Comprehension Strategies: Schema Part 2 - Tapping Into Our Schema When Reading Non-Fiction

"Our responsibility is to help build students' background knowledge so that they can read independently to gain new information." - Strategies That Work

After helping students to understand this huge concept of schema*, we begin seeing how it influences our understanding of Non-fiction texts.


I teach student's to "tap into their schema" before they read a new nonfiction book. I explain that we have "mental files" that holds our schema for certain topics.  I create a reusable anchor chart that when closed looks like a file folder but when opened has a place for us to place our schema, new learning, and any misconceptions. I don't have a picture of my anchor chart available, but here is a "recreation".

As always I start by modeling, having the book up when I am reading and down when I am thinking. I let the students hear when I have an ah-ha moment, when I learn something new, and when I get a confused my new information, bridging it back to my prior knowledge. We move into shared studies of different informational texts, each time charting our thinking.

Here are some anchor chart examples of how you might chart your student's learning. I've posted the teacher's blog that they came from below for ideas on how they used them in class.

http://mscrowleysclass.blogspot.com/2012/01/penguins.html

http://thegoodlife-lindsay.blogspot.com/2011/10/creepy-crawly-spiders.html

http://mrswilliamsonskinders.blogspot.com/

Of course, I also expect students to record their own thinking and to practice this strategy independently.I use these graphic organizers from Hello Literacy. Her Common Core bundles are full of wonderful graphic organizers and ideas.

 Eventually, the students' reading binders become full of little mental files on different topics they read throughout the year.




*I've divided this topic into three posts: Part 1 - Introduction, Part 2 - Prior Knowledge and New Learning, and Part 3 - Making Connections.

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