1 How do you Activate Schema?

Schema:

What does that word even mean? Well, when it comes to teaching reading comprehension strategies, it’s the glue that holds all the comprehension strategies together. Schema is your background knowledge; it’s what you already know before you even pick up the book.

Its major “ingredients” are your memories, the books you’ve read, the places you’ve been, the movies you’ve watched, the vocabulary you know, etc. Your schema, or background knowledge, is highly fueled by your interests. Therefore, everyone’s schema is different!

Why is Schema important?

Having sufficient schema, or background knowledge, gives you a “rod” to hang your comprehension “hooks” on, so to speak. For example, if I asked you to predict how many beans will fit into a jar, you might just look at me with a blank stare. Why? Because you’re lacking some vital background knowledge. You don’t know what kind of bean or what size jar. Having that background knowledge, or schema is needed to help you make the best estimation.

It works the same with reading comprehension. Too little background knowledge can cripple comprehension, frustrate readers, and leave readers feeling helpless. Students need to not only have background knowledge about the topic, but schema also plays a role in how we understand vocabulary and even set a purpose before reading.

• Read background text
• Watch a video clip
• Listen to others discuss the topic to stimulate discussion