Background Knowledge: The Missing Piece of the Comprehension Puzzle

by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey

Background knowledge is too often neglected in our push to raise test scores, despite the fact that we know background knowledge is a critical component of comprehension. Background knowledge simply has to become an instructional focus if we want to help students make sense of school. We will lose a generation of learners if we don t act now. Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey

Why background knowledge?
Because the Grapes of Wrath is dry reading if students don t know about the Dust Bowl.
Because the Boston Tea Party is a non-event if students don t know loyalists from patriots.
Because knowing a triangle has 180 degrees isn t the same as knowing why.
Because content-area comprehension depends on it, you and your students need Background Knowledge.
Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey help you develop lasting subject-area understanding with ideas for modeling, guided practice, productive group work, and independent work that effectively engage adolescents. You ll learn
distinguish incidental knowledge from core background knowledge
check students understanding prior to a unit with tools such as opinionnaires, interest surveys, and anticipation guides
model how to activate and apply prior knowledge so kids can wrestle with new content
build up students background knowledge through virtual fieldtrips, YouTube, guest experts, and more
provide collaborative ways for students to develop expertise, show what they know, and own their learning.
Doug and Nancy also build your background knowledge with multimedia book-study resources at books.heinemann.com/backgroundknowledge.

As teachers our job is not to simply fill students heads with facts, write Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey. We need to have students manipulate and apply information so that it becomes a permanent understanding. That s why the time is now for Background Knowledge.

Background Knowledge grew out of Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey s interest in the connection between language and learning. Their previous two Heinemann titles, Word Wise & Content Rich, Grades 7 12 and Learning Words Inside & Out, Grades 1 6, have helped teachers nationwide implement a five-part framework for building students vocabulary. With word learning so important to comprehension, Background Knowledge takes the next step toward deeper understanding. In fact, Doug and Nancy are long-time collaborators, and they have focused on supporting deep understanding and improved literacy across the content areas in three other Checking for Understanding, Better Learning Through Structured Teaching, and Improving Adolescent Literacy. They are both classroom teachers and faculty members at San Diego State University and Health Sciences High & Middle College.

Genres: School

200 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2009

About the author

Douglas Fisher, Ph.D., is an educator and Professor of Educational Leadership at San Diego State University and a teacher leader at Health Sciences High & Middle College.

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Reviews

[Nikki Baker · Rating 2 out of 5]

This resource has some nice nuggets and I usually love Fishers work, but not everything aligned for me with the Science of Reading so I would suggest teachers read it with a critical eye.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the early part of the book better than the second half, partly because I couldn't see how some ideas (critical thinking) fit into the concept. It almost felt as though the authors wanted to talk about it, so they put it in. It seems to me that the result of background knowledge would be critical thinking--but I wasn't sure that's how they presented it. That said, there are lots of useful ideas in the book that teachers can use, especially with students who need a little more support or scaffolding, and the authors are really good at explaining those things. I also liked the set-up of the chapters.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Would be an ok book for a beginning teacher. But very boring and not enough strong take-aways for me to recommend it.

[Lauren Gifford · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was hoping for a more engaging read. This book got too technical.