Building Background Knowledge:

It is impossible to overstate the importance of building background knowledge of history, science, and social realities, particularly for struggling readers. The more background knowledge your student has, the more background knowledge will stick in their brain. This is of the utmost importance because struggling readers often miss out on taking in the information they are reading given the amount of energy they need to spend decoding the text in front of them.

Increasing background knowledge can also be a really enjoyable experience for you and your student as there are a myriad of ways to approach the task. We recommend a variety of activities to stimulate the growth and enjoyment of building background knowledge such as field trips, documentaries, reading aloud to your student, audiobooks, debates, and so much more. The sky's the limit when it comes to  building background knowledge.

This is the best bang for your buck for your struggling reader at home.

Dedicating time each week to a knowledge building activity can do wonders for your student’s vocabulary, background knowledge, love of learning, and confidence in academic rigor. Begin by choosing  a historic or scientific concept that is of interest to your student. Then gather 3-5 resources that focus on that concept to ensure your student is building a depth and breadth of the topic.

Background Knowledge Building Resources:

Visit the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History website and tour the exhibit of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures.

Go back in time to Ellis Island and witness the journey of those coming to America with hope of what this new world could offer them.

Get a glimpse into the life of a legendary U.S. Representative and civil rights activist with the film John Lewis: Good Trouble.

Experience the hysteria surrounding space exploration in the 1970’s though the film The Last Man on the Moon.

Particularly for younger students, Sparkle Stories provides a library full of 1,000+ stories that can be enjoyed as audiobooks.

Get lost in the insanely captivating animations created by the YouTube channel In A Nutshell and find yourself learning about solar storms, intelligence, wormholes, and so much more.

Allow the mystery of the podcast The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel to draw you in and make it hard to return to the real world.

For older students, there is much to learn from Malala and her passion for education to be learned in the documentary He Named Me Malala.

Find a book at your child’s age appropriate reading level and read aloud to them. This is crucial for struggling readers as it allows them to learn. Visit Redwood’s website for a list of age-appropriate podcasts and recommended book lists for K-2, 3-5, and 6-8.

“The fact is, history is a series of stories. And kids love stories. The same is true for science topics that don’t lend themselves to hands-on activities.”

from The Knowledge Gap by Natalie Wexler