Activating Prior

Knowledge
(Session 6.0)
POWERPOINT TEMPLATE V. 2.0
 Priming

Schema Theory: We cannot

understand new information
unless we connect it to
something we already know.
Objectives of the Session

At the end of the session, teachers should be able

to:
•Describe the role of prior knowledge in reading
comprehension;
•Explain the importance of schema activation and
the principles that underlie pre-reading strategies;
and,
•Plan a pre-reading lesson focusing on activation of
prior knowledge.
Let’s Participate
Activity (15 minutes)

• Brainstorming Procedure
• The participants are divided into groups.
• Each group is given a copy of the story The Mouse in the Seashore.
• Have each group make a lesson plan on the story focusing on pre-
reading activities. (5 minutes)
• Group presentation of outputs follows. (2 minutes per group)
 Pre-reading Activities
Objective Questions

 
 
1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.
 Analysis

• Based on the group outputs, what activities

will you use in your own class?
• What activities will you do differently?
• Why do you think these activities are
important? Why do you think so?”
 Quick Write

The Giving Tree

Semantic Web
 Quadrant Card
Definition Related Words and Real Words

Examples Non-examples
 Three-Step Interview

The Three-step strategy is a cooperative

learning technique that focuses on
developing pupils’ active listening skills,
and helps to develop their note-taking
skills and the ability to share information
with others.
• Wayne Township HOSTS (n.d).  [Chart with definition and use before
and during reading]. Retrieved September 18, From
http://www.wayne.k12.in.us/hosts/reading_strag.asp
Activate Prior Knowledge

Good Readers apply what they already know

to their reading…
This strategy helps readers:
*bring meaning and connections to their
reading
When to use it?
“ What do I already know about this? What
experiences have I had? “
What counts as Pre-Reading?

• Activities designed to help students understand what they are about to

read, viz:
• Contextualizing the text including exploration of key vocabulary
concepts;
• Exploring prior knowledge that is relevant to the text;
• Setting a purpose for reading;
• Previewing to get a sense of the structure and content (especially for
informational materials); and
• Providing students with “tips” before reading.
Why conduct Pre-Reading Activities?

a. Encourages students to access background

knowledge that is pertinent.
b. Encourages a preview of text features to get a
sense of the structure and content of a reading
selection (especially for informational materials).
c. Provides context for possibly unknown topics and
themes.
d. Builds students’ confidence to delve into complex
text.
Engages and interests students.
 Let Us Answer
• What are the role of prior knowledge in reading comprehension?
• What are the aims of pre-reading activities?
• What types of knowledge does the reader bring to a reading situation?
• What types of knowledge/information are found in the text?
• Which of the reader factors corresponds to each of the different text
factors shown in the diagram?
• What are the possible sources of difficulties readers might have in
understanding a given text?
• Did the activities you describe in the previous activity cover all the
major aims of pre-reading? If not, what should you add?”
Reflection Questions
• Do you do the Activation of Prior Knowledge (APK) in your ELA
class?
• If yes, are you doing the same APK activities over and over? If no,
what other APK activities are you doing?
• Which APK activities do your students enjoy very much? Why do
you think so?
• Which APK activities do your students enjoy least? Why do you think
so?
• What will you continue doing or do differently in your APK
activities?
APPLICATION (15 minutes)
Small Group Workshop Procedure
Ask the groups/participants to choose a
book/story red before
• Have them plan a pre-reading activity
focusing on Activation of Prior Knowledge.
• Let each group present their output.
Closure

“The more the schemata are differentiated,

the smaller the gap between the new and the familiar
becomes,
so that novelty, instead of constituting an annoyance
avoided by the subject, becomes a problem and
invites searching.”
- Jean Piaget
Developing a Purpose
for Reading

POWERPOINT TEMPLATE V. 2.0

Activating prior knowledge and
generating interest in and raising
expectations about the meaning of
texts creates an instructional
context in which students will read
with purpose and anticipation.
Objectives of the Session

 
At the end of the session, teachers should be able to:
 
1. Identify strategies that can be used for developing a purpose for
reading;
2. Identify strategies that are versatile in that they cover all the
three main aims of Pre-Reading;
3. Explain the factors to be considered in structuring the Motivation-
Motive Question Tandem; and
4. Structure a pre-reading lesson plan based on the text they have
chosen to work on.
Let’s Participate
ACTIVITY (15 minutes)

