THURSDAY: Background Knowledge, and Connections

1/15/2015

Today's reading lesson focused on using background knowledge to make connections. Mrs. Jensen modelled her visible thinking on the image of Beetle Juice and it was interesting to see how her thoughts and opinions turned out to be different compared to some of the opinions of the students. This is important to note because it tells us that we all have different background knowledge because we have all had different life experiences. One student may write one idea or thought down and other students may write something totally different depending on what they know.
1.) MATH 6:

Watch this video to review today's lesson.
Chapter 7 Lesson 6 worksheet and Textbook questions #1-7

MATH 7:

Any assigned work. Please check your teacher's website.
Ms. Wilson's Site Ms. Farrell's Site

2.) POST A RESPONSE:

Today, you learned how everyone has different background knowledge. Each year of your life adds to your background knowledge. In a few weeks, I will be adding the 37th chapter to my book of background knowledge! That's a lot of chapters!
Background knowledge also differs from one person to the next because we all read different books, read different stories, and experience life differently which contributes to our unique lives.
1 - How did using your background knowledge help you understand the picture from today's lesson? (Adventures in Babysitting).
2 - Do you feel using your background knowledge to make connections helps you when you understand what you read?
3 - Please use an example from something you have read recently and explain how you used your background knowledge to make a meaningful connection in order to understand what you were reading.
4 - Ask yourself, what did something that you read remind you of and how was that important to your understanding of what you read?

VIDEO LINKS:
Comparing Mixed Numbers and Improper Fractions

Billy Bob

1/15/2015 07:44:20 am

First

Goofy

1/15/2015 08:09:10 am

2nd and mr. Hong theres no post a response

Mr Hong link

1/15/2015 08:43:42 am

@ Goofy - Are you sure? ;-)

Goofy

1/15/2015 08:58:58 am

It help me by knowing that in other movies when a lady is by her self and she has kids with her she might be divorced and that's why I said she might be divorced. Yes I feel it helps when I read because it gives out more hints in the head so we could visualize. From an I survived book it wasn't as serious but I made connection when I play man tracker you have an adrenaline high and you have to stay quiet when you're hiding and a perso is near because you don't if there it or not from the last time you saw them. Like in one for the Murphy's I knew that foster care and adoption is very very hard on a kid so I knew she would keep her distance from the Murphy's.

Mr. Hong link

1/15/2015 12:11:25 pm

@ Goofy - Can you give some examples of the movies you are referring to? There must be a specific one that you remember? Also, don't forget that punctuation should not take a vacation in your daily posts. ;)

Goofy

1/18/2015 04:06:58 am

Thanks and the movie I was thinking about was The Magic Of Belle Isle.

Mr. Hong link

1/15/2015 12:12:22 pm

@ Goofy - That is great that you mentioned visualizing! I'm happy to see that you are paying attention in class and listening to the lessons! Keep working hard!

Cookielover

1/15/2015 09:10:26 am

I used my background knowledge for "Adventure In Babysitting" by thinking I loved playing with my babysitter, it was so fun! Also, we did not climb a building or did we? Duun duun daaaa! Background knowledge helps me understand my reading by making little videos in my head like "Hay! I did that before that was so fun!" A few days ago I finished reading "I Survived The Japanese Tsunami"and it me remember how bad it was and all the problems it caused 500,000+ deaths and 50,000 injury's it was brutal!

Mr. Hong link

1/15/2015 09:16:23 am

@ Cookie Lover - We call those videos in your head, visualizations! Thanks for sharing what you learned and thanks for putting in your best effort! :-)

Billy Bob

1/15/2015 10:13:42 am

Nice job cookielover but you wrote hey as hay, hay is for horses. :)

Cookielover

1/15/2015 10:17:27 am

Ha!

Oracle

1/15/2015 09:30:39 am

How using my background knowledge helped me understand the picture from today's lesson was by remembering back to the past of how familiar these characters looked to me and I knew I've seen them before. I also use it to remember my alphabet and words such as "Apple, starts with A"
Using my background knowledge does help me when making connections, since to me when I make connections, I also get ideas. Then those ideas turn into bigger ideas!
Earlier in class I was reading "MIDDLE SCHOOL: Get me out of here!" and it made me connect back to when it was my first day of school and I was afraid of everyone since the boy who characters the main character in the story had just had his house burn't down from something cooking, and now he has to transfer to a different middle school out of High Hills Middle school or something and now he will be the new kid just like how I was when I first came to Hillcrest.
How something helped me understand what I read and how important it was was probably a picture or a book. If I were to try to understand something I have never read or watched before, I would probably want a quick glance of a picture to help me understand "Who is the main character? Who is Beetle Juice?" and other things like that, If I watch a movie I don't understand, usually reading the book gives out all the main points and detail I need to help me understand.

