The document describes a prereading plan strategy used to assess and build students' background knowledge before reading. The strategy involves 3 phases: (1) students write what they know about a topic and discuss, (2) explain their associations and consider others' perspectives, (3) refine their knowledge before reading. The document provides an example application of the strategy where students explore their understanding of "equality" before reading about Sylvia Mendez, who desegregated California schools through her landmark lawsuit.

1. Prereading Plan
Mirna Deakle

2. What is a Prereading Plan?
Prereading Plan is a three–step assessment/instructional
procedure for teachers to use before assigning textbook
reading for their class. It helps both students and teachers
gain information about student’s text-related prior
knowledge.
The assessment part:
◦ Helps the teacher to determine the amount of information
students know about a specific topic.
◦ The amount of language the student uses, and
◦ How much additional information and vocabulary is needed
before the student successfully comprehends the text.
The activity part:
◦ Includes exchange of opinions and group discussion.

3. Purpose
 Activates prior knowledge.
 Generates interest in text to be read.
 Helps to measure the level of background
knowledge.
 Helps to connect new topics or key
concepts with previous knowledge.
 Fosters group discussion.
 Approaches reading with purpose and
anticipation.

4. Materials Needed
 Loose paper
 Pencils
 Board or chart paper

5. Procedures
There are three phases to follow:
I. The initial association with the
concept:
◦ Teacher tells students to say whatever
comes to mind related to the topic and
teacher writes responses on the board.
II. Connections with initial associations:
◦ Students are asked what made them think
about their answer and express their
reasons.
III. Reformulation of knowledge
◦ Teacher asks students for any new ideas
before reading the text and refine their
answers.

6. Summary of Book
 Book written by
Winfred Conkling
 Tells the story of Sylvia
Mendez & Aki
Munemitsu
 Teaches students
cultural awareness,
diversity, equality of
education, and equality
of opportunities.

7. Sylvia & Aki ...
 Story takes place in California and Arizona
years 1941-1945.
 Period of time when the history of the USA
changed.
 We all remember the Pearl Harbor attack by
the Japanese one morning on December 7,
1941.
 In the text Sylvia & Aki tell their stories of
when life taught them a lot more than books.

8. Aki
 Aki was born in the USA of
Japanese descent.
 Parents immigrated from Japan
to the USA in 1915.
 Lived happily on a farm with her
parents and brother, Seiko Lincoln,
named after President Lincoln.
 After December 7, 1941 her life
changed forever when her family
had to move to a Japanese
internment camp in the Arizona
desert.

9. Sylvia
 A Mexican and Puerto Rican
descendent.
 Was born in the USA.
 Moved from Santa Ana,
California to Arizona to live in
a leased asparagus farm.
 She was denied to register at
Westminster School due to
her Mexican appearance.
 She was sent to the Hoover
School, only for Mexicans.

10. Sylvia & Aki Friendship
 Sylvia meets Aki when her father asked her
to go with him to drop the money for the
leasing of the farm to the Munemitsu at the
Internment camp.
 They started their friendship through
letters. They shared difficult experiences
they faced through those years.

11. California & Arizona 1941-1945
 Hateful signs posted around town made
Sylvia feel like a second class person.
 She felt empathy for Aki. Sylvia knew now
how Aki felt when she read those hateful
signs about Japs.
◦ JAPS GO HOME
◦ NO DOGS OR MEXICANS

12.  On March 2, 1945 Sylvia’s father sued the
school system. Gonzalo Méndez v.
Westminster School District of Orange
County.
 Aki’s brother joined the arm forces. Her
father joined Aki and her mother at the
Camp waiting to return home soon.
 August 7, 1945 the USA dropped the
atomic bomb in Japan causing great sorrow
at the Internment Camp.
California & Arizona 1945

13. There is no bad that something
good doesn’t come from it ~
Mexican Proverb
 Aki and her family went back to their farm.
 Sylvia and Aki spent time together until the end
of the summer.
 They both agreed that despite the bad things
their families went trough, something good
came out. Their friendship and winning the
lawsuit favoring many children in school.
 As a symbol of friendship both girls exchanged
their precious dolls and both went back to their
normal life before December 1941.

14. Outcome
 Mendez v. Westminster
Case set the stage for the
Supreme Court case
Brown v. Board of
Education of Topeka
unanimously ruling that
schools could no longer
separate children by race.
 Equality of education is
the first step toward
equality of opportunity.

15. Outcome
 Sylvia became a registered
nurse.
 A school in Orange County was
named after Sylvia’s parents.
 In 2007, a U.S. postage stamp
was issue honoring the 60th
anniversary of Mendez v.
Westminster.
 In 2011, President Obama
awarded Sylvia the Medal of
freedom.

16. Strategy at work
 First, students will be asked to divide loose
piece of paper given into three sections with
titles: Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III.
 Second, teacher will write a key concept
related to the text we are about to read.
EQUALITY

17. Strategy at work
Phase I ~ Initial association with concept:
 I’ll ask students to think and write whatever
comes to their mind related to the key
concept written on the board.
 After enough time is given to
brainstorming, I will write their responses
on the board or chart paper. Examples:
- Same for all - For US citizens
- Opposite of unequal - No difference
- Fair for all - Not singled out

18. Strategy at work
Phase II ~ Connections with initial associations
 I’ll ask students what made them think about their
answer and express their reasons. They might want
to write some of their reasons and share them.
 By listening to others opinions and interacting they
could revise, reject, accept or change their initial
opinions which should help create awareness of
their network association. Examples:
 A right for all people (accept)
 Only US citizens (reject)
 Benefit to all people, no matter color, race, nationality,
language, ethnic group, etc. (revise)

19. Strategy at work
Phase III ~ Reformulation of knowledge
 After discussion and interaction was provided
during phase II. I will ask for associations
made during the discussion. Also, any new
ideas before reading the text. Examples:
Equality is a term that includes everyone and does
not single out someone for their color, race,
nationality, ethnic group, language, neither their
physical or mental abilities.
 Answers given are more refined.
 Now students are ready to read with purpose
and anticipation.

20. After Reading
 Class will revisit the list of words and
revise the answers given by students before
reading the text.
 Make necessary adjustments to acquired
knowledge.
 List important changes made in our country
regarding equality in education.
 We can also visit additional material
connected to the story.
◦ Video-Interview of Sylvia Mendez
◦ Sylvia’s official website and podcasts, and
◦ Other books written about Sylvia Mendez story

21. Sylvia & Aki ~ 2017

22. References
Langer, Judith A. “From Theory to Practice: A Prereading Plan.”
Journal of Reading, vol. 25, no. 2, 1981, pp. 152–156.,
www.jstor.org/stable/40030271.
https://aptv.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/osi04.soc.ush.civil.men
dez/mendez-v-westminster-desegregating-californias-
schools/#.WOYKh1K-J-U
http://deeperlearning.ocde.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Ep.-
01-Mendez-vs-Westminster.mp3