The ongoing discussion regarding the reasons why reading test scores in the U.S. have stagnated was recently bolstered by a Forbes piece. Some people were offended by the headline “Why We’re Teaching Reading Comprehension in a Way That Doesn’t Work,” but the idea is accurate. Reading about a subject is made simpler by having more knowledge of it. According to studies cited by David Willingham, the capacity to conclude a book is best served by background knowledge rather than reading skills.

It’s not that specialists inform teachers of information they are ignorant of. Although relying on past information cannot replace close reading, you probably have many personal experiences of how a lack of contextual knowledge ruined a student’s reading experiences.

How can teachers help students develop prior knowledge with constrained class time and resources? We compiled a list of suggestions after consulting our network of committed pre-K–12 teachers:

• Make Virtual Connections with Specialists.

给孩子们一些他们能回忆起的信息，并将其作为阅读指南。要与来自全球任何地方的领域或实验室的专业人员聊天，请使用Skype作为科学家。

• 进行虚拟旅行。

Make reading situations more vivid for students. No need for an airline ticket! Common Sense Media has thoroughly examined many diverse resource possibilities for virtual reality and conventional displays.

• 提供多种感官体验。

It would help if you genuinely had handled, smelt, and eaten a regular-sized peach for yourself to fully comprehend James’ trek to the center of the enormous peach. Several times per week, include a two-minute sensory experience in your daily meeting. Play new music, take in fresh scents, touch a piece of nature, or observe a historical artifact. Over time, students’ sensory understanding will increase.

• 提倡实地考察和独特的演讲。

是的，有很多障碍，比如成本、时间和维持课程节奏的行政压力。但说真的，还有什么能比一个博物学家与一只活猫头鹰的邂逅更能增进孩子们对简·尤伦猫头鹰之月宏伟的理解呢?如果你的地区发现证明实地考察旅行和单独访客是有挑战性的，试着证明他们将帮助孩子更好地理解适合他们年级的文学作品。

• Combine Literacy Education with Subject-Matter Issues.

让科学和社会研究为你的孩子服务两个目的。将ELA阅读清单和指导者文本与学生已经获得背景知识的科目相匹配。

• 充分利用儿童形象书籍。

绘本是一种有趣而有效的工具，可以提高学生对世界的认识，无论年龄大小。

• Pay Attention to the Back Matter.

Picture books contain many wonderful authors’ notes, maps, recipes, activity instructions, and timelines. Try distributing them beforehand or distribute them and then reread the text with the new knowledge in mind.

• Consult Ed Guides for Children’s Literature.

Many publishers and authors provide comprehensive free teacher resources on their websites for their books. These materials typically contain sources for gaining background knowledge on the book’s subject. Visit Lee & Low Books’ guides for information on hundreds of titles.

• Utilize Text Sets

Several texts on the same subject are read to increase vocabulary and background information. Numerous access points are provided by various genres and media, including picture books, poems, articles, and graphic novels. Keep a running collection of brief texts and background-enhancing images for popular independent reading selections and books for the entire class. An excellent place to start is Newsela.

• Complement Bios with Facts and Tales.

Biographies are the ideal combination of historical context and human anecdotes, whether you want to utilize them to commemorate a particular day, a memorable month, or simply because your pupils enjoy baseball. Commit to frequently sharing exciting titles.

• Make Use of the Advantages Offered by Digital Libraries.

利用数字手段拓宽文学知识建设的覆盖面。自定义文本选择，添加注释，包括儿童母语文本，以及其他方式，使体验更以儿童为中心。

• Include Knowledge-Enhancing Pauses When Reading.

What if students were actively involved in the knowledge-building process during the session instead of having all the information they might need to understand a text presented to them up front? The Iowa Reading Research Center advises giving “just enough” background information during a reading at predetermined stopping points.

• Divide and Conquer

You’ll experience a sense of playing Whac-a-Mole if your attention is solely on bridging all of the students’ knowledge gaps. It has a significant long-term influence if every grade level in your school collaborates to design a deep dive into a fundamental list of topics. This model would be an excellent starting point for group planning of experiences for setting the scene.

• 通过指导学生支持学习。

Children start building up their knowledge of the world long before they need to use it to understand what they are reading. Although you can’t go back in time to compensate for lost opportunities, you can have older pupils who can mentor younger ones. Consider having peer mentors direct a science project, embody essential ideas, or produce imaginary playthings for younger children. As they work, they will increase their background knowledge!

• A Small Video Can Be Compelling.

Even when class time is limited, a video clip might give a student who has never seen snow or the ocean a lasting memory to draw on when reading. The English and Spanish versions of the Scholastic Watch and Learn videos are quick and cost nothing.

• Increase Your Knowledge of Emotions.

The background information necessary to comprehend a book may occasionally be connected to the characters’ emotional experiences rather than a specific topic. Students will be more able to understand stories deeper in schools that purposefully foster empathy. These 50 books are a wonderful place to start if you want to understand more about emotions.

• Perform a Prior Knowledge Self-Evaluation.

A self-evaluation of one’s comprehension of a forthcoming reading assignment can assist in identifying gaps. By helping students identify their ignorance, we can empower them to take charge of expanding their schema. The Carnegie Mellon University Eberly Center offers a few flexible inquiry types.

• Examine the Cultural Relevance of the Reading Material.

文化背景与学生的先验知识有关。让孩子们思考文本和他们自己生活之间的联系。这个ReadWriteThink的标题是一个有用的资源。当学生有空白的时候，制定额外的知识发展计划。

• Share Staff Expertise With Pupils.

Learn about your coworkers’ interests and commit to acting as resident experts for each other’s pupils. Students reading Jason Reynolds’ Track series certainly have many more questions for Mrs. X down the hall, the 400m state record holder.

• 允许学生互相指导。

你的班级里到处都是这样的人，从滑板到拉小提琴，再到处理令人讨厌的兄弟姐妹，还有当地的专家。将同伴教学与程序写作联系起来，或者使用Passport应用程序编辑视频。

• When Conducting Interview Tasks, Go Right to the Source.

Personal narratives are incredibly memorable. By having learners conduct written or video interviews with relatives or regional authorities on subjects related to classroom reading, you can draw on the expertise of your community.