The Background and Prior Knowledge strategy builds upon and deepens students’ understanding by identifying, activating, and leveraging students’ background and prior knowledge.

Teachers create opportunities for students to make personal connections to learning, sparking curiosity and the need to learn a new skill. They identify and explicitly teach background knowledge required for understanding of new learning, correcting misconceptions when needed. Students reflect on, wonder, question, and apply their knowledge and prior experiences. They make connections to new learning with existing schema, and they anchor their learning in curiosity, wonderings, or challenges.

Background and Prior Knowledge is not teacher centered. It is critical when students’ knowledge and skills can support or are a prerequisite for learning the AKS. It also mitigates the potential of misunderstanding or learning gaps interfering with students’ new learning.