Will Edit, Revise and give feedback soon once I am finished with... whatever I need to finish.

Mr. Hong link

1/15/2015 12:26:35 pm

@ Oracle - You are right! Your ideas are constantly building on one another to build your background knowledge! Your hard drive never gets full! ;-)

Great post! Please read through it and see if you can put some commas in or separate some of your longer sentences to be shorter ones.

Oracle

1/15/2015 12:36:37 pm

@Mr. Hong, thank you for the feedback! I think I could really improve more on my punctuation since it has been getting clumsy lately. Probably I need to re-read "Punctuation takes a vacation"

OMGCOTTONCANDY

1/15/2015 09:55:02 am

using my background knowledge I thought that she was a spy and she was taking her kids on a misson. Ya I think it does help so you can understand the words. I heard of a poem called digging for gold and at first I didn't know it mean't so I used my background knowledge and found out it actually mean't picking your nose

Mr. Hong link

1/15/2015 12:24:46 pm

@ OMGCOTTONCANDY - Don't forget your capitals! Remember, punctuation shouldn't take a vacation! ;-)

What about the picture made you think she was a spy? Please explain.

How does using background knowledge to make connections help you understand the words? Can you explain in a little more detail please?

Billy Bob

1/15/2015 10:01:06 am

1) It helped because without background knowledge there is nothing to understand
2) Yes because without all the information I got from books, movies, or otherwise absorbed over the years I would not know that they needed a rope because I would not know newtons laws of physics.
3)

Mr. Hong link

1/15/2015 10:04:56 am

@ Billy Bob - It looks like your post got cut off. Oops???

SkaterBoi

1/15/2015 10:10:56 am

How I used my background knowledge by looking at the picture and trying to see whats going on. In "Adentures of babysitting" I tryed to see what was going on. The babysitter and some kids ( Babysitters kids ) were climbing a building. Maybe the babysitter can be secret agent spy, or maybe there trying to find a secret clue, and last. They could be trying to get away from someone. It could be a lot things. For
"Beetle Juice" I don't think it juice with beetles. There could be a meaning for it. I think it's a halloween movie because in the picture it was night and there was a zombie looking guy in the middle, and a headless guy. Maybe it could be about these two married couple move into a house and they find a the zombie guy who has secret powers of halloween. And the couple go on adventure to find clues. And thats how I used my background knowledge on these to pictures.

Mr. Hong link

1/15/2015 12:28:03 pm

@ SkaterBoi - Great job in class today! Your visible thinking was indeed visible and I was able to understand exactly what you had written down!

I can see how you used your background knowledge to make meaning of both pictures from today. Keep working hard! You are indeed improving in many areas! :-)

SkaterBoi

1/15/2015 12:44:26 pm

@ Mr Hong - Thanks for the comment I really appreciate it

SkaterBoi

1/15/2015 12:42:59 pm

I had a few spelling errors

SkaterBoi

1/15/2015 01:06:46 pm

( Revised )
How I used my background knowledge is by looking at the picture and trying to see what's going on. In "Adentures of babysitting" I tryed to see what was happening. The babysitters kid's were climbing a building. You can tell they were very high because you can see the whole city. The babysitter could have been a secret spy, or maybe there trying to find some secret clue around the city, or maybe someone is chasing after them. It could be a lot of things.

For "Beetle Juice" I don't think it's juice with actual beetles in it. There could some type of meaning to it. I think it's a halloween movie because it's night, and theres a zombie looking guy, there's a headless man and a girl in a white dress. I think this is about two married couple who move into this mysterious house and they find a zombie looking guy who has secret magic of halloween. The reason why I say he has magic is because the way he dresses the way he looks. Also he is holding a head in his hand. Like I said it could be a lot of things. And that's how I use my background knowledge.

