Unleash the potential of knowledge building in language comprehension

Every child is capable of becoming a skilled reader. Every classroom can provide that opportunity and drive 鶹success, through a content-rich literacy curriculum.

We’ll show you how.

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The relationship among knowledge, language comprehension, and literacy skills

ճ shows that early literacy skills are best built deliberately, on a foundation of knowledge. Knowledge building is not a result of reading and language comprehension; it’s a vital prerequisite and a fundamental part of the process. When 鶹read a text on a familiar topic–event a tough one–they’re more likely to comprehend it. In other words: The more you know, the more, and faster, you learn.

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Why is building knowledge so important?

Background knowledge—coupled with comprehension strategies—fuels students’ capacity to understand texts, answer questions, and grapple with ideas.

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  • Explicit knowledge building is a matter of equity.

  • Knowledge—both broad and deep—is vital for comprehension.

  • Knowledge building supports 鶹throughout school—and life.

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Getting started with knowledge based learning

Effective literacy instruction must celebrate the experiences 鶹have but not assume each 鶹has specific pieces of prior knowledge. Rather, it must build knowledge in the classroom. Students (and teachers) need curricula that expose them to a diverse array of new topics—spanning history, science, literature, culture, and the arts—in an intentional sequence that builds a rich and common knowledge base from which all 鶹can draw.

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Professional development to support your shift to the Science of Reading

Ignite literacy transformation with Amplify’s Science of Reading: The Learning Lab—an inspiring three-course series.

  • Dive into a comprehensive overview with course one, Foundations to the Science of Reading.
  • Examine assessments and their roles in course two, Advanced Topics in the Science of Reading: Assessment and Reading Difficulties.
  • Apply effective literacy instruction to your classroom in course three, Applied Structured Literacy.

Crafted to the standards of the International Dyslexia Association, this self-paced online series provides unparalleled, research-backed instruction. Explore enriching activities, curated resources, and learn from Susan Lambert, chief academic officer and host of Science of Reading: The Podcast.


The best investment you can make is in knowledge, and the returns are priceless.
 

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Before and after knowledge building: What knowledge looks like in the classroom

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Making connections to what 鶹already know

Before: Teachers “activate” students’ prior knowledge before reading.
After: Teachers build students’ knowledge explicitly for 鶹to leverage later as background knowledge.

A teacher helps a young 鶹build literacy skills in a classroom, while another 鶹is in the foreground, and an inset cartoon of a lumberjack and dragon by a castle.

Developing reading comprehension

Before: Teachers focus instruction on comprehension strategies (e.g., “strategy of the day” instruction).
After: Teachers focus on content and use comprehension strategies to help 鶹gain knowledge of that content.

A teacher addressing a diverse group of elementary 鶹raising their hands in a classroom, with illustrations of New York City landmarks overlaying the scene, emphasizes knowledge building.

Introduction of new topics and information

Before: Students learn about content-area topics individually in disconnected units of instruction.
After: Students learn topics through a coherent approach that builds knowledge within and across units of instruction.

See the remarkable difference shifting to a knowledge building approach can make in your school. Our enlightening flyer guides you through a before-and-after journey, illustrating the profound impact of knowledge building on learning. Check it out!

What to look for in a knowledge-building literacy curriculum

Three women from a renaissance painting, one playing a lute and reading sheet music, accompanied by two others showcasing their literacy skills, against an abstract background with a blue circle.

It develops content knowledge.

The program should immerse 鶹in a given domain for weeks—that’s how they acquire academic knowledge. The content should also develop from grade to grade, so that 鶹learning about Renaissance art can reflect on and compare to what they previously learned about art in the Middle Ages.

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Illustration of a cheerful pink cartoon character with large eyes sitting and enhancing literacy skills by reading a large open book, set against a peach and yellow circular background.

It leverages read-alouds for exposure to complex language.

In early grades, students’ listening comprehension outpaces their reading comprehension. Interactive read-alouds can be used to expose 鶹to academic language and rich vocabulary. With background knowledge, vocabulary words are “the main support beams in the comprehension house.” This approach also helps teachers introduce 鶹to new information and experiences—in a supportive and interactive environment.

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It introduces 鶹to a wide variety of topics and content.

A content-rich curriculum exposes 鶹to broad knowledge over time in a systematic, cumulative way, which is more effective than spending several months on just one topic. And while that’s happening, 鶹are participating in enriching discussions and writing activities so they can further interact with the content, promoting deeper engagement and supporting retention of both the knowledge and associated vocabulary.

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It builds both knowledge and foundational skills.

Knowledge building is just one component of literacy development. A content-rich curriculum that helps 鶹build both knowledge (language comprehension) and skills (word recognition) takes into account both sides of the Reading Rope, giving 鶹everything they need to build the foundation for a lifetime of literacy success. Instead of learning to read so they can read to learn, 鶹who use a content-rich curriculum learn to read and learn about the world at the same time, enabling them to understand what they’re reading.

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“Shifting from balanced literacy to a knowledge building curriculum was a huge change for us. [Amplify] CKLA systematically builds knowledge from unit to unit and across grade levels. Students are constantly making connections to what they learned earlier in the year. We are excited to see the connections that they make after they have had a few years of the program. Student engagement has significantly increased. They are excited about the topics that they are learning. I never would have thought that 鶹would find the War of 1812 or Ancient Greek Civilizations fascinating, but they do!”

—Christina Pina, Instructional Data Specialist, Chicopee Public Schools, Ludlow, MA
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