• Brainstorming Procedure: The Story About the Giving Tree

• The participants are divided into groups.
• Each group is given a copy of The Story About Ping
• Have each group construct three questions that draw on the
readers’ experiences and three questions that draw on information
from the text. (5 minutes)
• Group presentation of outputs follows. (2 minutes per group)
Semantic Map (Pre-reading)
KWL Chart
Motivation Questions-Motive Questions
Tandem
MQ-MQ Tandem
Making Predictions
Other Strategies for Schema
Activation/Reading Purpose
 Additional Pre-Reading Guidelines
Dr. Nemah N. Hermosa

•Teachers must read the text ahead of

time to determine: 1) the purpose of the
reading lesson, 2) what the students
bring to the text, 3) what pre-reading
information should be provided, and 4)
how and when to provide pre-reading
lessons to accomplish the purpose.
 Additional Pre-Reading Guidelines
Dr. Nemah N. Hermosa

•Amount of time spent on most pre-

reading lessons should be brief and
brevity should be determined in
proportion to the amount and
duration of the reading.
 Additional Pre-Reading Guidelines
Dr. Nemah N. Hermosa

•Pre-reading lessons should

stimulate students’ curiosity so
that there is desire to read the
text.
 Additional Pre-Reading Guidelines
Dr. Nemah N. Hermosa

•Pre-reading lessons should not

reveal information that students
could acquire simply by reading
the text.
 Additional Pre-Reading Guidelines
Dr. Nemah N. Hermosa

•Pre-reading lessons can focus on

words and concepts that students are
not likely to know or able to
determine from context and are
needed for understanding the text.
 Additional Pre-Reading Guidelines
Dr. Nemah N. Hermosa

• Not all pre-reading lessons have to take place before

reading. There is a possibility of stopping along the
way during reading to look forward. Thus, “pre-
reading” could take place after a considerable
amount of reading has already been accomplished.
This format can be seen in some strategies like the
Directed Reading and Thinking Activity or DRTA.
Guide Questions

• What strategies can be used to a) develop the readers’ prior

knowledge and b) develop a purpose for reading?
• Which of the strategies are versatile in that they cover all the three
main aims of Pre-reading?
• Most teachers make use of the Motivation-Motive Question Tandem.
What factors must they consider in structuring these questions?
Reflection Questions

• Do you do the Developing a Purpose for Reading (DPR) in your ELA

class? If yes, are you doing the same DPR activities over and over? If
no, what other DPR activities are you doing?
• Which DPR activities do your students enjoy very much? Why do
you think so?
• Which DPR activities do your students enjoy least? Why do you think
so?
• What will you continue doing or do differently in your APK
activities?
APPLICATION (15 minutes)
• Small Group Workshop
• Materials: The Mouse in the Seashore
• Procedure:
• Ask the groups/participants to refer back to the Lesson Plan they
made during the sessions on “Activating Prior Knowledge”
• Have them plan a pre-reading activity focusing on Developing a
Purpose for Reading.
• Let each group present their output.
References
• 
• Colorin, Colorado. Pre-reading activities for ELLs. Retrieved 2/01/2017 from
www.colorincolorado.org/article/pre-reading- activities-ells
• 
• Hermosa, N. (2002). Chapter 4. Reading as comprehension. In The Reading Process. Los Banos, Laguna:
UP Open University.
• 
https://www.google.com.ph/search
• Professional Learning Board. The importance of pre-reading activities. Retrieved 1/31/2017 from
• 
• https://k12teacherstaffdevelopment.com/tlb/the-importance- of-pre- reading-activities/
• 
• Pre-reading Strategies and the Common Core State Standards. Retrieved 1/31/2017 from
• 
• www.ride.ri.gov/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/...Core/Pre-Reading- PowerPoint.pdf
• 
• Study Guides and Strategies. Pre-reading strategies. Retrieved 1/31/2017 from
www.studygs.net/preread.htmlWayne Township HOSTS (n.d).  [Chart with definition and use before and
during reading]. Retrieved September 18, From
http://www.wayne.k12.in.us/hosts/reading_strag.asp
Closure

Reading is a gift,
we have to
treasured it.