Rainbow Unicorn

1/17/2015 09:08:25 am

@skaterboi great job you put lot's of detail in your paragraphs but there is no apostrophe in kids. When you said "The babysitters kid's were climbing a building." other than that you did great.

Billy Bob (continued)

1/15/2015 10:11:49 am

3) I have made connections to part of my book hegemony or survival, I was reading about the Cuban missile crisis and I made connections with the time the soviets and the Americans nearly started world war three since I read about it.
4)reading about the Cuban missile crisis made me appreciate how if that had uccured I would not be alive, not only would I be dead I would have never existed since my parents met in New York and if the U.S.A. Was at nuclear war I have the feeling they would stop immigration. So I appreciate how my life along with many could have been lost or never have happened which is important to me. It reminded me that if that one man in the soviet sub had followed his orders I would have never existed.

Oracle

1/15/2015 12:38:24 pm

@billy Bob, I think your post was great, just don't forget, whenever your going to continue your post you need to revise it on your original.

Mr.Potato

1/15/2015 10:26:00 am

I think back round knowledge helped me because with out it I wouldn't of known when it took place(the hair and clothes gave it away.)

When I read background knowledge helps a lot because it helps me visualize better so I understand (for example if it says "downtown" I inderstand that it is a busy area with lots of stores and tall buildings

A little while ago my friend was reading a book and he told me a joke and he was laughing his head off but I didn't have the backround knowledge to understand and I was completely confused.

Mr. Hong link

1/15/2015 12:29:23 pm

@ Mr. Potato - You are right, the hair definitely gives away the decade this movie took place in!

I like that you mentioned that your background knowledge helped you visualize a mental picture!

Great example of why background knowledge is useful! You probably wanted to know why your friend was laughing so hard! :-)

Hero of ages

1/15/2015 10:26:07 am

Using my background knowledge by thinking that it was Spy kids because they are climbing a building. I found a poem called I'm sick again i did not know what it meant but I did some visualizing and found out so i know what it meant.

Mr. Hong link

1/15/2015 12:35:36 pm

@ Hero of Ages - Please use full and complete sentences. Please read your response out loud and then edit/revise your work. Also, reread the instructions for tonight and make sure you complete everything. You should read some of the posts the other students made if you are unsure of what to do.

Tacosaur

1/15/2015 10:44:50 am

1)I used my background knowledge by thinking it was back to the future.

2)Without background knowledge you wouldn't know anything not even how to tie your shoes or how to do normal every day things.

3)I use my background knowledge by looking at whats in the picture, whats in the background and what the characters are wearing.

Azbo

1/15/2015 11:00:46 am

@Tacosaur - You need to add more detail and follow the criteria. You might want to set a purpose while you read the criteria!! :)

Mr. Hong link

1/15/2015 12:38:13 pm

@ Tacosaur - I'm not sure I understand your first sentence. Please explain in detail what you mean. Please explain number 3 in detail. I am unsure of exactly what you are trying to say. Azbo gave you some good feedback. Please read his comment below.

Oracle

1/15/2015 12:44:17 pm

@Tacosaur, I see how you tried to refer to the movie known as "Back to the Future" which was created around the 1950's or so, and you forgot to add more detail for each sentences for 1, 2, and 3. Overall, I think your post was great.

Azbo

1/15/2015 10:58:33 am

I used my background knowledge to understand when the film was made, the city because I know new your has lots of buildings, I used my background knowledge on just about everything. Because I learned everything in the chapters of my life. no one is born knowing how to read and write and make connections. It all comes into your background knowledge.

For the second I would say ofcourse I cannot even read without my background knowledge. And the connections help e read as well like how would I know what for example "is" means without my background knowledge? Now say I have my background knowledge and I can make a connection "oh... wait I remember learning this word" that is connection.

I would say for the fourth one "The Blood of Olympus" By Rick Riordan because in the book it is about Greek gods and mytholegy. If I do not know what Zues is (for instance) I would not understand the book. But since I have that background knowledge I can understand it.

I hope you enjoyed!! Tell me if there are any mistakes please!

Gooner

1/15/2015 11:05:47 am

I used my background knowledge because I have seen a lot of movies connected to the idea. By seeing these movies I have the background knowledge to guess what is going on.

Mr. Hong link

1/15/2015 12:39:12 pm

@ Gooner - Please reread the post a response and repost. Let me know if you have any questions.

