Building Background Knowledge
for Academic Achievement
Using Content Specific
Vocabulary as a Way to Build
Background Knowledge
Kristen Akers
Mary Beth Schultheis
Lisa Young
LAE 6616 Fall 2009
Background Knowledge is Key
• “What students already know about the
content is one of the strongest indicators
of how well they will learn new information
relative to the content (Marzano,2004)”
• Grade level vocabulary can be challenging
for the strongest students. What can we
do to help those who struggle?
Research behind the content
area approach
Vocabulary visits has proved to be an
exciting and effective research-based
strategy for teachers to add attention to
vocabulary in thematic units.
(Blachowicz & Obrochta 2005)
Student Examples:
Record of Word Growth
STUDENT
Words before vocabulary
visit cycle
Words after vocabulary visit
1
8
20
2
7
23
3
4
6
4
6
23
5
7
27
6
4
32
7
4
13
8
7
8
9
5
10
10
7
26
11
3
10
12
4
18
13
5
11
14
5
11
15
0
6
16
0
6
17
0
14
Virtual Field Trip
Benefits to Virtual Field Trips
• Content focus that is connected to curriculum
• They engage the senses
• Helps lay the ground work for what information
there is to come
• Involve adults to clarify or point out interesting
things.
• Involve exploration, talk, reading and writing.
• Involve a follow up on new concepts and terms
• Background Knowledge is stored in the
brain by relating a series of experiences.
Initially it is stored as linguistic descriptions
of what we have experienced. Over time
they transform to generalized knowledge
about a subject.
Permanente Memory
• Any program that seeks to enhance
background knowledge should include
activities where the information is
processed multiple times, detail is added
and associations are made. Three
functions of the memory:
• Sensory, Working, Perminate
Multidimensional/ Contextual
knowledge
• Background knowledge is
multidimensional, which means learners
need to experience it in a different ways.
Along with the experience it must be in the
correct context.
• They must build background knowledge to
experience success to in specific
academic subjects.
Surface Background Knowledge
• Individuals organize information in a
hierarchy.
• It needs not be a an in-depth
understanding initially. We are just laying
the building blocks for later in life.
• The goal should be to develop a surface
level understanding of the target
information.
Here is the Connection
• Vocabulary is the label that represents the
knowledge or the experience stored in the
brain.
• Vocabulary instruction is one and the
same with teaching background
knowledge.
Virtual Experiences
• Although it is best to have direct
experiences virtual experience can be as
powerful in enhancing background
knowledge.
Research Shows:
• That vocabulary knowledge is highly
connected with family income or socialeconomic status.
• They Estimate 4,700 word difference in
vocabulary knowledge between high and
low SES students.
(Nagy & Herman 1984)
Building Background Knowledge
through realia and demonstrations
Providing students with actual objects that they can see and touch, which promote conversation, questions and
speculation are a great source for building specific vocabulary. In the absence of actual objects detailed
photographs or short video clips provide can perform the same function. Realia and demonstrations not only
engage the students’ interest and curiosity, but they also provide a context in which to introduce the vocabulary
that is necessay to support discussions and then reading about the unit’s topics (Gregg & Sekeres, 2006).
Building Background Knowledge a
5 day approach
• Day 1- Whole group lesson (using schema
to make connections)
•
•
•
•
Activate prior knowledgeBuild Circle Map,
View content related video,
Add new information to Circle Map
Words Week 1- contribute, privilege, rural, urban, suburb
Graphic organizers help students see and question relationships
among terms and allow teacher and students access to the group’s
pooled knowledge, including word knowledge (Spencer &
Guillaume, 2006)
Day 2- Small Group (determining
importance/focus calendar targets)
•Read content related leveled text (non-fiction is
preferred but fiction is acceptable if it is related to
the content)
•Identify and discuss text features in nonfiction
•Map important information (using appropriate
Thinking Map)
Research in word learning indicates that in order to enhance
vocabulary, students need multiple exposures to words in different
contexts and opportunities to build knowledge in the domains in which
the vocabulary is likely to occur (Spencer & Guillaume, 2006)
Day 3-Small Group (synthesizing)
•Writing Connection (take information off of
the map and put into writing)
•Personal narrative may be used to discuss
a time or situation that is relevant or that
demonstrates how the students knowledge
has expanded about the subject.
Many content terms may be better understood when student’s
manipulate words through group activities requiring categorization,
word association, or semantic analysis (Flynt & Brozo, 2008).
•Day 4- Small Group- Building Fluency
•Rereads
•Related Poems/Reader’s Theater
•Quick Reads
•Can be used as a day for teaching syllabication or
participating in other activities that promote fluency
To know a word means knowing what it means, how it
is related to other words, how to pronounce it, and how
to use it (Spencer & Guillaume, 2006).
Day 5-Analogies- Use Bridge Map for
content area words
ex: skyscrapers are structures in urban
areas as barns are structures in rural areas.
Other engaging activities-games for
reviewing practicing words – I have… who
has, matching, “Jeopardy”, “Jenga”, etc.
Building Background Knowledge for content area
Vocabulary
PROS
• Helps struggling learners
• Builds bigger vocabulary
which aids in reading
comprehension
CONS
• Takes lots of preparation
References
Flynt, E.S. & Brozo, W. G. (2008). Developing academic language: Got words? The Reading
Teacher, 61(6), 500-502.
Gregg, M. & Sekeres, D.C. (2006). Supporting children’s reading of expository text in the
geography classroom. The Reading Teacher, 60 (2), 102-110.
Spencer, B.H., & Guillaume, A.M. (2006). Integrating curriculum through the learning cycle:
Content-based reading and vocabulary development. The Reading Teacher, 60 (3), 206-219.
Marzano, R.J. (2004). Building background knowledge for academic achievement.
Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.