K is for Knowledge: Building Literacy Skills How Tos

 I know it is a silent K word but it does start with K!!

I chose this word because I have learned in tutoring children the importance of building up their general knowledge in order for them to be successful learners.  For example, if you read a book based on Ancient Egyptian culture but know nothing about it, you will not understand the context of the story and will miss out on many of the key details.  

Many authors put in a lot of research as they prepare their storyline to create authentic characters and settings.  The speech must match the time era and locale of the speaker.  A Japanese American in 1955 would be unlikely to talk about French cuisine and a little girl on the prairies at the turn of the century would not know about Disney princesses.  However, many children cannot imagine a world other than the one they know so they need to learn a lot in order to understand the story to its fullest extent.

Playing a game of "Did you know?" would be fun as you introduce a book.  For example, if you were to read The Jungle Book, try naming animals you know that live in the jungle and naming places in the world where there are jungles.  Did you know the story took place in a jungle in India over one hundred years ago when tigers, elephants, panthers, monkeys and wolves roamed free?

When you read a book, ask the child(ren) if they know what happened in the book.  Do they know the main characters?  The setting? The plot? Are there any new words they do not know?  Any phrases they d0 not understand?  It can be very surprising the amount of detail that children miss out on when reading so ask them questions and talk about the book and help them fill in the gaps.

Often a child has a specific interest and knows a lot about fashion or sports or cars or reptiles but they are limited in knowledge about other things.  It is great because becoming an expert in a topic is also an important skill to have.  However, exposing children to other things also matters.  How do you do this?  Using books is an option. Playing trivia games is another approach. You can also go on trips to the zoo, art gallery, museum, science centre, forest and so forth.  You can introduce them to other people who naturally have other interests and can share their knowledge on their specialization.  You can talk to grandparents to learn about life 50 plus years ago in their homeland which may be the same or different than that of the child. 

In every day living you can look at money and ask about the person or item on the face of it and why they are there.  When you eat your meal you can talk about where the food came from and the process it went through to get to your table.  When you go to the beach you can talk about where sand comes from, about fresh vs. salt water, and/or about native species to the area.  The possibilities are endless but it takes time to focus on your child and share your knowledge with them as time goes by.

The fun thing about being with children is that the teacher also becomes the student!  They have experiences of their own that they want to share.  They have questions they want to ask and arguments they want to debate through as well.  Sometimes it is just practice in self expression but sometimes they are more knowledgeable and wise after all and we can humbly learn from them, happy for their growth and development and success in learning.

Knowledge is a key skill that supports the foundation of learning and is built up when learning.  It effects all areas, bringing growth in reading, writing, speaking and listening skills and should be purposefully encouraged in the lives of the child(ren) in your life.