Jonah Ortiz

Did You Know?

We learn new things easier when we connect them to things that are familiar to us. As we get older, we gain a deeper understanding of the world around us, and we add more and more to our memories (or mind palaceLinks to an external site.) to help us grow and navigate new situations. Piaget called our mental constructs about things schemas, and schema theory looks at how the brain stores and processes information. Generally speaking, activating “prior knowledge” is a critical step in the learning process and a major factor in reading comprehension.

Tips on activating prior knowledge:

• Make a chart of things you KNOW and WANT TO KNOW, then Google the topic, and write down WHAT YOU LEARNED.
• Write down ideas of what you think the about the topic, then Google news articles about it, and read over the AI generated summary.
• Read or watch the resources shared with you in Canvas or in the book to anticipate what you’ll learn about, so you can remember things better and apply them long-term.

Keywords And Terms To Study Before Reading The Article

Interactive Flash Cards

Test your knowledge by defining each term before revealing the correct answer. This interactive check reinforces understanding and prepares you for deeper reading.