Oracle

1/15/2015 12:44:56 pm

@Mr. Hong, I'm not very sure if she will reply.

Ariel.

1/15/2015 11:06:08 am

Well today's lesson helped me understand background knowledge by just looking at a picture and writing down all of my thoughts on what I saw in the picture. Today I saw a picture with two boys one girl wearing thors hat and a woman climbing up a building? Why were they climbing up a building? I'm not sure why, but this is were I wrote down any thoughts/ notes that can make me understand more on background knowledge. At the end I figured out the picture/ image was from "Adventures Of Babysitting". Background knowledge helped me make connections, thoughts, ideas, predictions, and questions from just looking at what I saw in the picture from today's lesson. And yes, I feel using background knowledge helps me make connection when I read , because it deepens my thoughts until I get closer to the right answer. Background knowledge also helps me make connections, because when I make a connection it gives more hints and clues. Over the weekend I have recently read "Alligiant", I used my background knowledge to make a meaningful connection from when it said "I arrange my face into an empty expression". This reminds me of when I have done the same thing when I had to play baseball. I remember when I have read "Pecry Jackson : The Lightning Thief", this story is about gods like Zeus and half bloods like Percy. If I had no idea what gods or half bloods were, than my reading won't understand.

Fish sticks

1/15/2015 11:21:29 am

1) My background knowledge helped me understand the picture from today's lesson because I have seen this movie before so I could easily remember things that happened in the movie and use it for my messy thinking.

2) Yes because then when you look at say a picture of a fork and you eat food with a fork you can make more connections about the fork because you have memorised and background knowledge.

3) Recently I have read the post and I have used my background knowledge because I need to remember what we learned in class.

4) I reread the post a bunch of times and it is important that I understand it so that I don't need to redo it again because it is a lot of work.

Butterfly puppy

1/15/2015 11:38:21 am

I know that in a lot of things background knowledge helps me but today it didn't really help me because I have never seen not herd of adventures in babysitting. For connections I could make then but just couldn't make then in background knowledge, one connection I made was for example being a babysitter I once babysat for my dad friend.

Gooner

2/23/2015 09:55:23 am

Maybe you could make your sentence a little clearer.

Rainbow Unicorn

1/15/2015 11:47:24 am

when I looked at the picture it looked like something from the 90's or 80'. But I wouldn't know that without my background knowledge.

Using my background knowledge to make connections help because, without background knowledge I wouldn't be able to make connections.

"I need to face him, even if it means opening old wounds'' I think this means to remember something that made his feelings hurt. I made a connections because I have felt this way before. And I'm guessing this is how he/she feels.

SkaterBoi

1/15/2015 12:51:56 pm

@ Rainbow Unicorn - You are good at you're background knowledge but try to add a bit more detail. Also try to describe the picture to see what's going on in it. :-)

Rainbow Unicorn

1/17/2015 09:01:19 am

Ok then @SkaterBoi I will fix that next time(maybe)

TweetyBird

1/15/2015 11:48:45 am

My background knowlege helped me understand what the picture was because when I saw the lady it reminded me of a secret spy because she was smiling and secret spies usually aren't scared of walking up buildings. I used my background knowledge to figure that out by reading books and watching movies and shows. Of course using background knowlege to make connections his helpful when I'm reading because when I make connections it gives me a better understanding of what I'm reading. I made a connection from an I survived book, because I sometimes am really nervous or scared and my heart pounds in my chest.

Mr. Hong link

1/15/2015 12:21:23 pm

@ TweetyBird - Great connection to one of the "I survived" books! You used very descriptive language! Can you remember a specific instance when you felt that way? Please explain.

Xbox man

1/15/2015 11:51:39 am

1: The way used my background knowledge was, I remember that the little girl was wearing a Thor helmet, and I remember what a baby sitter is. In the background I also noticed that the kids and the woman were, what it looked like, climbing the empire state building. There was also a huge city behind them.

2: I feel like using my background knowledge helps me make connections when I read because, while I am reading there is a little movie inside my head that is showing me my life. It could also help with when you are visualizing, to see what is going on in your story as a little movie.

3: The book I was reading was called, The Wings Of Fire. At first there are a group of different dragons that become best of friends. I can relate to this because all of my friends are different too. Not everyone has to be the same.

4: The one thing I did read was a book called, Percy Jackson and The Olympians. This book made me remember that, even if you are in danger or trouble, you should always look on the bright side of things and have a sense of humor. Trust me. It helps.

Mr. Hong link

1/15/2015 12:19:47 pm

@ XBOX MAN - Since the little girl was wearing the Thor helmet, what did that make you think of her?

I'm so happy to hear you using the words we use in class. Indeed, background knowledge and connections are definitely related to visualizations. It is like a video or movie that is playing in your mind!

batman

1/15/2015 11:54:24 am

1) I used my background knowledge to see that they were in a city and their clothes were old looking so it took place early in time.
2)Yes background knowledge helps to know where to go like school, home and the store.
3)I have a connection to Diary of a Wimpy kid, in the book they go to a pool and it is really crowded and one time my family and I went to the pool and it super crowded there.
4) I was reading the Hobbit and I would not know what a hobbit was if I did not read the Lord of the Rings.

Mr. Hong link

1/15/2015 12:15:09 pm

@ Batman - What about their clothes did you think made it seem like the movie was from many years ago? When the pool was super crowded, how did it make you feel? What happened in the book when they went to the pool and it was crowded? Always remember to explain your connections. :-)

Mr. Hong link

1/15/2015 12:17:41 pm

@ Batman - I'm glad to see that your writing is improving! Keep up the good work!

Puffle

1/15/2015 12:05:30 pm

1: I used my background knowledge to help me understand what was going on in the picture. It helped me because if I didn't know things like what a rope is and what it's used for then I wouldn't have known what they were doing. I also know things like how the 80's looked like from several movies and books.

2: Yes I do because I can make connections with my background knowledge and refer to those connections to give me more ideas.

3&4: I have recently finished reading "Dorothy Must Die" and the book is based on "The Wizard Of Oz" so if I didn't know what "The Wizard Of Oz" was about then I wouldn't know what this whole book was about. I understood that Dorothy may seem like a nice girl at first but she was so focused onto magic more than the people around her so she kind of acted selfish. It made me realize that I should be more selfless instead of selfish so I won't turn out to be as bad as she is.

Mr. Hong link

1/15/2015 12:13:39 pm

@ Puffle - Great points. I think that if you didn't have any background knowledge about what the 80's were like, you would not have known that was the decade this movie was released. What about the 80's did the picture remind you of? The hair styles?

Teddy bear

1/15/2015 02:06:35 pm

My background knowledge help me to understand the picture from today's lesson, because If I didn't know any information about the picture I could not understand what is going on.
Yes, I can using the background knowledge to make connection gives me more thoughts and ideas.
I read book called Wonder and there was a boy name August with deformed face. If I did not know how the deformed face looks, or it meant, I probably probably did not understand the story.

Pancake

1/15/2015 11:09:32 pm

Yesterday, I used my background knowledge to make a connection. I saw a boy looked bored and I was bored right then so I used my background knowledge to know what being bored looked liked. Also I thought the movie was from the 1980s. I thought that because I used my background knowledge by knowing in the 80s they had big poofy hair.
In One for The Murphy's I used my background knowledge to let me know what foster care was. That helped me connected to a TV show I watched called Coronation Street. In that show a women named Julie wanted to foster kids and with her boyfriend Brian who is a principle. Turns out Brian hates kids tells the social worker that he doesn't want to foster kids.Then also Julie who really wanted to foster kids couldn't. So they broke up and Brian moved away.

Rainbow Unicorn

1/17/2015 09:29:36 am

@pancake I really liked your paragraph especially the one about Julie that wanted foster kids.

Cloud barston

1/16/2015 12:27:08 am

I used my background knowlege to help get a better understanding of what They where doing, where they where and who they where. Yes I think it helps because it helps me get a better picture in my mind. I made a meaningful connection when I read a line out of the walking dead and it mentioned the band "the police" I connected with this because Ive listened to this band since I could remember.

Pebbles

2/10/2015 10:54:08 am

I was not here for that lesson but it would help me understand that picture because I have seen the movie and the story line about it. Of course because I can connect with the story and get that image in my mind. I read insurgent and I had background knowledge from the first book so I new what they were referring to when they were talking about stuff from the first book. I read this boo about a forest and it said what the trees looked like and I new that because I have been to a forest and seen those trees so I new what they looked like because I had that background knowledge.

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THURSDAY: Background Knowledge, and Connections

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