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Prior Knowledge/Cumulative Review

A major emphasis in Science IDEAS is that prior knowledge is the most important determinant of comprehension (i.e., meaningful learning) in general and reading comprehension in particular. Within this context, the integration of the various reading and non-reading activities build meaningful student learning and understanding of science concepts. More specifically, as students read additional materials (non-fiction), they become increasingly better prepared to read and understand other related material. In this regard, additional outside reading is an integral part of building conceptual knowledge.

This is what we mean by "students learning more about what they have learned."

A few helpful worksheets for ascertaining student prior knowledge: