Learners, likewise, learn by linking new information to prior knowledge. TOP The goal of all instruction is to help children read, write, learn, and think independently. As a result, instruction should provide children with opportunities to learn about how they read and write. Further, instruction should support children's development as independent learners by building background when needed and showing them how to activate and utilize their own prior knowledge while they are reading, writing, and learning. While it is clear that background building is essential for young readers and learners, it is also important to recognize that background building enriches writing.
Limited experiences affect how a young writer approaches writing.
Experiences provide opportunities for children to learn the concepts, vocabulary, and information that contribute to prior knowledge development. These experiences can be as simple as visits to the grocery store, reading a book together, eating in a restaurant, or playing with worms in the backyard. Or, they can be as planned and organized as a family vacation, a trip to the zoo, or playing in a hands-on museum. All learners learn by doing. Learning occurs through play, everyday experiences, books, and many other types of learning opportunities.