Building Background Knowledge across Subject Areas with Newsela

Building Background Knowledge across Subject Areas with Newsela

Welcome to your Building Background Knowledge with Newsela course! Before you begin the course, please read the information in the "About this Course" section below.

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About this course

Reading across texts provides learners with the opportunity to engage with a variety of sources and formats, explore multiple perspectives, deepen understanding, and build schema.  Newsela content, Collections, and tools allow educators to curate content to engage students in deep learning that builds background knowledge and schema through multiple experiences with a topic or theme.

In this course, you'll discover strategies for leveraging Newsela content to engage students in reading across texts to build a deep understanding of concepts and themes, and you'll create meaningful learning experiences connected to your curriculum and objectives that help students develop prerequisite knowledge over time.

Course Objectives

  • Articulate the importance of background knowledge to reading and learning
  • Identify resources to recognize and address knowledge gaps
  • Curate text sets to support background knowledge acquisition 

Tips

  • This course contains lessons and tutorials to support you in designing learning experiences with Newsela. 
  • This is a fully online, self-paced course. You can start and stop the course at any time and your progress will be saved for when you return.  
  • Navigate through the course by clicking the "Next" or "Previous" buttons on the bottom of each page.

What to Expect

By beginning any of these courses, you are enrolled in a cohort with other educators. You’ll be invited to two virtual social gatherings during the cohort to collaborate and ask questions alongside other educators. Learn more about the cohort when you start the mini-course.

Register for the upcoming virtual social gatherings:

Upon completion of your learning, you will have access to a certificate that you may download to honor the learning that you have done in this course.

Support

Curriculum

  • Module 1: The Importance of Background Knowledge
  • Module 1 Introduction
  • Warm Up Reflection
  • The Importance of Background Knowledge
  • Using Newsela to Build Background Knowledge
  • Research and Efficacy
  • Module 1 Conclusion
  • Module 2: Building Background Knowledge
  • Module 2 Introduction
  • Identify Gaps in Knowledge
  • ELA Collections & Texts for Deep Learning
  • Social Studies Collections & Texts for Deep Learning
  • Science Collections & Texts for Deep Learning
  • Apply Your Learning
  • Check for Understanding
  • Sharing Content with Students
  • Module 2 Conclusion
  • Module 4: Course Conclusion
  • Module 4 Introduction
  • Extend Your Learning
  • You're Invited: Virtual Social Learning Series
  • Final Reflection
  • Congratulations on Completing Your Course!

About this course

Reading across texts provides learners with the opportunity to engage with a variety of sources and formats, explore multiple perspectives, deepen understanding, and build schema.  Newsela content, Collections, and tools allow educators to curate content to engage students in deep learning that builds background knowledge and schema through multiple experiences with a topic or theme.

In this course, you'll discover strategies for leveraging Newsela content to engage students in reading across texts to build a deep understanding of concepts and themes, and you'll create meaningful learning experiences connected to your curriculum and objectives that help students develop prerequisite knowledge over time.

Course Objectives

  • Articulate the importance of background knowledge to reading and learning
  • Identify resources to recognize and address knowledge gaps
  • Curate text sets to support background knowledge acquisition 

Tips

  • This course contains lessons and tutorials to support you in designing learning experiences with Newsela. 
  • This is a fully online, self-paced course. You can start and stop the course at any time and your progress will be saved for when you return.  
  • Navigate through the course by clicking the "Next" or "Previous" buttons on the bottom of each page.

What to Expect

By beginning any of these courses, you are enrolled in a cohort with other educators. You’ll be invited to two virtual social gatherings during the cohort to collaborate and ask questions alongside other educators. Learn more about the cohort when you start the mini-course.

Register for the upcoming virtual social gatherings:

Upon completion of your learning, you will have access to a certificate that you may download to honor the learning that you have done in this course.

Support

Curriculum

  • Module 1: The Importance of Background Knowledge
  • Module 1 Introduction
  • Warm Up Reflection
  • The Importance of Background Knowledge
  • Using Newsela to Build Background Knowledge
  • Research and Efficacy
  • Module 1 Conclusion
  • Module 2: Building Background Knowledge
  • Module 2 Introduction
  • Identify Gaps in Knowledge
  • ELA Collections & Texts for Deep Learning
  • Social Studies Collections & Texts for Deep Learning
  • Science Collections & Texts for Deep Learning
  • Apply Your Learning
  • Check for Understanding
  • Sharing Content with Students
  • Module 2 Conclusion
  • Module 4: Course Conclusion
  • Module 4 Introduction
  • Extend Your Learning
  • You're Invited: Virtual Social Learning Series
  • Final Reflection
  • Congratulations on Completing Your Course!