Background knowledge refers to knowledge of the physical, biological and social world and human experience in it.
Background knowledge is essential for reading comprehension. The more children understand and know about their world, the easier it will be for them to acquire new knowledge.
Learning objectives for children and corresponding strategies for library staff
Birth to 12 months
Literacy learning objectives for children
Educator strategies to support children's learning
For children to:
Touch or handle a variety of picture books.
Look at pictures of familiar scenes from their local community.
Encourage caregivers to interact with babies in their home language(s) (e.g. nursery rhymes, lullabies).
Explain to caregivers the importance of talking to babies.
12 to 24 months
Literacy learning objectives for children
Educator strategies to support children's learning
For children to:
Recognise their own lives in the picture books they see.
Listen to songs and rhymes in home language(s) and English.
Provide books about topics and experiences familiar to all toddlers (e.g. babies, animals).
Provide multilingual and multicultural books and other materials.
2 -3 years
Literacy learning objectives for children
Educator strategies to support children's learning
For children to:
Make links between their experiences and the experiences described and depicted in picture books.
Point out and name things they know about in the pictures.
Choose books where pictures give clues to meanings of words, especially for children from diverse backgrounds.
Make connections between pictured objects and children’s lives (e.g. Do you have a pet? Have you seen a fire engine?)
3 -5 years
Literacy learning objectives for children
Educator strategies to support children's learning
For children to:
Discover new information about topics of interest e.g. dinosaurs.
Enjoy more complex and diverse narrative texts.
Talk about book content before reading.
Ask children questions about their experiences in relation to the picture book.
Ideas for storytime
Parkes Library
Relate the story or activity to situations and experiences that are familiar to the children
Use age appropriate non-fiction to share some real-world information about a topic with the children before reading a picture book
Use props at storytime for children to examine (e.g. real cut flowers, a small block of ice, feathers or stuffed toy animals)
