1. The document discusses strategies for activating background knowledge when reading, including using a K-W-L chart. 2. A K-W-L chart has three columns for what readers already Know, what they Wonder, and what they Learn from reading. 3. The process involves brainstorming what you already know about a topic in the K column, asking questions in the W column, and recording what was learned in the L column after reading.

1. Reading Comprehension Strategies:
How to Activate Background Knowledge

2. How to activate background knowledge?
• Background knowledge is influenced by reader world knowledge
and literary knowledge.
Football
• World knowledge includes “World Cup”, “Sport Industry”, “Ball”,
“Scored”, “Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi”, and “Fanatic Supporter”.
• Literary knowledge includes knowing the rule of football (2 x 45
minutes, 11 players) and recognize some technical term of football
(free kick, penalty, handball, goal, and offside).

3. Reading Activities
• To activate background knowledge while reading, readers can create K-W-L chart.
Through these activities, readers thinks about the topic before they begin reading,
use vocabulary related to the topic, call up relevant information, and get interested
in reading text.
• The example of KWL chart:
Name: …………………………………….. Date:………………………………………
Topic: ………………………………………………………………….………………….
What I Know What I Wonder What I Learned
K W L

4. 1. Create a K-W-L chart. Readers create a large chart which consists of three
columns on carton or whiteboard and label every column with K for “What I Know”,
W for “What I Wonder”, and L for “What I learned”.
2. Complete the K column. At the first time, readers can stimulate their prior knowledge
by writing some information relate to the topic before reading. Readers can write
everything they know about the topic.
3. Complete the W column. In the middle column, readers can write some questions
that they wonder to find out from the text. By asking some questions before they
read a text also support their comprehension.
4. Complete the L column. At the end, readers reflects on what they have learned, and
record all information In the L column. Furthermore, to obtain deeper
comprehension, a reader can share and discuss his/her chart with another readers.

5. Example of K-W-L
Topic: OWL
What I Know What I Wonder What I Learned
 Nocturnal
 Big eyes
 Fly, have wings
 Eat mice or snake
 Symbol of education
 Trendy in girl’s fashion
(i.e. bag jewelry, ring
and necklets)
 Where do owl live?
 Do owls have families?
 Can owl really carry the
mails?
 Do owl eat mice or snake?
 How do they see in the dark?
 Owl live everywhere except
Antarctica and Greenland.
 A group of owl is known as
“Parliament”.
 Eat their prey whole, and the
poo out what they can’t digest
(i.e. bones & fur) as pellets.
 They use echo to
communicate and eat
mammals but some also eat
insects or fish.
K W L