Ten knowledge and comprehension starter activities any teacher can use to engage their learners and bring Bloom’s taxonomy to bear in their classroom

Starting the Lesson with Knowledge and Comprehension

Both knowledge and comprehension are an excellent basis for lesson starters.

They are the first two levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

The foundation on which learning rests.

As a reminder, here’s the taxonomy in full:

Knowledge
Comprehension
Application
Analysis
Synthesis
Evaluation

And here are a set of keywords for our first two levels:

Knowledge Keywords

Arrange, Define, Describe, List, Match, Memorise, Name, Order, Quote, Recognise, Recall, Repeat, Reproduce, Restate, Retain.

Comprehension Keywords

Characterise, Classify, Complete, Describe, Discuss, Establish, Explain, Express, Identify, Illustrate, Recognise, Report, Relate, Sort, Translate.

So why are knowledge and comprehension good ways to kick off lessons?

I’ll give you two reasons.

First, starter activities based on these categories allow you to access, at the very beginning of your lesson, the existing knowledge and understanding your learners possess.

You can then use this information to inform your teaching.

Second, activities based on these categories are relatively straightforward, meaning learners can achieve them and experience success from the get-go.

This binds them into your lessons, raising motivation and engagement.

Here are ten starter activities for you to consider, four based on knowledge, four based on comprehension and two that contain a combination.

1) List It! (Knowledge)

Present learners with the topic of study.

Challenge them to list everything they already know that connects to this.

They should work individually at first, doing so for sixty seconds.

When the sixty seconds are up, invite learners to get into pairs or threes and to compare their lists, seeing what is similar and what is different.

Alternatively, ask learners to do the listing in pairs and to then team up into groups of four to compare their lists.

2) Definition Recall (Knowledge)

Present learners with a range of keywords from a previous lesson.

Challenge them to recall the definitions of these words.

They can write these down, discuss them with a partner, or do both.

Bring mystery to the activity by having each keyword hidden behind a shape on your interactive whiteboard or touchscreen.

Invite a learner to select a shape, come to the front and to then remove it, revealing the keyword to the class.

Extend the activity by asking learners to recall the definition of the keyword and to then use it in a sentence (comprehension/application).

3) A-Z (Knowledge)

Ask learners to work in pairs and to write the letters A-Z on a sheet of paper.

Introduce the lesson topic and challenge learners to identify something connected to it for each letter of the alphabet.

The first pair to fill their sheet are the winners.

An alternative is to give learners a time limit.

For example, ‘You have two minutes to find as many connections to the topic as you can. Let’s see if anyone can get 26. Off you go!’

This formulation is also good for engendering competition.

You might have learners in groups instead of pairs and explain that the starter is a contest to see which group can get the most connections inside the time limit.

4) Discuss the Image (Knowledge)

Present learners with an image and ask them to discuss with their partner how it connects either to the previous lesson or the current lesson.

Encourage learners to make as many connections as possible by recalling everything they know about the previous/current lesson.

The goal here is to use the picture as a stimulus that prompts learners to bring forth prior knowledge.

You can then assess this.

Plus it primes learners for what’s to come next.

5) Question the Stimulus (Comprehension)

Present learners with a piece of stimulus material related to the topic such as an image, a video clip, a piece of music, or a source.

Give them time to examine the stimulus material, to think about what it is, and to consider how it might connect to the topic.

Next, set learners a series of questions about the material through which they must show and/or develop their understanding of it.

Questions can be answered individually or in pairs.

Three questions and an extension is usually about the right number.

Two if you want to keep the activity quick-fire.

6) Three Big Questions (Comprehension)

Mid-way through a topic, begin the lesson with three big questions connected to what you have already studied.

Divide the class into three and assign one question to each group.

Tell learners they must be able answer their question when called and that the rest of the class will judge whether their answer is right and whether anything could be added to it.

Set a time limit for learners to prepare their answers.

Keep it short to maintain pace.

If you feel this creates groups that are too large, divide your class into six.

You can then give each question to two different groups, and see if they come up with similar answers.

7) Explain the Pictures (Comprehension)

Display a series of images connected to the topic you’ve been studying and ask learners to explain what each image means or how it connects to the learning.

You can extend this into application by then challenging learners to pick three different images that could have been used instead.

Create a sense of drama by displaying each image in turn, for a short period of time, such as ten seconds, and then asking learners to write down their answers in pairs, at speed.

When you’ve cycled through all the images, ask for a volunteer pair who think they have a full set of correct answers and are prepared to read them out.

8) Can you pick out the right answer? (Comprehension)

Display a question along with four possible answers.

Ask learners to identify the right answer and to then explain why they believe it is correct.

You can develop this activity to include a series of questions, each with various answers.

You can also ask learners to work in pairs so that, for each question, they must discuss their thinking.

Once learners are used to the activity, extend it by displaying four possible answers and no question.

Challenge learners to work out what the question could be, and, by extension, which answer is correct.

9) Spider Diagram Sort (Knowledge and Comprehension)

Ask learners to draw a spider diagram showing everything they know about the topic of study.

When they’ve finished, invite them to explain how they could sort the information into two or three separate groups.

You can suggest the groups yourself, or you can leave it for learners to decide.

(Some would argue that sorting is an application activity, rather than a comprehension one. I think it’s an example of an activity that straddles the two, hence why I include it here.)

10) Unjumble the Images (Knowledge and Comprehension)

Present learners with a set of keywords and a set of related images.

The keywords and images should be jumbled up.

Challenge learners to match the keywords and images, then to explain the connections and to give a definition for each keyword.

Matching is an example of a knowledge-based activity.

Explaining the connections is comprehension.

Giving a definition could be knowledge, comprehension or a combination, depending on learners’ prior learning.

You can use these starters across the curriculum and with different age groups.

Simply adapt them to fit the content you are teaching, and the age of your learners.

For example, the final starter is appropriate for seven-year-olds and eighteen-year-olds, but how you structure it, the keywords and images you choose, and the expectations you have for the depth of explanations and the quality of definitions, will vary in each case.