<P><SPAN id=content_prodDesc><STRONG>Book study groups and professional learning communities, click to save 15% when you order 15 copies of <I>Background Knowledge</I>. A $330 value for $280.50.</STRONG></SPAN> </P> <DIV><SPAN><SPAN><I><SPAN>"Background knowledge is too often neglected in our push to raise test scores, despite the fact that we know background knowledge is a critical component of comprehension. Background knowledge simply has to become an instructional focus if we want to help students make sense of school. We will lose a generation of learners if we don't act now."</SPAN></I></SPAN></SPAN></A></DIV> <DIV align=right><SPAN><SPAN><SPAN><B><SPAN>-Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey<SPAN> </SPAN></SPAN></B></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN><STRONG>Why background knowledge?</STRONG> </SPAN></DIV> <UL> <LI><SPAN><SPAN>Because the <I>Grapes of Wrath</I> is dry reading if students don't know about the Dust Bowl.</SPAN></SPAN> <LI><SPAN><SPAN>Because the Boston Tea Party is a non-event if students don't know loyalists from patriots.</SPAN></SPAN> <LI><SPAN><SPAN>Because knowing a triangle has 180 degrees isn't the same as knowing why.</SPAN></SPAN> </LI></UL> <DIV><SPAN><SPAN>Because content-area comprehension depends on it, you and your students need <B>Background Knowledge.</B></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN><B>Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey</B></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN> help you develop lasting subject-area understanding with ideas for modeling, guided practice, productive group work, and independent work that effectively engage adolescents. You'll learn to:</SPAN></SPAN></DIV> <UL> <LI><SPAN><SPAN>distinguish incidental knowledge from core background knowledge</SPAN></SPAN> <LI><SPAN><SPAN>check students' understanding prior to a unit with tools such as opinionnaires, interest surveys, and anticipation guides</SPAN></SPAN> <LI><SPAN><SPAN>model how to activate and apply prior knowledge so kids can wrestle with new content</SPAN></SPAN> <LI><SPAN><SPAN>build up students' background knowledge through virtual fieldtrips, YouTube, guest experts, and more</SPAN></SPAN> <LI><SPAN><SPAN>provide collaborative ways for students to develop expertise, show what they know, and own their learning.</SPAN></SPAN> </LI></UL> <DIV><SPAN><SPAN>Doug and Nancy also build <I>your</I> background knowledge with multimedia book-study resources at www.heinemann.com/backgroundknowledge.</SPAN></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN><SPAN>"As teachers </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN>our job is not to simply fill students' heads with facts," write Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey. "We need to have students manipulate and apply information so that it becomes a permanent understanding." That's w</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN>hy the time is now for <B>Background Knowledge</B>.</SPAN></SPAN></DIV>