This document outlines strategies for building students' background knowledge, which is important for comprehension. It discusses using group activities like the 1-2-3 method, brainstorming ball toss, and photo galleries to activate and expand what students already know on a topic. It also recommends guided internet searches where students sequentially find information, view memes, watch videos, and read articles about a subject. The document provides examples and tips for implementing these techniques to develop students' contextual knowledge and scaffold their learning.

1. Building Background
Knowledge
Beyond the Textbook
By Alicia Theadore
Instructor, UCI International Programs
ATHEADORE@gmail.com
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2. Stay for this presentation if
you…
Teach reading, vocabulary, speaking, listening or
writing
Are frustrated with your students’ lack of
background knowledge
Want your students to be ready for academic
lectures and reading
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3. Stay for this presentation if
you…
Want your students to be able to use critical
thinking
They cannot talk about what they don’t know
Want to build confidence in your students as
intelligent communicators
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4. About me…
15 years of experience working with international
students
Full-time Instructor UCI Academic ESL Program
Reading Curriculum Coordinator
Lead Teacher for the ESL Commons Project
Emphasis on appealing to different learning styles,
strong emphasis on technology in the classroom
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5. What do I mean by
“background knowledge”?
Not “schema” or prior knowledge = cursory
knowledge
Building contextual knowledge
Providing opportunities for “scaffolding”
Perfect for classroomsflipped
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6. Why should students and
teachers develop BK?
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7. Most important reason for
developing BK…
According to research, “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)
Pre-reading vocabulary activities are not enough.
(Ajideh 2003)
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8. Increases
academic success
Improves standardized
test scores
Expands cultural
knowledge
Increases job
successATHEADORE@gmail.com 8

9. What methods can you use in
your classroom to build BK?
1. By yourself, make a list of at least 3 things
you can do to build context. (30 seconds)
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30
seconds

10. What methods can you use in
your classroom to build BK?
2. With a partner, make a list of at least 6 things
you can do to build context. No repeats!
Underline them. (1 min.)
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1 min.

11. What methods can you use in
your classroom to build BK?
3. Turn to a new partner, add to your list to
create at least 12 things you can do to build
context. No repeats! Underline them.
(1 min.)
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1 min.

12. Ways to Enhance
Background Knowledge
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13. General tips:
1. Use a variety of techniques for each unit.
2. Use multimodal techniques.
3. Provide (virtual) enrichment opportunities.
4. Make context relevant to what they already
know, every day life, or future goals.
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14. General tips continued
5. Acknowledge overlapping knowledge areas.
6. Provide rewards for accuracy.
7. Be explicit about the activity and its benefit
to students’ learning.
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15. 1-2-3 Method
1. Start with students working by themselves.
Set a reasonable quantity and time limit to
brainstorm what they already know.
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16. 1-2-3 Method
2. After the time limit, put students in pairs
(or small groups).
 Acknowledge overlapping knowledge but encourage
expansion of ideas.
 Increase time limit.
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17. 1-2-3 Method
3. After that time limit, get students in larger
groups (or skip to step 4).
 Acknowledge overlapping knowledge but encourage
expansion of ideas.
 Increase time limit again.
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18. 1-2-3 Method continued
4. Debrief as a class. Use a Venn
diagram, table or list and categorize
if possible.
Underline items repeated across
groups.
 This is where their BK overlaps.
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19. 1-2-3 Method continued
5. Save the info!
 After the unit/lesson and before the test,
show the students what they knew, add what
they learned.
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20. Your Turn!
By yourself, make a list of at least 3 inventions and
who invited them. (30 seconds)
With a partner, make a list of at least 6 inventions
and who invited them. (1 min.)
Turn to a new partner, make a list of at least 12
inventions and who invited them. (2 min.)
Your Topic: Inventions
Underline repeats but you must come up with
6-12 different inventions.ATHEADORE@gmail.com 20

21. Brainstorming Ball Toss
1. Have a small (soft) ball students can throw to
each other.
2. Get students in a circle (if possible).
3. Teacher stands at the board to act as recorder.
4. Collect as many of the words/phrases as you can
as students say them.
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22. Brainstorming Ball Toss continued
5. Give the activity a time limit.
6. When finished, ask students to help
categorize ideas.
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23. Brainstorming Ball Toss
Student Rules:
1. Students form a circle.
2. Toss the ball to a student at least 2 people away
from you.
3. Don’t need to use complete sentences
4. Don’t repeat ideas if possible
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24. Brainstorming Ball Toss continued
Student Rules:
5. Ideas should be related – be ready to explain
6. Be positive and supportive!
In large classes, make two
circles with one student from
each acting as secretary.
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25. Your Turn!
Student Rules:
1. Students form a circle.
2. Toss the ball to a student at least 2 people away from you.
3. Don’t need to use complete sentences
4. Don’t repeat ideas if possible
5. Ideas should be related – be ready to explain
6. Be positive and supportive!
Your Topic: space
and the galaxy
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26. Photo Gallery
1. Find and print pictures about your topic (in
color preferably).
2. Number and place them around the room.
3. Give students a handout with questions
(individually or as a team).
4. Students move around the room to check
the pictures and find the answers to the
handout.
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27. Photo Gallery
5. Debrief as a class,
 what was surprising or new?
 which answers did you already know?
 what is still true or used today?
Change it up! Make it a
jigsaw activity.
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28. Photo Gallery – Your Turn!
1. Notice the small papers with numbers on them
around the room
2. You have 5 minutes to walk around the room and
find all 12 pictures.
3. Write down the answers to the 12 questions on the
handout.
GO!
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The first 3 people who completely
and correctly answer the questions
see me to get a prize!

29. STOP
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30. Sequential Internet Search
1. Find it – give students suggested search phrases.
2. Picture it – find a meme that reflects the topic.
What does the meme explain about it?
3. Watch it – send students to YouTube, TedEd,
Khan Academy, Teacher Tube, etc. to research a
topic.
4. Read it – supply news websites or actual links to
a news story about the topic.
For lower
level
students,
find kid-
friendly
sites.
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31. Sequential Internet Search
Tips
Reflects what students do every day
Provide a handout for guidance
Provide 2-3 choices
Gives students a sense of control
Provides a shared learning opportunity when
debriefing
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32. Sequential Internet Search –
Sample
FIND IT
1. Use Google, Bing or another search engine.
2. Try one of these search phrases. Focus on news
or informative sites (not movies, etc.)
 dinosaurs, sauropod, theropod, Jurassic Period
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33. Sequential Internet Search –
Sample
FIND IT
3. Skim the first 3 articles you find to learn what
you can. You have 2 minutes.
4. Turn to a partner and discuss for 2 minutes
 What did you learn? Was anything new or surprising?
Was there any information you already knew?ATHEADORE@gmail.com 33

34. Sequential Internet Search –
Sample
PICTURE IT
1. Look carefully at the picture and text
2. Talk with your partner for 2 minutes:
 Can you guess the meaning of unknown words? What
do the words tell you about the animals?
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36. Sequential Internet Search –
Sample
WATCH IT
1. Watch the short video and answer the questions
on your handout.
2. Talk with a partner for 2 minutes:
 What did you learn? Was anything new or surprising?
Was there any information you already knew?ATHEADORE@gmail.com 36

37. Sequential Internet Search –
Sample
WATCH IT
A. 10 Things About Dinosaurs You Did Know about
Dinosaurs (2:28, Top 10)
B. How Did Feathers Evolve? (3:26, Ted Ed)
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40. 1. Guided Internet Search 2. Meme SearchLevel 5
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41. 3. Video Search 4. Reading Journal
Level 5
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42. Virtual Tours Tips:
There are hundreds of free virtual
tours
Google maps street view can serve
as virtual tours
Provide a handout for guidance.
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43. Virtual tours – Your Turn
1. Go to Smithsonian NMNH Virtual Tour –
Dinosaurs
 http://paleobiology.si.edu/dinosaurs/interactives/tour
/main.html
2. Work with a partner to complete the
questions.
3. The first 3 pairs who completely and
correctly answer the questions see me to get
a prize!
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44. Works Cited
 Ajideh, P. (2003). Schema Theory-based Pre-reading Tasks: A
neglected essential in the ESL reading class. The Reading
Matrix, 3, 1.
http://www.readingmatrix.com/articles/ajideh/article.pdf
 Marzano, R.J. (2004). Building Background Knowledge for
Academic Achievement: Research on What Works in Schools.
ASCD. Retrieved from Google books.
 Inventors’ images from
http://cdn.firstcry.com/brainbees/images/products/zoom/811
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45. Suggested Resources
Videos
 “Top 10” YouTube
Channel
 “SciShow” YouTube
Channel
 Animal Planet
 NatGeo.com
Reading
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