How does background knowledge build on a child’s growing reading abilities?

1. encourages children to choose from multiple meanings of words.

2. allows children to make inferences easier.

3. many metaphors, idioms, and other literary devices are based on background knowledge.

4. "Yaritza stands in line quietly and does not talk to anyone."

5. "Yaritza laughs with a friend as they get up and begin the PE activity."

6. "Yaritza laughs with her friends more than she talks."

7. "Yaritza looks at her friend to question what something is in her book."

8. background knowledge is essential for reading comprehension.

9. differences in low-SES children's comprehension skills may be attributed, in part, to limitations in their preexisting knowledge base.

10. How can I use my teaching abilities and words to help and encourage a student who does not want me to see her work?

10.1. the topic needs to be something they feel is important to communicate about

10.2. the topic needs to be something they feel strongly about or are interested in

10.3. the reading or writing needs to take place when they want to do it, or “just in time.”

10.4. "Yaritza came to the corner of the room near me and sat quietly the whole center time."

10.5. Much of the time the content of the textbook, article, or trade book is too difficult or too irrelevant to their experience, and encountering the information on the page is not sufficient for understanding.

10.6. Engagement in learning leads to sustained interaction with the material.

10.7. "Yaritza goes to a table with maze worksheets on them. She draws with a pencil, and when she knows she has gone the wrong way, she erases and tried again."

10.8. "Yaritza listens as she waits for other students to answer."

10.9. "Yaritza worked really hard to draw a picture that went with the sentences that she wrote."

10.10. "Yaritza looked at me for affirmation on her work."