Virginia SOL 4.RI.3.A
The Standard
Use prior (experience) and background (content) knowledge as context for new learning.
Virginia Standards of Learning for English · Integration of Concepts
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students bring relevant experiences and facts to an informational text. They use what they know to make sense of new ideas and adjust their thinking when the text adds information.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students name a relevant experience or fact before and during reading. They explain how that knowledge helps them understand, predict, question, or connect new information.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may treat guesses or opinions as facts they already know. They may also rely on an experience that conflicts with the text instead of changing their thinking when new evidence appears.
How to Assess It
- After reading today’s article, write one fact you already knew and explain how it helped you understand one new fact.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Before reading an article on migration, students sort sticky-note facts into “I know,” “I think,” and “I learned” columns.
Ask, “What did you already know about this topic, and which sentence added to or changed that knowledge?”
Play Knowledge Link by drawing topic cards and earning points for stating a relevant fact and connecting it to a passage detail.
Read a local weather alert and discuss how past experiences with similar weather help families understand the directions.
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Printable 4.RI.3.A Worksheet
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