The students background information is extremely important. What the child knows
will give them a better chance to develop understanding of the vocabulary and of
their concepts. A teacher can find out how much background information each
student has by using the K-W-L approach. This approach will not only let the
teacher know what they already know, but also what they want to learn about the
subject and finally what they have learned though their reading. A child that
does not have a wide variety of background experiences to draw from can learn
from what the others are saying, though pictures, discussion, film, filmstrips
and if at all possible a field trip or a guest speaker to bring more meaning to
the subject. For example, if the class was beginning a unit on Farm Animals, the
teacher could ask what kind of animals live on a farm. They could read stories,
look at pictures, make a farm by choosing which animals they would want on their
farm, bring in different farm animals, bring in hay to use in the quiet area,
have a farmer come and talk to the class and take a trip to a farm. This way the
students can see first hand what a farm is, the animals that live their and how
they live. Even though some students will have been to a farm or have a
knowledge on what a farm is, they can also learn more from these experiences as
well as those without first hand knowledge. The more information that is given,
the more print rich the environment is, the better off the students will be.