as you move through the categories. One student on each team is the clue giver and can see the game board. Require the others, the guessers, to keep their backs to the game board.
Example: