Teacher Blogs

Twenty-four Brazilian English teachers are in Tennessee for training and English classes. Check out these these blogs to read about some of their experiences! :)

Valeria	hellobigfrogschool.blogspot.com
Elisangela (Elis)	englishbyheartelis.blogspot.com
Zariffe/Zara	zarizara11.blogspot.com
Karla	teacherkarla.blogspot.com
Cristiane	teachercristianetelles.blogspot.com
Marilia	betusamariliajacomini.blogspot.com
Lidiane	lidib02.blogspot.com
Diva	http://divaenglishteacher.blogspot.com/
Mychele	mychele1.blogspot.com
Patricia	usaexper.blogspot.com
Flaviana	silvaflaviana2013.blogspot.com
Eliana	elianabrito-betusa.blogspot.com
Eleuza	ESLteacherBSB.blogspot.com
Cristiane/Cris	crisnascimento1-3.blogspot.com
Marcia	marcyssantos.blogspot.com
Maria	mcarvalh19.blogspot.com
Danieli/Dani	ateachersjourney-tennessee.blogspot.com
Shirlley	megapink2010.blogspot.com
Candida	http://candaracunhastoneandwater.blogspot.com/
Eliana Aparecida	teachingenglishbyeliana.blogspot.com
Mileide	ladyKnox.blogspot.com
Simone	simoneknoxville.blogspot.com
Flaviane	flavianepires1.blogspot.com
Thailisia	tkatiele.blogspot.com

Building Background Knowledge

Before beginning a new book or topic it is important to see what your students already know about the content you will cover. This "activation" of background knowledge allows your students to use experiences that they have been through or seen through movies or books to help them relate to your new lesson.

For ELLs, gauging background knowledge is key. One student may know all about the traditions associated with the Chinese New Year, while another student may never have experienced the new year according to the lunar calendar. Thus, it is important to have students share what they do know about the celebrating the new year. One way to compare the Chinese New Year celebrations with the new year's celebration of students from South America or Central Asia, is to create a VENN diagram to show differences and similarities between varying celebrations. This gives students an opportunity to contribute to the topic at hand, and begins to build some familiarity with a subject as students share and listen to others.

Another way to gauge background knowledge is to create a K-W-L chart to find what students Know about a topic, what they Want to learn, and then, what they have Learned (at the end of the lesson or unit).

 Building or activating background knowledge is the first step when starting a new lesson or beginning a new story book. When students can relate to a topic in some way, the topic becomes more meaningful and understanding can be fostered.