USING PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
|
The heart pumps blood
throughout the human body. |
How do you know the facts written in the above box? Maybe you learned them in school; perhaps you read them on your own, heard them from a parent, or absorbed the information from a television show. Regardless of how you learned thesm, you already know theses facts about human biology. That makes them part of your prior knowledge.
Prior knowledge is the information you already know--all the
facts, details, examples, opinions, and truths you have absorbed
and remembered through the years. Using prior knowledge as you
read connects your background and personal experience with the
writer's viewpoint and experience. It is a powerful and effective
reading technique, because it engages you with the text.
People write to convey important ideas to their audience. In
Biology: the Web of Life, for example, the writers created
the text to teach their readers about the world of living things.
Writers have many ways to convey information. One of the most
effective ways is to build on the information their readers already
know. This is building on prior knowledge.
When you read, your brain actively links what you already
know and what is new to you. You learn new material by associating
it with information you already know.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
How can you tap your prior knowledge? Before you start reading, spend a few minutes writing down what you already know about the topic of the passage. Jot down your opinion of the topic and what information you would like to find out. This process helps you ask the right questions once you begin reading the material. In addition, it helps you link what you already know with what you are about to learn. In addition, thinking for yourself before you come under the writer's influence helps you arrive at your own conclusions.
Before you start to read, skim the title and ask yourself these two questions:
- What do I already know about this topic?
- What would I like to learn?
TRY IT!
Turn to Issues in Biology on page 752 of your textbook. Before you start to read, look at the title. Ask yourself what you know about the topic and what you would like to find out.
Click here to check your answers to TRY IT!
To practice what you've just learned, go to Worksheet 8.1
To learn about another reading strategy, go to Reading Strategy 8.2.
Reading Strategy 8.1 | Worksheet
8.1
Reading Strategy 8.2 | Worksheet
8.2
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