Which activities best build students’ background knowledge for comprehension?

• A. Read-alouds, discussion, and exposure to varied experiences and texts related to content areas.
• B. Silent reading without discussion.
• C. Memorizing definitions from a glossary.
• D. Isolating vocabulary lists without context.

Answer: (A)

Building background knowledge helps students understand text by connecting new ideas to what they already know. Read-alouds expose students to rich language and concepts beyond their current experiences, giving them glimpses of vocabulary, syntax, and ideas in a supportive setting. Following up with discussion lets students articulate their thoughts, ask questions, and link new information to their own lives, which strengthens their mental framework for a topic. When students are also exposed to a variety of experiences and texts across content areas, they build a broader, more connected store of knowledge that makes it easier to predict, infer, and make sense of new reading.

Silent reading without discussion doesn’t provide the same opportunities to link new content to prior knowledge or to hear and use new vocabulary in context. Memorizing glossary definitions and memorizing vocabulary lists without context don’t help students see how words are used in real situations, which is essential for comprehension.